AN: No beta we die like hilichurls

Happy birthday, Xinyan.


"Good morning, world!" A little girl with dark brown hair with a red streak on a couple of strands stretched in her bed with a wide smile as she styled her hair in pigtails.

She was very excited. Today was a very special day for her, after all. She couldn't wait to eat breakfast, then have lunch, then have dinner, then a midnight snack if her parents would let her. They would let her, wouldn't they? It was her day! They had to.

The smile on her face almost reached her ears. She carefully go off the bed, flinging her tiny legs off the bed and landing perfectly on the flooring below.

"And she sticks the landing!"

Today would be another amazing day for her. She would make sure of it. Pacing around her room, while imagining how her day would go, she listened in on the sounds that were always there around her. They comforted her. It was home.

The crashing of the waves along the harbor soothed her mind, the smell of the sea did wonders to her grumbling stomach. Oftentimes, she could hear the birds chirping too. Add the odd but pleasant sound she could hear, it was all wonderful.

Wait, odd sound?

She climbed up on her bed again. She could still hear it. It was soft, it kinda sounded like strings, and it was very nice to hear.

Judging from where she could hear it, it was near her window. If she was lucky, she could hear it louder if she opened her window. Excited, yet nervous at this new phenomenon that her curiosity would see unravel for her, she fiddled with the lock on her window until she finally managed to get it unlocked.

She huffed with pride. Seriously, did her parents have to lock it so tightly? She could barely feel the cold air out of her window whenever they locked it! And they only opened it when they were awake too.

Not that her room ever had the problem of being too warm or cold. The blue thing that her father had placed in a corner of the room. What did he call it again? Mist… flower… coro-something-something. She looked at a corner in her room at the said object, its azure glow remained, and even now she could feel the cool air it radiated.

She shook her head. She could think all about it later. Right now, she had to open the window.

Bit by bit, with what little strength her tiny body could muster, she pushed the window open.

The rays of the sun shone in her room, the murmurs and noises of the morning townspeople greeted her ears. Some even noticed her and gave her a smile and a wave, which she returned with just as much gusto.

But that wasn't what she opened her window for. She narrowed her eyes and searched the area, focusing on her hearing just as much as she could on her sight to pinpoint the exact location of the sound and-

'Bingo.'

A man clad in blue clothing with a hat, his eyes were closed as he played his instrument for many people to hear.

Now that she found the source, it was as if the noise had amplified itself in her ears. She could hear the gentle strum of the instrument as the man played.

It was so soft on her ears. It was as if a story was unraveling itself through the sound alone, whispering a scene to her mind. Her eyes gleamed and her smile grew wide.

'Wow.'

She didn't know how long she listened. She didn't know how long she had been smiling and staring at the man and his instrument. She didn't know how long she had been lost in the world brought by the sounds she had been hearing.

All she knew was that it was something she quickly grew to like.

The sound of a door creaking open behind her drew her attention away from the music. She almost pouted.

"Xinyan! My baby girl! Happy birthday! You're awake early!" a grown man with brown hair all but dashed to her.

Almost, being the keyword.

How could she pout in front of her parents? They always took care of her, gave her the love, and attention she needed.

And so, as her father scooped her up by her waist with his arms and spun her around in the air, what did she do?

What else could she do but chuckle? What else could she do but smile and laugh at the attention being given to her?

"Higher! Higher!"

"As you wish!"

A knock on the door gave pause to their activity. A woman with red streaks on the tips of her raven hair leaned against the door. Though she seemed unamused, there was no denying the smile on her face.

"Easy on the rough-housing. Wouldn't want too much excitement before breakfast." the woman told them. "Happy birthday, Xinyan."

"Thanks, mom! We were just playing." Xinyan still hadn't come down from being raised by her father.

"Honey, it's her special day, surely she can be given this much?" her dad laughed. His laugh was always so loud. But she never found it annoying.

If anything, the fact that his laugh was so loud only seemed to share his joy as far as his voice could reach.

Xinyan's eyes followed her mother. The woman shook her head as she chuckled to herself.

"I'll permit it, but you better be downstairs in five minutes. The food is about to be ready."

"We will!" Father and daughter said in unison. They shared a chuckle shortly after.

"Make sure to put Xinyan's pigtails on." they nodded at her words. "Don't forget. No more than five minutes."

Her dad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we got it."

"Oh, what do you mean we?" her mom had gone back into the room and looked at her father.

'Uh… Dad? You alright? You seem a bit… frozen.'

"I-Uh…" her dad stammered.

"My darling dearest husband wouldn't possibly leave me alone to plate breakfast by myself, would he?"

"N-No. Of course n-"

"Would he?"

She hadn't even realized her father had put her down and adorned a salute.

"N-No Ma'am- I mean, honey."

Her mom gave her father a warm smile. "Great. See you in a few."

As her mother went downstairs, she could hear her father audibly let a breath out.

"She's still terrifying." he chuckled to himself.

Xinyan tilted her head. "Mom is?" She didn't think she was. Her mother was one of the kindest people she knew.

"You'll know when you're older." Her father spared a glance back at the door. When he found there to be no one, nodded. "A story for another time."

Xinyan was still unsure, but she nodded nonetheless. "Alright."

"For now, let's get your pigtails up, yeah?"

Xinyan nodded more enthusiastically to that. "Yes, please!"

Her father chuckled as he leaned down and ruffled her head, two rubber bands in hand.

"The birthday girl has to look her best, after all.


Xinyan slowly went downstairs, gone were her fiery pajamas, and now she was clad in proper clothing, but the color scheme was still the same.

Shortly after putting her pigtails on, her father had opted to play with her just a bit more before he had to go downstairs and help her mother. Xinyan was perfectly fine with that. It wouldn't do good to make her mother mad, after all.

She loved her parents. Always will. But there were many times both of them had become angry. Maybe not at the same time, but she had seen both of them in that state.

Truth be told, her mother's anger was something she feared more than her father's. Her father might become angry, but after saying his piece he would quickly calm down. He wouldn't retract what he said, mostly because he meant it, but he would always tell her that he only had her best interests in mind and that he was worried about her.

Her mother on the other hand…

She shivered.

Even her father was scared of her mother. But not for the usual reasons that most people might think. Sure, her mother's anger was more cold, calculated, and calm than her father's, but her mother took to using… her surrounding to her advantage.

What did she mean by surroundings, you ask?

Well, one particular example Xinyan could name was the time she came home with a scar on her leg. The worry in her mother's eyes was evident, but when she told her mother that she had been pushed by a couple of kids while they were playing and that it was the reason for her little scar, her mother suddenly transformed in front of her.

She still smiled gently but stood up, told her father to keep treating her wound, and she went out. She didn't say many words nor did she seem too mad, but we didn't need to hear her. Because her actions had spoken for themselves.

Her mother had gone out of the door, barefooted. Because both of her sandals were in her hand.

Safe to say, the next day all of them apologized to her. She really didn't think much of it. But nowadays, whenever they played and they came close to Xinyan's house, the other children would involuntarily flinch.

But when Xinyan asked what was wrong, they didn't say anything. Weird. It was very weird.

"Xinyan, honey, come on down." her mother chimed.

Shaking her head, Xinyan smiled as she went down the stairs at a fast pace.

"Coming, mom!"

"Be careful coming down the stairs, young lady."

"I know, dad!"

"I know you're excited and all, but there's no need to-"

"No need to rush. I can take it slow and I'll get there eventually." Xinyan rolled her eyes with a smile on her face as she sat down in a chair by the dining table. "You don't have to nag me, mom."

"Mhm, I'm sure I don't." her mother turned to her with a sweet smile. You know, that one where her eyes were closed. Though, she wondered why she seemed to be gripping the ladle tight. Were her hands slippery? "By the by, can I ask where you heard that word from?"

"Hm? What word?" and why was her father moving his hand back and forth his neck with wide eyes while he looked at her?

"That word. Nag." her mother asked, still stirring the pot with her ladle. "I'm sure you didn't hear it from the children you play with?"

She shook her head. "No. I heard it from dad."

"Hnk-"

"Oh, really now?" Now her mother had her father's ears pinched between her fingers. "I suppose we should all be careful about what we say around, children. Wouldn't you think so too, dear?"

"Y-Yes. Of course."

"Great. I'm happy we're all on the same page." she let go of her father's ear as father cradled it softly to ease the pain. She would know, she'd been through the same treatment before, after all. "And a certain someone should be careful too. One more strike, and it's the couch. Alright?"

"Yes ma'am."

What was wrong with the couch? It was comfortable. She slept there most afternoons when she wasn't playing outside and it was too hot. Plus, when she did sleep on the couch during the afternoon, she would always wake up to the smell of hot food.

She'd have to tell her father about the joys of sleeping on the couch. Poor couch. Its feelings were hurt.

"What's for breakfast, mom?"

"Jianbing, Tofu Pudding, and Noodle Soup." her mother proudly declared while her father put a table napkin close to her.

"Really?!" Xinyan almost stood up from her chair. "That's more than what we've had for the last week!"

"Mhm. It's your birthday. We're celebrating in what ways we can, with what we have." her mother's smile never left her face.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!"

Xinyan rushed to her mother and wrapped her in an embrace. But with the height disparity between them, Xinyan only managed just above her waist.

Her mother softly chuckled. "You're welcome. I love you too. Now sit down, we'll eat together."

"We will!?"

Her father's boisterous laugh echoed. "Of course!"

"B-But what about your jobs? I-I know they're important but-"

"They can wait." her father answered for both of her parents. "Yes, we do have short jobs later after breakfast. But you can be sure that we'll be right here for your very special dinner." The way he said it with such certainty made her eyes water. "Everything we do, Xinyan, is for you. You know that. There's no way either of us is skipping on this."

"...Okay." Xinyan was lifted back up onto the chair. This time, the tablecloth was placed on her lap. "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, firecracker."

Her stomach grumbled at the smell of the amount of food that was coming her way. She was happy.

They rarely had the chance to eat together as a family. Both of her parents were working, and there were many days when she was alone in the house. That was why she was always outside playing. The empty house made her feel lonely.

Not today, it seemed.

"Do you want to bring friends over for dinner tonight, Xinyan?" her mother asked.

"Uh… sure!"

Her mother chuckled. "Do you have anyone in mind already?"

"No!"

This time, her father put a hand on her head. He ruffled her hair. "You have until later tonight to think about it. It's also fine to not bring anyone." he reassured her. "But if it's a boy, I might still have my old equipment here. It'll do good to ward off the pests-"

"Daaaadd!" Xinyan grew red. "I don't need to hear it. Boys are icky!"

"That's my girl!"

"Alright, alright. Enough of that." her mother told them. "Time to eat."


"Bye, mom! Bye, dad!"

"See you later, firecracker. Remember, be here by six for dinner."

"Yes, dad."

"Be safe, okay, Xinyan?"

"Yes, mom."

Xinyan waved her parents goodbye as they went off to work.

If this was any other day, perhaps she would be feeling sad and lonely. But not today. Not with the knowledge that they would soon be back home, and that they would dine together.

But for now…

"Oh hey, Xinyan! Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Xinyan!"

"I heard it's your birthday!"

Countless greetings came from her usual playmates. Most of them were just kids from the neighboring houses. Sometimes she couldn't even remember their names.

"Oh, hey Xinyan. Happy birthday! I made something for you."

Well, most of them. There were very, very few exceptions. One of them was a girl with dark, indigo hair, and a… huh, that was new.

There was something resembling a panda behind her.

"Thanks, Xiangling." Xinyan turned to face the girl.

Other were not so welcoming of the new arrival. And not for the reasons one may expect.

"Oh, no! Run! Xiangling is gonna feed you slimes again!"

"I don't wanna eat horsetail!"

"Qingxin makes my tummy feel funny."

One by one, they saw the other children scramble and run. Xinyan couldn't help but be amused by the situation. Xiangling thought the same.

"Mwahahahaha! You can run but you can't hide! I know where you live and I know your parents!"

Though, when Xinyan had opted to take on a smile on her face, Xiangling chose to make her opinions regarding their actions known.

Xinyan chuckled. "Been feeding them weird stuff again?"

"Weird stuff, she says. Don't act like you don't like it." Xiangling waggled her eyebrows with a smile. "Remember?"

"Heh, don't gotta remind me. I know." Xinyan playfully punched the other girl on her shoulder. Xiangling's smile never went away.

Xiangling was… a peculiar person. That was one of the many things that Xinyan could say about her. She was different from the other kids, maybe that was why they got along so well.

All of the other kids were playmates. They got along. They played together. But that didn't mean that Xinyan considered all of them as friends. From what her parents told her, friends were people you could count on when you were feeling down, would help you up if you fall, and would support you if what you wanted to do.

There were very few people whom Xinyan could attribute those traits to. One of those people was Xiangling.

Xinyan had met the girl by pure chance.

One day when she had gone out of the house to play, she found that most of the other children were avoiding someone, for some reason. They were telling her to stay away from a certain someone because she was giving them weird stuff. Sometimes delicious, sometimes suspicious, and sometimes it made them feel funny.

Xinyan got curious and decided to disregard all their warnings and approach the situation with as much grace and caution as an axe making its way through a tree.

She had approached the girl who seemed to be cooking with a smile. Without warning, just as she had come near, the girl turned around with a plate of food in her hands. She brought it over to her without another word, only that Xinyan would tell her what she really thought of the dish.

She had learned two things that day. The first is that spice existed. It was something that brought out a greater depth in the food she hadn't even known. The second was that her name was Xiangling, and she was the daughter of Chef Mao of Wanmin Restaurant.

She was her best friend.

"Nice to see you too, Xinyan."

"Yeah, yeah, don't need to get all sappy on me.'

The amateur cook chuckled. "And why not? It's your birthday! I can make you something if you want?"

"Nah, no thanks. I'd rather save my appetite for later." Xiangling opened her mouth at the refusal, but ultimately closed it, and smiled at hearing her rationale. "Oh, that reminds me! Mom and Dad told me I can bring a few friends over for dinner at my place. Can you come?"

"Would I?! I'd love to!" Xiangling all but lunged towards Xinyan, enveloping the girl in a tight grip.

"Wah! I appreciate the love, girl, but still-!"

"No buts!" the chef's cheerful mood had gotten even better. "That does it! I'm bringing something later to your house tonight. Something that'll really knock your socks off!"

Xinyan chuckled. She'd given up on getting rid of Xiangling's hold of her. "Just take it easy on my parents, yeah? I'm not sure how they'll handle the spice."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to make something everyone can enjoy!" she let go of Xinyan to put both hands on her waist as she puffed up her chest with pride. "You'll help me, right, Guoba?"

The panda-like creature made a sound that Xinyan could tell sounded like agreement.

"Hey, Xiangling?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's your friend?"

Xiangling's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot! Guoba, come over, I'll introduce you."

Although they weren't far apart from each other, each step Guoba took, it seemed to make a sound.

"This is Guoba, my friend and companion."

"I'm guessing Guoba can't talk?"

"Uh… not really. But I can understand him, nonetheless."

XInyan shrugged. "Eh, not like it matters much to me." she bent down and put her hands on Guoba's cheeks. Just like how her parents would. "Nice to meet you, Guoba! I'm Xinyan. Take good care of Xiangling for me, will you? She plays with fire just as much she does food."

"H-Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"Yet!"

As they playfully fought with each other, Guoba had adorned a smile. A noise in the area drew his attention, however.

The pair put a stop to their bickering when they noticed that Guoba's footsteps were getting farther and farther.

"Guoba? Where are you going?" Xiangling asked. She received no answer as Guoba went behind a tree.

A gasp was heard, as well as the scurrying of feet. But it looked like Guoba was more capable than Xinyan thought.

Guoba was dragging a new person by the arm. A girl their age by the looks of it. Long black hair with purple highlights was one of the first things Xinyan noticed about her.

"Well, hey there!"

The girl looked at her with eyes wide full of panic.

"Eeep!"


"If you wanted to play with us, you could've just said so." Xiangling smiled.

"Yeah, we don't bite." Xinyan added.

"Don't take Xinyan at her word for it though."

"What did you say, you Crash Cook?"

"You heard me, Spike-eyes!"

"Why you-!"

"U-Uhm…" the newcomer put a hand out in front of her in a small attempt in calming the both of them down.

She and Guoba shared a look. Guoba shrugged as if to say there was nothing they could do.

After Guoba had all but dragged her out into the open, Xiangling and Xinyan had greeted her well enough. Apparently, she wanted to play with them but didn't know how to approach them.

They had moved away from their earlier spot too. Now that they were in a clearing just by the Harbor, they didn't have to hold their voice as much as before.

"Don't think that I forgot about that time you gave me slimes to eat!"

"You liked them until I told you they were slimes and you know it!

"You fed me slimes!"

"And they tasted good, didn't they?!"

Yeah, they weren't holding their voices back anymore.

"Snrk- Ha… Hahahahaha."

The sound of soft, elegant laughter drew the pair's attention out of their little spat and onto the source of the laughter.

Particularly, who the source of laughter was.

Their new addition, that being the raven-haired girl, was currently clutching her stomach as brief bursts of chuckles escaped her.

"I'm… I'm sorry. It's just… slimes? Really?" she managed to say in between her chuckles.

Xinyan and Xiangling smiled.

"Don't underestimate Xiangling. Give her any ingredient and she'll be able to turn it into something amazing."

"Aw, shucks. It's all thanks to your fearless dedication to eating what I always make."

The new girl gazed as she saw the pair interact. One minute they were fighting, and then the next, they were complimenting each other.

'Is this what having friends is like?'

"Hey, my parents always told me not to waste food. I'll take what you're offering anytime." she smirked. She then turned back to the new girl. "Anyway, I don't think I've told you either of our names yet." she cleared her throat.

Xiangling nodded. "Oh yeah. I'll start." she cleared her throat. "Hi! My name is Xiangling. I'm an aspiring chef from Wanmin Restaurant."

The new girl raised an eyebrow. "Wanmin Restaurant? The one Chef Mao runs?"

It was hard not to know of it. It was one of the most prolific and iconic restaurants in Liyue Harbor. There was not a soul from Liyue that didn't know of it. And if they didn't, chances were that they were tourists and were about to know of it.

One taste of the food there would give you memories to last and a craving to sate every so often. She would know. She had been there a couple of times, after all.

"Yep. That's the one. And he's my dad."

"Oh, you're Chef Mao's daughter?"

"And future head chef of that restaurant. Nice to meet you." Xiangling gave her a slight bow. "And this is Guoba!"

Guoba bowed as well.

"I… I see. May I ask what Guoba is?"

Guoba and Xiangling tilted their head. It was expressed with such synchronicity that they were almost the same person.

"What do you mean? Guoba is a Guoba."

Guoba seemed to think the same.

She sweatdropped. "N-Nevermind." she shook her head. "My name is Yun Jin. I'm…" she seemed a bit hesitant to say whatever she was going to say next. But she took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "I'm a member of the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, as are my mother and father." her voice slowly weakened at the end, and her head lay low.

"Hello, Yun Jin."

"Welcome to the club, Yun Jin."

Her head snapped to the two. Wide eyes and a surprised expression adorned her features.

"What? Was it something we said?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

Xiangling and Xinyan asked in concern.

'Do they not know…?'

"N-No! Nothing's wrong, of course." she awkwardly chuckled. "Just… nerves, is all."

Xiangling and Xinyan shared a glance before they shrugged.

So she was a bit odd. Then again, the same had been said to both of them before. Being odd was fine.

"Well, now for the grand finale." Xinyan hyped herself up as Xiangling rolled her eyes next to her. "My name is Xinyan! Just a girl from Liyue Harbor. My parents both work. I love the smell of the sea in the morning, and there was this musician out by the front of my house that played really good music this morning."

Xiangling feigned a gasp in surprise. "And you didn't tell me?"

"How would I? It was just this morning. I swear he wasn't there any other day."

"Well, you've gotta tell me more about this." Xiangling told her. "And one thing she forgot to mention, is that today is her birthday!"

"Oh, right, yes it is my birthday." Xinyan sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I'll tell you about it. Actually, I can tell the both of you about it in a bit."

Yun Jin nodded. "I too would like to know about this musician. A new-found interest can quickly become the start of a passion." she almost recited. "And it is your birthday as well? Happy birthday, Xinyan."

"Thanks. And hey, wanna come over to my house later for dinner? My mom is letting me bring two friends with me."

"We're… friends?"

Xinyan tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Yes…? I mean, I think you're cool. You talk a bit different from how everyone else does, but that doesn't really matter." she then scratched her cheek. "Unless, you don't want to-"

"I do!" Yun Jin energetically jumped in place. Xiangling thought it was funny. "Yes. I would love to be friends with the two of you!"

Xinyan matched her smile as she took Yun Jin's hands in hers and looked her in the eye.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Yun Jin."


"Xinyan! Dear, you're just on time." her mother opened the door for her when she knocked. "I was going to give you a couple more minutes before I would've called for you."

She could smell the soft, and wonderful fragrance that her mother excluded, as well as the slight shine of her hair that looked like it was just combed.

Xinyan chuckled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, mom!"

Her mother looked behind her to see two others with her. One she recognized, and the other not quite so. It seemed that the raven-haired girl was also shuffling her gaze around the room.

"Hey there, Auntie!"

"G-Greetings."

Her mother smiled at them. "And you brought friends too."

"Of course I did!" Xinyan huffed with pride.

Her mother put a hand on her head, which Xinyan leaned into with a goofy smile.

"Xiangling, what a pleasant surprise. I trust you didn't bring anything tonight?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Xinyan was pretty clear about that. It's just me."

"Chef Mao always does well by us, it'd be nice if we can give him something for a change. Will it be alright if I have something packed for the two of you? Might not be at the same quality as his cooking though."

"Sure. but Auntie's cooking is really good!"

"You flatter me, Xiangling."

"No really! Anything that's cooked with pride and passion is a good dish." Xiangling exclaimed. "That's what he always said!"

And by He, Xiangling meant her father.

Her mother couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride. A compliment from Xiangling might as well have been one from Chef Mao himself with how closely Xiangling followed after him.

"Thank you, Xiangling. I hope you enjoy tonight's dinner as well. It's very special." she then turned towards the newcomer. "And you must be?"

"Yun Jin, madam. Thank you for having me." she stiffly bowed.

"Oh please, madam makes me feel old. You can just call me auntie, like Xiangling here."

The girl slowly nodded. "Okay… A-Auntie."

"Good girl. And you don't need to be so stiff either. You're a friend of Xinyan's, which means we'll treat you like family."

"I… I see. Thank you."

Her mother resisted the urge to sigh. Keeping a warm smile on her face, she led the three children into the house, with Xinyan already tugging them into her room.

"Who is it?" her father exclaimed from inside the kitchen.

"Xinyan and her friends! They just went up into her room."

"Ah, she brought people after all. That's good." her father chuckled. "Tell them to be down in a couple of minutes. The food is almost ready."

"Sure thing. Xinyan-!"

"I heard you dad! We'll be down in a few!" Xinyan peeked from the stairs.

"Alright, firecracker. Love you!"

"Love you too, dad!"

"Don't cause much of a ruckus up there. You make a mess, you're cleaning it, young lady."

"I know, mom!"

Her mother sighed as she made her way to the kitchen to help prep the table. Though she couldn't help but wonder about Xinyan's friends.

Xiangling was someone her little girl played with regularly. But this new girl was… well, new. And that name. Something about the name Yun Jin sounded vaguely familiar.

She shook her head. It was useless to think about that right now. She was Xinyan's friend, after all.

Now, she had food to prepare, a table to prep, and her darling daughter's birthday to celebrate.


"Right out here is where I heard and saw him. Just out there!" Xinyan pointed towards a certain spot outside of her window.

Xiangling breathed the air in. "The air is so nice. Not that your room isn't great and all, but the air and the feel is just… wow!"

Xinyan giggled. "Yes, it is very wow."

She'd been in this room for as long as her memories went. She'd change certain items and furniture around from time to time, but her room was always that. Her room. A little space that only she and certain people could go into.

"I concur." Yun Jin sat on the side of the bed with her head turned towards the cool evening breeze of Liyue from her newfound friend's window. "The smell of the sea and the sound of the townspeople below during the morning would be such beauty to witness."

Xinyan sweatdropped. "Uh… I only got half of what you said but yeah, I agree."

Yun Jin blushed in embarrassment. She shuffled in place and struggled to come up with something to say until Xiangling squeezed in.

"So! About that musician, you told us about. Anything you wanna say?" Xiangling excitedly asked.

Xinyan shrugged. "There's not much to say about it. I woke up and looked out the window. And there he was."

"Wow. Thanks, awesome. You wake up to some sweet music." Xiangling laid down on her bed and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

"It was… Pretty sweet, yeah. I've never heard anything like it before." Xinyan stared blankly out of the window.

Xiangling tilted her head. "What do you mean?" Yun Jin nodded, she was thinking of asking the same too.

"It's just… I've never heard anything like it. That soothing sound, the content face he was making as he played, how hearing it made me feel… something. Made me feel lighter, it was amazing. It was like I was somewhere else." Xinyan didn't realize it, but her hands had already gone into the same position as the musician from earlier had, her hands were playing with an invisible instrument without her even knowing about it.

Xiangling and Yun Jin shared a knowing glance and a nod with each other.

"I was in another world. In that world, it was just me, and the music. I wasn't in my room, but I was comfortable. It felt right, being in that world. But I wasn't alone. I had these thoughts that weren't mine. Words were being said without being spoken… It was… as if the music was talking to me."

Xinyan then snapped out of her trace. She grew red and sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "S-Sorry. I think I went too deep into this."

Xiangling and Yun Jin shook their heads. "No problems, Xinyan! It was nice hearing you like this for a change." Xiangling snickered.

"Have you ever thought of becoming a musician, Xinyan?"

Their gazes went to the newest member of the group in the room. Her eyes filled with a gleam they couldn't describe.

"Uh… no, not really. Why?"

Yun Jin smiled. "I think you should give it a try. If music to you is as wonderful as you describe it, I think you could possibly have music sheets, an audience, and a stage in your future."

"A-An audience? A stage?! Are you for real? For me? No way." Xinyan awkwardly laughed. Though it didn't look like either of her friends thought it was funny.

"Seriously. You talked about it just like how I talk about cooking. You should totally give it a shot." Even Xiangling encouraged her.

"Really? I mean, no one in the family plays an instrument."

"That's no reason to not be the first." Xiangling chimed.

"But I don't even have an instrument."

"I can get an acoustic guitar for you to borrow as soon as tomorrow."

Xinyan sweatdropped. "But… who would even wanna hear me play-"

Xiangling interrupted her with a groan as she put an arm around the girl. "Look, Xinyan. It's obvious that you want to try it. Don't even deny it! Your hands were moving like they were playing an imaginary guitar earlier." she had to interrupt again when Xinyan opened her mouth. "And what do you mean who would want to hear you play? You got us!"

"R-Really?"

"Heck yeah. We'll be your first audience. Right, Yun Jin?"

"Correct."

"B-But what if I'm bad or-"

"That's normal. You think I got good at cooking without burning a Wok or three?"

Xinyan stared at her blankly. "You still burn them, Xiangling."

"Exactly! Because I'm still learning." Xiangling nodded with pride.

"And you would be a complete beginner with the instrument. I would be surprised if you managed to play a complete piece within the first few minutes of holding it."

Xinyan didn't know what to say. There was uncertainty in her heart. But hearing that her friends would support her and help her was reassuring.

"Thanks, I'll think about it."

"Anytime, Xinyan."

"You are welcome. Please let me know when you wish to borrow it."

Xinyan chuckled as she wiped a few tears that hadn't fallen to the ground off the sides of her eyes.

"Kids?! Food's ready."

Xinyan stood up so quickly that Xinyan almost fell on the floor, she surprised Yun Jin too, who fell flat on the bed. Xinyan rushed downstairs, the door swinging open, Yun Jin and Xiangling shared a glance. They smiled and chuckled as Xinyan shouted to them as she went down.

"That's enough of this talk for now. Time to eat!"


The food was great. It was an entire feast, more than what they normally ate in a whole week. Everyone savored every last bite. There were leftovers, and she was sure that they would be eating them in the next couple of days, but she didn't mind.

It would serve as a reminder of this day. And what a special day it was.

So many dishes, meat, vegetables, soup, sweet, sour, savory, so many delicacies for so many different people with different tastes, yet they all enjoyed every single one.

And now, she was in front of a birthday cake, surrounded by family and friends as they sang her a happy birthday song. She smiled.

"Happy birthday to you~!"

In this humble home of hers, she couldn't help but tear up a bit.

They weren't the most fortunate, they weren't the most well-off, and sure, she may not have been the best daughter in the world, nor did she have the best parents ever either. But she didn't need to.

Surrounded by the family she cherished, and friends she cared for, old or new, was all she could've asked for. They were happy.

"Go on, make a wish, Firecracker." her father urged her by squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

She looked around the table and found that most of them were thinking of the same thing as well. She nodded, and closed her eyes.

A wish was something that people made when they would ask for something. Xinyan thought that she already had everything she wanted. Never ask for too much, that was something that her parents had always told her. To appreciate what she already had.

But after every that happened today, she learned to appreciate what she had even more, and then some.

Especially with that phenomenon she had experienced this morning, and the words she shared with her friends. She knew exactly what to wish for.

She clasped her hands together and blew out the fire from the candle in front of her. She opened her eyes to cheers and smiling faces.

"What did you wish for, darling?" her mother smiled at her.

"That's a secret!"

Xinyan smiled brightly. She scratched her cheek with a finger as she chuckled.

A spark of passion had been ignited in her mind. Of course, that spark's melody would go through endless winds, and turbulence, but if that spark survived, it would become an ember.

From that ember, if it survived the harsh winds, a fire would grow. And from that fire, a light would burst forth. Heat would roar, growing stronger and stronger in defiance as it turned the harsh winds to its own fuel.

Growing hotter, and hotter, until the small spark of melody from before became a blazing riff!