Jane Sampson blinked her eyes, then pointed at Peter Gingeryās hand covering hers and signaled with her eyes for him to remove it.
Peter Gingery hesitated, "If I remove it, you wonāt scream?"
Jane Sampson continued to blink her eyes.
Only then did Peter Gingery slowly, bit by bit, move his hand away, his eyes still fixed on Jane Sampson.
Jane Sampson was hooking the corners of her mouth in a smile the whole time. Just when Peter Gingery thought she wouldnāt scream anymore, she suddenly opened her mouth to scream, and Peter Gingery instinctively rushed over to cover her mouth again, but Jane Sampson dodged swiftly.
Then, leaning against the refrigerator and bending over, she burst into laughter, "I was just teasing you, Peter Gingery. Are you really that scared?"
"Donāt make fun of me. You should have seen how you used to be. Who knows how much braveness youāve gathered recently to dare to be so bold with my brother. I wonder, you keep irritating him all day, how come he hasnāt sorted you out? Even I often get so angry I want to strangle you," Peter Gingery muttered as he walked toward the water pool and turned on the faucet to rinse off the flour on his face.
After washing up, Peter Gingery called Jane Sampson over, "Hurry and wash your face, otherwise if my brother sees this, Iām doomed."
"Coward!" Jane Sampson teased him, but she went over and washed her face anyway.
Once the two playful kids had washed their faces, they went back to kneading the dough. Jane Sampson had added carrot juice and spinach juice to the dough, so the final product, the longevity noodles, came in three colors, adorned with red eggs and meat, as well as green vegetables, making a bowl of noodles look very appetizing.
When the meal was served, Old Master Black glanced at the noodles and then took the longevity buns he had brought with him and placed them on the dinner table in front of James Black, "According to tradition, itās more meaningful for the birthday star to eat longevity buns. Eat less of the noodles, so you have room for the buns."
After that, Old Master Black turned to Jane Sampson and instructed her, "Leave some noodles for me. Iām old, and eating too much of other things doesnāt sit well, but these noodles I can enjoy."
Peter Gingery burst out laughing and gave Old Sir a thumbs up.
The wiser the older, the excuse came straight on point.
The corners of James Blackās mouth twitched slightly. He reached for a longevity bun, took a bite, and then placed the rest aside, watching Jane Sampson, who was sitting next to him, shaking with laughter; his gaze couldnāt help but soften with amusement.
This must have been the most lively birthday he had ever had.
It didnāt matter whether the longevity buns or noodles tasted better; what mattered was the sentiment of Old Master Black.
"Although today is James Blackās birthday, everyone here should also have a bowl of longevity noodles and a red egg. After eating, you will have good luck," Jane Sampson said cheerily as she playfully shook the red egg from her own bowl at everyone.
This was a tradition brought over from the southland by Old Master Blackās wife; the red eggs were dyed with red wine lees, giving them a pleasing color and a delicious taste.
Jane Sampson skillfully split the egg into two, keeping the egg yolk on her soup scoop.
Peter Gingery, sitting next to her, more adeptly pushed forward an empty bowl, ready to receive the egg white Jane Sampson was peeling.
This was the tacit understanding between him and Jane Sampson from childhood.
However, this time, to Peter Gingeryās surprise, Jane Sampson, without even looking up, reached past the bowl he pushed over and placed the egg white in James Blackās bowl.