Sister, can I be a maid too?

—Oh, too bad you didn't choke to death.jpg

I thoroughly enjoyed the cake.

In the end, both sisters ate their little cakes clean.

Jiang Yubai struggled with all his might to barely manage to stuff the four pieces of cake in front of him into his stomach.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Jiang Yubai looked at the two sisters in their pajamas in front of her, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked:

"Have you two... both taken a shower?"

Lin Tingwan nodded her little head.

Lin Jianxia clearly hadn't expected him to ask that question, and replied, puzzled:

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

Seeing her completely unguarded state, Jiang Yubai suddenly curled up a mischievous smile and beckoned to her with his finger:

"Come here, I have something important to tell you."

Lin Jianxia looked suspicious, but still slowly moved over.

Seeing her approach, Jiang Yubai didn't rush to speak, but instead greeted her again:

"Come on, Wanwan, come over here too."

When the two sisters came closer, he suddenly and swiftly dipped his finger into the cream on the edge of the plate and lightly drew a line on their faces.

Lin Tingwan was still a little dazed and blinked blankly.

Lin Jianxia was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened:

"Jiang Yubai—!"

She angrily stuck out her finger, dipped it in a large clump of cream, and threatened:

"Not allowed to move!"

Jiang Yubai didn't dodge; he just sat there waiting for her to make her move.

After retaliating by smearing a deep smear on his cheek, she didn't forget to drag her sister along:

"Wanwan, you're here too!"

Lin Tingwan glanced at her fuming sister, then at the cheerful Jiang Yubai, before carefully dipping her fingertip in cream and gently dabbing it across Jiang Yubai's other cheek, just like her sister had done.

Seeing Jiang Yubai's face instantly turn somewhat comical, Lin Jianxia was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

"Hey, Jiang Yubai, you look so silly~"

Jiang Yubai, her face covered in cream, retorted irritably:

"You have them on your face too, don't you? They make you look silly."

"Jiang Yubai, do you have a death wish?"

The cream fight started so suddenly and continued for quite a while with laughter.

Only after all three of them had sustained injuries to varying degrees did Jiang Yubai begin to beg for mercy.

"Stop! Stop! Stop the fighting!"

Once the two sisters stopped, he wiped his hands and began to speak:

"Alright, did you have a good day?"

"happy."

Lin Jianxia looked at the cream on his face, and couldn't help but twitch her lips. She quickly turned her head away and hummed incoherently.

"It's alright..."

“Okay, as long as everyone is happy,” Jiang Yubai nodded. “It’s getting late, let’s go back, wash up, and go to bed.”

Lin Jianxia subconsciously said "Oh," obediently stood up, took her younger sister's hand, and prepared to walk back.

He had only taken two steps when Jiang Yubai's voice, both amused and exasperated, came from behind him:

"Hey, you're actually leaving now that we've told you to?"

Lin Tingwan turned his head curiously. Lin Jianxia frowned, her cheeks puffed out slightly, and she glared at him with some displeasure.

"Hey, what do you mean by that? Didn't you tell us to go back to sleep?"

"Two idiots..."

Jiang Yubai made a comment, and before Lin Jianxia could refute him, he stood up and went into the study.

Soon, he came out carrying two exquisitely packaged small boxes.

"Here, this is my birthday present. I had it custom-made—a 72-tone music box."

He handed the two peach wood boxes to the two sisters respectively, smiling as he said:

"The song I chose for summer is your favorite, 'Summer Breeze,' and the one for evening... I chose one that I really like, called 'Castle in the Sky.'"

"Alright, this is really the last step."

Jiang Yubai paused, then winked at the two sisters:

Happy 19th birthday, Xia, and Wan!

Chapter 265 You Are the Joy of Summer

The faint sound of rushing water could be heard in my ears.

Lin Jianxia didn't take a bath with Lin Tingwan today. Instead, she let her younger sister take a bath first, while she waited in the room for a while.

She glanced out through the slightly ajar door, but her gaze involuntarily fell on the music box in her hand.

The music boxes I remember were all small ones, and they would chime and sing when you wound them up.

But the one in my hand is completely different.

It looked much larger than a typical music box, and the entire outer shell seemed to be made of walnut wood, exuding a faint fragrance.

The outer shell has a delicate texture and is polished to a smooth and warm finish. The workmanship is obviously extraordinary, and it exudes a heavy weight.

Although she didn't know exactly what "72 sounds" meant, she could clearly sense that this was definitely not the kind of cheap item that could be easily bought in a small street shop.

...Really.

Forget about the teddy bear plush toy, it looks way too expensive...

That's enough for so many, many meals of pork ribs...

Although she thought this to herself, Lin Jianxia pursed her lips and hugged the music box in her arms even tighter.

She carefully lifted the lid, and in the soft light, the first thing she saw was an exquisite logo engraved on the inside of the box:

"Sankyo ORPHEUS"

It's probably something like a name.

Next to it are '72 note' and the song title 'Summer Breeze'.

Lin Jianxia stared at the song title for a few seconds, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth. Then her gaze fell on the exquisite structure inside the box.

The combs are arranged precisely, each one thin and symmetrical, with polished metal tubes side by side on them, covered with regular and complex bumps.

The entire movement is spotless, making it look like a perfect work of art.

Although she was thinking to herself, "It's too expensive," Lin Jianxia fell in love with the birthday gift almost at first sight.

She looked at it from left to right, reluctant to put it down, before finally winding it up, placing it neatly on the table, and holding her breath in anticipation.

Soon, the melodious and familiar tune of "Summer Breeze" flowed from the music box.

Before the prelude had even begun, Lin Jianxia's eyes had already widened slightly.

She never imagined that the music box could produce such a rich variety of sounds, completely unlike the monotonous tinkling sound she remembered.

No wonder... a piano only has 88 notes, right?

The thought flashed through Lin Jianxia's mind, and she rested her chin on her hand, unable to resist humming along softly to the tune:

The July breeze is lazy, even the clouds feel warm~

"The weather will be muggy soon, then a shower will come after the clouds disperse."

The melodious tune echoed in the quiet room, and Lin Jianxia hummed along softly until the last syllable slowly dissipated into the air.

She pursed her lips, a sense of lingering satisfaction welling up inside her. She couldn't help but carefully wind up the spring again, listening to the crisp "click-click" sound of it being wound.

As the melody flowed out again, Lin Jianxia hummed softly, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

Although she always grumbled and complained in front of Jiang Yubai.

But she... was really happy today.

So this is what birthdays feel like?

There will be someone who truly cares about you, tolerates your little temper tantrums and willful whims, and quietly arranges everything just to make you happy.

They will prepare carefully, present a beautiful birthday cake, and choose a thoughtful gift for you.

I'm really... happy.

She could also clearly sense the same joyful yet reassuring emotions emanating from her younger sister.

Therefore, Jiang Yubai...

Suddenly, the music in my ears slowly stopped, and the room returned to silence.

Lin Jianxia slowly came to her senses, and as if sensing something, turned her head to look behind her.

Lin Tingwan, who had just finished showering, was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently drying her wet hair with a towel, her eyes looking over with a hint of curiosity.

"Wanwan? You've finished your shower?"

Lin Jianxia blinked, stood up, naturally took the towel from her sister's hand, and carefully wiped her down.

Lin Tingwan sat obediently on the edge of the bed, took out her spiral notebook, wrote for a while with her head down, and then held up the little notebook:

"Is that my sister's music box?"