Let's talk about today's birthday.

　　Time marches on relentlessly, and another year begins. Before I knew it, the next year was drawing ever closer. If it weren't for my mother's phone call reminding me, and a gift from a friend, I wouldn't have known it was my birthday. To be honest, I often forget my own birthday, only remembering the birthdays of close friends and family. Overall, I had a pretty happy birthday this year. For me, today is a meaningful day, not because it's my birthday, but because of what happened, so I decided to record it and keep it in my collection of essays, "Gentle Reminiscences."

　　The weather in my hometown was pretty good today. Although not sunny, there were no storms or heavy rain, just cloudy skies. Because I woke up late, I probably ate breakfast late too. Around nine o'clock, a courier called me and asked me to pick up a package by the roadside. To my surprise, I picked up about five or six packages at once. One of them was a Barbie doll, which my little sister had been asking me to buy for her. I only found out about this package after I got home. Of course, there was also the birthday gift from my friend.

　　Regarding my friend, whom I grew up with, she sent me a copy of Yu Hua's novel, *To Live*. Receiving such a nicely packaged book made me very happy, as I'm a book lover. Moreover, after reading the preface to *To Live*, I felt the book was very meaningful, even though its content is somewhat profound, and although understanding a classic is not easy for me, what does it matter? All I knew was that it was a special birthday gift from my friend, and her thoughtfulness touched me deeply. Subconsciously, I know I'm not a child anymore, and birthdays don't necessarily require cake. Even though my little sister urged me to buy myself a small cake tonight, I still refused.

　　I know that subconsciously, all I want is a greeting, a few words of blessing. I don't need the whole world to revolve around me; having one or two friends who care about me, and the blessings of my family, is enough to make me happy. And I received all of these greetings, so I'm very happy.

　　Similarly, my mother sent me a WeChat red envelope this morning because it was my birthday, and I was very grateful. So, although I don't really like repeatedly going to the roadside to pick up packages, I did it anyway, because most of the packages I pick up are from my mother. She has sacrificed so much for our family, and I see and remember it all. So, after lunch, I went to the courier company again to pick up the cotton-padded coat my mother sent from the city where she works. She was planning to wear it for the New Year. But when I got the package, I found it was wrapped up in a ball. When I got home and opened it, I found not only my mother's coat, but also sweaters for my cousin and little sister, and shower gel. Later, I was a little bored by myself, so I listened to some audio on my phone about women's health, because I have a special audio app!

　　After spending several hours cooped up in my room, around 5:30 PM, I went to my grandma's for dinner. Because I haven't had much of an appetite lately, I only ate a few bites before heading home. Soon after, my little sister insisted on dragging me to the street to look at clothes, and I reluctantly agreed. On the way, I teased her and bickered with her; it actually felt quite nice to bicker with family. Knowing how hard it is to earn money, and considering it was my birthday, and perhaps also with a selfish motive—I wanted to save some extra cash—I kept reminding my sister not to choose anything too expensive. We ended up going to my usual clothing store on the old street, a chain called "Tianzi," where my sister finally bought a dress for a little over sixty yuan after looking for a long time.

　　Then we went to "Maixiangcun" across the street. I ordered some hot and sour noodles to fill my stomach, but as I ate, I suddenly realized the flavor wasn't the same as I used to enjoy. So, unwilling to force myself, I left "Maixiangcun." On the way back, seeing my little sister's eagerness, I had to suppress the urge to spank her. I bought her barbecue and sugarcane instead. This outing tonight cost me almost a hundred yuan. Several times, seeing my little sister wanting to buy this and that, I really wanted to tell her, "Is it my birthday or yours? I didn't even want to buy this much!"

　　Before going home, I went to another friend's house and chatted for a while. Finally, urged by my little sister, I reluctantly left. I had originally planned to bring some sugarcane for my friend to try, but unfortunately, I hadn't chosen the right kind; some stalks were clearly rotten and discolored. Seeing this, I felt too embarrassed to give them to my friend.

　　My birthday is almost over, and my diary ends here. Goodnight!

　　(The End)