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February 27
Shen Yue looked at the postcard from Dubrovnik that she received from her daughter.
"Happy Forty-Fifth Birthday, Ma!" It began before it peppered her with wishes and a tiny update at the end about how great newly-wed life is, and how she and her husband are doing well.
Her daughter, Hui Yin, has always been an old soul, much like her.
In the age of emails, video calls, online messages, and holograms, the young woman decided to send over a postcard from Croatia.
Yue could not even remember the last time she received a postcard like this. Although... she could remember the last time she sent one out.
She was in Morocco. The recipient was in Beijing...
Her phone suddenly rang, flashing Hui Yin's name.
"Zhù ni shengrì kuàilè, zhù ni shengrì kuàilè, zhù ni xìngfú zhù ni jiànkang, zhù ni qiántú guang míng!"
She laughed as her daughter and son-in-law sang heartily, even finishing it with a trumpet and brass sound.
"I hope to God your neighbors do not report you tomorrow for disruption of peace," she joked, before thanking them and updating them on what has happened on her end since their call last week.
"Please do not tell me you plan on just lazing around the house on your birthday."
"Ok, Yin. I won't tell you then."
"MA!!!!!"
"What?!?!?!"
"You have to go out and celebrate! Drink beer! Go to a club!"
"Your grandfather will turn in his grave if I even step inside a club at this age."
"Grandpa just might join you. You never know, Ma!"
"Ma, I just want you to know that I support lazing around the house!" her son-in-law screamed from the background.
"I really think you and Hui Yin were exchanged in the hospital. You must be really my son, Jinyong."
"Stop! You two!"
Hui Yin prattled on as Yue focused her attention back to her laptop.
She'd been reading news on the military when a pop up to her right prompted her that she just received an email.
With a smile and her daughter's voice in the background she clicked on the tab for her mail, fully expecting another birthday greeting, but found herself crunching up her nose at the sender.
