Kong Xuan swiped his hand, and it was another item he had saved, this time stationery.

Tan Xiao was amused. It would be more convenient to just ask for money directly... Oh, no, Tan Xiao felt he had somewhat grasped Kong Xuan's thinking. He probably just wanted the face of receiving gifts.

"Sure!" Tan Xiao said readily. "You place the order, then choose pay on delivery, and I'll pay for it."

Kong Xuan's face was full of satisfaction: "Mm."

Seeing how much Kong Xuan liked receiving gifts, Tan Xiao couldn't help but tease him again: "Is it okay if I give you lucky money for the new year?"

Kong Xuan suddenly became anxious. "But I won't be here for the new year. I'm returning to Heaven to report."

Although the mission wasn't complete, there had to be a year-end report, and choosing the new year was the same principle as the Stove God also going to Heaven to report every new year.

Tan Xiao was stunned for a moment, having forgotten that he was originally joking. He had thought Kong Xuan would stay at home all the time. "Then how long will you be gone?... It's okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

"I don't know how long Primordial Phoenix will keep me." Kong Xuan said in a low voice. "Also, my birthday is on the first day of the lunar new year. After that, I'll be an adult."

Peacocks were different from the mortal world. Birthdays weren't celebrated every year. There was a saying, "the primordial world doesn't count years". In ancient times, there was no concept of years. A single closed-door cultivation session could last several thousand years. Because of this, their coming-of-age time was very different from humans.

But regardless of age, this coming-of-age was a big birthday. Tan Xiao hadn't even thought that Kong Xuan would reach adulthood earlier than him. He thought that maybe peacocks only celebrated birthdays every five hundred years or so. "It's actually your birthday... Then before you go back, let me celebrate early for you."

Kong Xuan didn't expect to be able to celebrate early, and his eyes regained their luster: "Oh?"

"Of course it's early. Birthdays can't be made up later." Tan Xiao was already planning in his mind what to give Kong Xuan. It was just right that he had received this remuneration. "Huh, then how is your birthday calculated? Is it the day Primordial Phoenix Great God laid the egg, or the day you hatched from the egg?"

"Naturally, it's the day I hatched." Kong Xuan suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Tan Xiao stared at him: "What's wrong? Is there some hidden story here?" He couldn't help but take out his notebook. After all, he hadn't finished compiling the entry on peacocks yet.

Kong Xuan said with some embarrassment: "... At that time, I already had spiritual awareness in the egg. Hearing the sound of firecrackers in the mortal world, I was caught off guard and hatched."

Hm?

Tan Xiao reacted for a moment: "You were scared out of your shell by the sound of firecrackers?"

"Absolutely not! I came out to see what the commotion was about!" Kong Xuan made an excuse.

"Okay, okay, I got it." Tan Xiao said with a smile.

Kong Xuan's return to Heaven was the same as the Stove God, both the day before the new year. On that day, many households would also prepare a sumptuous table of food. Tan Xiao simply celebrated Kong Xuan's birthday early on that day.

It's just...

By this day, Kong Xuan still had a bit of winter break homework left.

"Hurry up and write. You don't want to go to Heaven still having to make up homework, right?" Tan Xiao urged Kong Xuan to finish up, while he went to cook.

In Nanchu, the folk custom for children's birthdays was called "growing a tail". Tan Xiao prepared a table of dishes according to the tastes he had figured out Kong Xuan liked, plus some new year specialties - pan-fried seafood platter, braised preserved meat, red-braised pork, peacock purple sweet potato buns, and so on.

The preserved meats were brought back from Qiyun Ridge earlier. The peacock purple sweet potato taro buns were Tan Xiao's own creation, which he had experimented with several times. Because Kong Xuan didn't like Western-style cakes and wasn't interested in foreign customs like blowing out candles, Tan Xiao didn't make a cake, only buns and pastries.

He kneaded various colored doughs with natural food coloring, shaped them into peacock forms, then filled them with purple sweet potato and taro paste. The result was round and plump, in the shape of a certain body part. To distinguish from ordinary peacocks, Tan Xiao even placed five differently colored vegetable leaf strips on the tail screen after steaming, representing the five-colored divine light.

Sure enough, Kong Xuan really liked this. Even before putting them in the steamer, he took several photos with his own phone.

The seafood platter used yellow croaker, hairtail, shrimp, and so on. After marinating, the surface moisture was wiped dry and cut into equal sizes. The empty pot was heated before adding oil, and after the oil was hot, it was fried until golden brown over low heat.

Tan Xiao deftly flipped the fish segments without breaking the skin or sticking to the pot. Finally, the outer skin was crispy and the inside was still thick and tender, with an enticing aroma filling the plate.

It was at this time that the Rice Guardian came out, almost falling back into the stove from the delicious smell. He used his new spoon to steady himself and, seeing the table full of dishes, exclaimed in surprise, "This, this couldn't be for the enjoyment of the Stove God, could it?"

If it was for the Stove God, that would mean he would get a share. Today was the Little New Year, the day when the Grand Stove God ascends to heaven to report on the situation in the human world over the past year. So many households want to please the Grand Stove God, hoping he will "speak good things in heaven."

The Rice Guardian also wanted to go up and report, so he specially came to Tan Xiao's house early to pay his New Year's greetings.

"In your dreams," Kong Xuan walked over and snickered, "This is to celebrate my birthday!"

"I didn't realize today was Your Highness Peacock's birthday, congratulations..." The Rice Guardian still stared at the table full of dishes without blinking, speaking without sincerity, especially when he saw Tan Xiao bring out a plate of peacock-shaped buns, he let out an extremely flattering "Wow--"

Kong Xuan's vanity was greatly satisfied, and he didn't even want to drive the Rice Guardian away. He didn't deliberately kick the Rice Guardian away, and even allowed him to stay and smell the aroma.

When Tan Xiao was cooking, he deliberately left some dishes for Tan Chunying. At this time, he also divided out a portion for the Rice Guardian and opened a can of cola for him.

"You are really too generous!" the Rice Guardian complimented.

Downstairs, Tan Chunying said loudly, "Tan Xiao, you are too stingy! You have to eat a table of dishes separately, as if I could finish your dishes?"

Tan Xiao: "..."

He leaned out the window and said, "There's more on the stove if it's not enough. It's more convenient for me to bring it up to eat while doing homework."

"Tsk," Tan Chunying muttered below, afraid of being seen eating like a pig by me, right? With Tan Xiao's current speed of eating, she felt he must be like a wild boar.

Tan Xiao pretended not to hear and went to get Kong Xuan's winter vacation homework. "I'll check it for you. Before you leave, remember to take it with you. You just need to spend a little time correcting it."

How could Kong Xuan listen to anything about homework? He stuffed a purple sweet potato bun into his mouth. The soft bun was bitten open, and the inside was filled with delicate, soft, sweet purple sweet potato paste, which was different from the salty meat buns Tan Xiao usually made, but it matched Kong Xuan's mood.

There was also the braised pork that Tan Xiao had simmered over low heat, soft, springy and chewy, with some preserved mustard greens underneath, fully absorbing the meat juice and extremely flavorful.

The Rice Guardian's face was almost buried between the chunks of meat, the bright red meat juice smearing its cheeks with grease, nodding as it ate, "Mm! Mm!"

After Kong Xuan had eaten his fill, Tan Xiao took out a velvet box and opened it to reveal a pair of gold hairpins with openwork floral and bird patterns. He smiled and said, "Happy early hatching day and happy New Year."

Tan Xiao had also thought for a few days about what to give. He had decided that he should give an accessory, which would be more in line with Kong Xuan's vanity, but he had looked at many candidates for the specific accessory. Tan Xiao had also considered jade at one point, after all, jade could communicate with gods.

But Kong Xuan probably didn't lack jade items either, and when Tan Xiao saw the gold products, he suddenly felt that this kind of shiny gold thing was more suitable for Kong Xuan. On Kong Xuan, gold would not have the slightest hint of vulgarity, but rather a noble and high-class air.

Kong Xuan stared at the pair of hairpins without blinking, holding his breath for a long time before saying reservedly, "Human craftsmanship has indeed progressed a lot."

He raised his hand and inserted the hairpins into his hair, combed it again, and glanced at the reflection in the mirror beside him, even more satisfied.

Without Kong Xuan saying it directly, Tan Xiao knew he must be satisfied. He continued to grade Kong Xuan's winter vacation homework. By evening, he had finished grading it. The Rice Guardian had to go back, cupping his hands and saying, "Spirit Master, I wish you a happy New Year in advance, may your family be safe and sound, auspicious and prosperous."

"Thank you, I also wish you a smooth work in the coming year." Tan Xiao watched the Rice Guardian jump away, then looked at Kong Xuan. It was already ten o'clock. "Aren't you going up yet?"

Kong Xuan's eyes flickered, "...I'll correct my homework for a while longer and ask you if there's anything I don't understand."

Incredible, it was the first time Tan Xiao discovered that Kong Xuan was so studious.

But since Kong Xuan said so, Tan Xiao wouldn't stop him. He and Kong Xuan both sat at the desk. Because it was originally a single desk, the two of them couldn't help but sit close together. The air conditioner was set at a comfortable temperature, and the airflow made them feel warm. They didn't need to chat, each reading a book and correcting homework, just like being back at school.

Focused, Tan Xiao didn't know how much time had passed. The warm wind made him yawn uncontrollably, his head nodding like a dragonfly skimming the water a couple of times, then he drowsily fell asleep on the desk.

Kong Xuan turned his head to look, then continued to correct the questions, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the hairpins.

It was almost midnight, and the Little New Year was about to end. If he didn't go up now, he wouldn't make it in time.

Kong Xuan took Tan Xiao's pen out and carried him to the bed, squatting beside the bed and staring at him blankly. Compared to the time Kong Xuan had experienced, the days in the lower realm were like a moment, but now when he recalled them, they were clear and rich, and every bit of richness was because of Tan Xiao.

Tan Xiao was half asleep and half awake, feeling like he had been moved to the bed, but he was too sleepy to want to move. He only heard Kong Xuan seem to say, "I have to go..."

Have a good journey, Great God. See you after the New Year. Tan Xiao really wanted to open his eyes and give his blessings, but his eyelids were heavy.

Just as Tan Xiao thought Kong Xuan had left, he felt something cool slide across his brow, and a voice softly said in his ear, "Shaman of the Altar, may you be blessed forever."