“My heart reflects the heavens, mirroring the void…”
Bai Xinghe formed a hand seal and pressed it onto the Heavenly Star Disk.
The stars on the Heavenly Star Disk immediately emitted a faint, ethereal glow, then, like swimming fish, began to move within the disk.
With just a glance, Bai Xinghe’s spirit was captivated. His entire soul seemed to be drawn in, leaving only a hollow shell. He then ceased to breathe, his body slumping as he sat there.
At that moment, the door behind him suddenly opened, and another Bai Xinghe walked in from outside.
He was identical in attire and appearance to the one inside, with no discernible difference.
He walked directly to the Heavenly Star Disk, expressionless, and pushed the corpse aside with his hand before sitting down cross-legged.
“My heart reflects the heavens, mirroring the void…”
Several other corpses of Bai Xinghe were piled beside him, creating a rather eerie scene.
As Bai Xinghe moved, the stars on the Heavenly Star Disk seemed to accelerate their journey.
A hint of joy finally appeared on Bai Xinghe’s previously placid face.
Yet, in a corner of the room, corpses lay in heaps, stacked with his own body.
Finally, the Heavenly Star Disk projected an ethereal beam of light onto the ceiling, like a projector. The dark blue sky was filled with stars. Bai Xinghe stopped his actions and looked up at the starry sky.
Just then, the door behind him was pushed open again, and another Bai Xinghe entered.
…
“Wow, is this a chicken? It looks so ugly.”
Little Li Yu gazed at the chickens in the fresh food cabinet, all cleaned and prepared, and exclaimed in admiration.
“This is a chicken after being slaughtered and cleaned. It originally had feathers. Didn’t I show you pictures last time? It should look like that…” Liu Nanfeng pointed to two chicken models at the corner of the cabinet.
Little Li Yu stared at the chicken, looking from side to side.
Then, she let out a giggle and said, “Not as pretty as me.”
“Haha, yes, not as pretty as you,” Liu Nanfeng laughed heartily.
Was there any point in comparing?
“But it’s delicious.”
Because they were making fried chicken, Liu Nanfeng didn't buy a whole chicken. Instead, he bought chicken wings and drumsticks, and finally some spices.
They needed to marinate them before frying to get the best taste.
At this moment, Su Jinxiu walked over after finishing her shopping.
“Are you guys done?”
“We’re done, we bought so much, so much…” Little Li Yu spread her arms wide, trying to gesture.
“Then eat more. I also bought some streaky pork, and I’ll make braised pork for you tonight.”
“Ah, eating braised pork at night, will I get fat?” Liu Nanfeng asked with some concern.
“Then you should exercise more after eating,” Su Huamei appeared from somewhere and said.
Su Jinxiu glared at her upon hearing this, and Su Huamei feigned innocence.
Little Li Yu pinched her chubby cheeks.
She asked with a hint of worry, “Will I become a fat-headed fish?”
“Hmm…”
Liu Nanfeng touched his chin and then nodded seriously, “Possibly.”
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. You won’t get fat, you’ll just grow taller.” Su Jinxiu reached out and picked her up, walking towards the cashier.
“I have money.”
At the cashier, Little Li Yu hurried to take out her seventy-nine yuan and five mao.
But it was clearly not enough. However, Su Jinxiu did not refuse. She covered the remaining amount and also picked out a few lollipops for her.
She told the little one that these were bought with her own money, which made the child ecstatic.
Although all the money was spent, as they were going up the escalator, she found a wallet. It contained a lot of money, as well as an ID card and some bank cards.
Unfortunately, the amount was too large, and there were so many important items. Naturally, she couldn’t keep it. It was against the law.
So, Su Jinxiu took her to the service desk and handed it over to the staff.
Little Li Yu didn't quite understand. She found it, so why couldn’t she keep it? She had always kept what she found before.
To explain this to her, Su Jinxiu spent a considerable amount of time talking.
Then, when asked if she understood, Little Li Yu honestly replied, “I don’t understand.”
This made Su Huamei and Liu Nanfeng, who were following behind, burst into laughter.
Upon arriving home, Little Li Yu rushed in familiarly, but then quickly rushed back out, her head bumping into Su Jinxiu’s embrace.
“Meow~”
Mo Yu squatted by the entrance, staring intently at the main door.
“Naughty cat.”
Little Li Yu hid behind Su Jinxiu and went in again.
“Alright, no need to be afraid. Mo Yu, come on, go play somewhere else.” Liu Nanfeng comforted Little Li Yu while nudging Mo Yu away.
Mo Yu shot him a displeased glance, then walked to the sofa and jumped onto the coffee table, staring fixedly at the painting of “Koi Playing in Waves” opposite.
However, Su Huamei soon scooped it up and put it in its cat bed because Little Li Yu wanted to watch television.
This made Mo Yu quite unhappy. It lay in its cat bed, glaring at Little Li Yu.
Little Li Yu felt uncomfortable all over. At first, she meowed and tried to scare Mo Yu, but seeing that Mo Yu remained unmoved, she finally chose to flee.
She ran to the kitchen door and peered inside, resting her chin on the door frame.
“What’s wrong?”
Liu Nanfeng, who was helping Su Jinxiu, noticed her arrival and asked curiously.
“Do you want me to help you?”
What could she help with? Helping to eat would be more like it, and why was she swallowing saliva while saying that?
Looking at the amusing little one, Su Jinxiu placed the fried chicken wings she had just finished frying onto a small plate and asked her to help carry it out, to help eat it.
The little one clearly enjoyed this task. Holding the plate, she happily walked away.
The little one seemed to really love fried chicken, so she ate a bit too much that evening and lay on the sofa, groaning.
Liu Nanfeng and Su Huamei tidied the bowls and chopsticks together, while Su Jinxiu sat beside her, gently rubbing her belly and chatting.
Su Jinxiu’s expression was gentle, her eyes full of adoration.
Liu Nanfeng glanced at her as if sensing something.
Su Huamei whispered in his ear, “Sister really likes children.”
“I like them too,” Liu Nanfeng retorted with a sideways glance.
“Really? Do you just like children, or is it because she is Feng Hongjin?” Su Huamei asked pointedly.
Liu Nanfeng ignored her and returned to the kitchen with the plates.
Only when Su Huamei entered did he quietly say, “We will have a child, our own child.”
Su Huamei’s face bloomed with a charming expression, and she said, “I want to have a little Liu too.”
“We will, very soon…” Liu Nanfeng murmured softly.
“What?”
Liu Nanfeng’s voice was so quiet that Su Huamei couldn’t hear clearly.
“Nothing, I said we’ll take Little Li Yu back together later.”
Su Huamei nodded. After her recent near-miss, she couldn’t possibly let Liu Nanfeng take Little Li Yu back alone.
When the two of them finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen, Little Li Yu had regained her energy.
She stood in the living room, gesticulating animatedly as she spoke to Su Jinxiu, making her laugh like a blooming flower.
It seemed she truly adored this lively Little Li Yu.
“Let’s go,” Liu Nanfeng called out.
Hearing this, Little Li Yu froze as if she had been acupunctured. She turned her head stiffly, her expression one of surprise, as if to say, Is it that late already? Do we have to leave now?
“If you want to play, you can come again tomorrow. If you don’t go home tonight, your mother will worry about you,” Su Jinxiu said, standing up from the sofa.
“Sigh~”
Little Li Yu looked crestfallen, as if she had lost her purpose in life, but she still nodded obediently.
She reached into her pocket and touched the lollipops, her mood lifting again.
The riverside at night was filled with people enjoying the cool evening breeze, looking quite lively.
But as the three of them walked forward with Little Li Yu, the crowds gradually thinned. This was because the location was inherently secluded, with few residences nearby.
This was one of the reasons for choosing that spot. Another reason was that Little Li Yu’s mother had placed a restriction along the riverbank, which not only protected Little Li Yu but also made her difficult for ordinary people to find. This was also why Little Li Yu had always disembarked at the same spot.
Just then, Su Jinxiu’s expression suddenly turned serious. Shielding Liu Nanfeng and Little Li Yu behind her, she reached up and drew out a hairpin from her hair, gently flicking it, splitting it into two. Holding one in each hand, they transformed into shimmering, skeletal white swords.
At the same time, the gurgling sound of the nearby river grew more rapid.
A fine mist of rain began to drift down from the sky.