Chapter 392: Stars (3)

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Fang Rui shook his head. “Thank you. You’ve awakened me, helped me remember some things and recover a part of myself. I owe you a favor. Is there anything you want?”

“Can Uncle bring my mother back to life?”

“No.”

Fang Rui fell silent for a moment before saying, “I wish I could, but it’s impossible. Ask for something else.”

“Then… can I go with you, Uncle?” Xin Xue’Er asked timidly.

“You don’t have to. I can find a good family for you. That would be better than following me.”

“I want to go with you, Uncle.”

“Following me will be dangerous. You might get caught up in my troubles. Do you still want to?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll accompany you for a time, until you can survive on your own… You can change your mind at any point during that time.”

Fang Rui held out his hand.

Xin Xue’Er placed her small hand in his and jumped down from the bed, still clutching her mother’s old clothes tightly to her chest. She was perfectly behaved, like a little kitten.

“Uncle, does ‘a time’ mean a period of time?”

“Yes.”

“Why just for a time?”

“Because no one can walk with you forever—not your father, your mother, or your partner. People always grow up and grow old… You have to learn to say goodbye, and you have to learn to endure loneliness…”

“Oh!”

Xin Xue’Er nodded. “Uncle, I still don’t really understand…”

The tall man and the small child walked out hand in hand. The last rays of the setting sun cast their shadows long, so very long, behind them.

…

CRACKLE!

The bonfire burned brightly.

Perhaps Xin Xue’Er was afraid Fang Rui would abandon her if she wasn’t useful. Or perhaps she was simply used to doing so much work at home that she reflexively rushed to tend the fire.

Fang Rui sensed the little girl’s thoughts and let her be.

“Did you use to do the cooking at home?”

“Yes, I’d stand on a stool to cook. From now on, I’ll cook for you, Uncle. I’m very useful… and I don’t eat much.”

Looking at it that way, it seemed more like Xin Xue’Er was taking care of him. She was a very sensible little girl.

“You can toast this.”

Fang Rui took a flatbread from his Spirit Ring. The ring kept the air out, so he didn’t have to worry about it spoiling.

In fact, when he was alone these days, he subsisted on the wind and dew, absorbing Spiritual Qi, and rarely needed to eat at all.

A short while later.

“Uncle, here, it’s toasted!”

“Why are you giving it all to me?”

“At home, when we ate, it was always Dad, Grandma, and Mom first, then me! Later, when the harvest was bad, I couldn’t eat at all.”

“I see.”

Fang Rui paused for a moment, then handed her a flatbread.

“This whole flatbread… is for me?” Xin Xue’Er asked uncertainly, as if she were holding something incredibly precious.

“Yes, eat up.”

“I’ll just eat half… no, a small piece is enough… I don’t eat much.”

“Eat.”

“Oh, okay… It’s so good, it smells wonderful.” Xin Xue’Er took small bites, her eyes curving into happy crescents like the new moon.

By the time Fang Rui finished eating, Xin Xue’Er still had most of her flatbread left.

“Can’t you eat anymore?”

“No, I want to save it for tomorrow.”

“Finish it. Tomorrow will have its own food. We’ll have meat tomorrow.”

“Meat? My family doesn’t even get to eat meat during the New Year! We used to have a piece of cured meat. Grandma said it was for my future little brother…”

“And then?”

“Then, the meat spoiled.”

Fang Rui fell silent again.

“Uncle, what about your family?”

“They… are dead.”

Behind Fang Rui’s calm tone was an unspeakable weight.

A flash of Spiritual Light flickered in his hand as he took out a scroll. He slowly unfurled it, and beneath the starlight, the woman in the painting smiled with enchanting grace.

GULP!

Fang Rui untied a gourd from his waist and took a swig of wine. The taste was bitter, and a place deep in his heart ached faintly.

It was a heavy pain, yet it felt grounding. It was a clear, unmistakable sign that he was still alive.

At that moment.

Beneath the vast expanse of the firmament, a bright moon hung, adorned by a scattering of stars. It blanketed the wilderness in light, just as it must have a thousand years ago.

And yet, though the stars looked the same, this was not the same night as yesterday.