Chapter 21: Stars in the Eyes

As the only large city within a hundred miles, the houses in Maple Leaf City are naturally not cheap.

Linghe's funding is a drop in the bucket, and Jiang Wang himself doesn't have much savings. But fortunately, there's a rich guy around.

Jiang Wang carried Jiang An'an straight to Zhao Rucheng.

"Give me some money." Jiang Wang went straight to the point.

Zhao Rucheng was staring wide-eyed at Jiang An'an, and casually said when he heard this, "How much do you want?"

"How much does it cost to buy a small house near the Taoist Academy? I'll be living there with my sister."

"Why buy a house? Just live here with me! I have so many empty rooms here." Zhao Rucheng winked his left eye at Jiang An'an, then his right eye, occasionally flashing what he thought was a handsome smile. Of course, he was indeed quite handsome.

Jiang Wang glanced at Jiang An'an before saying, "We need our own home."

He didn't care where he lived, but little An'an was different. The little girl had just been sent over, and no matter how strong she seemed, she was inevitably fragile and sensitive inside.

"Oh." Zhao Rucheng stroked his chin and thought for a moment. "I think my family has a few houses near the Taoist Academy. Wait, let me ask."

He turned his head and shouted, "Uncle Deng!"

After a while, a mild-mannered middle-aged man walked in, bowing meticulously. "Young Master."

"Do we have any suitable houses near the Taoist Academy? Free one up and give the title deeds to my Third Brother."

The housekeeper, called Uncle Deng, replied, "There's no need to free one up specifically. There are three that are currently vacant. Which one do you want?"

Zhao Rucheng looked at Jiang Wang again. "Third Brother, what do you think?"

Jiang Wang smiled warmly at the housekeeper. "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Deng. The house doesn't need to be too big, just enough for An'an and me. The most important thing is that it's close to the Taoist Academy, so it's convenient for me to come home and be with her."

The housekeeper returned the smile. "There's a small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane behind the Taoist Academy, but I don't know if the layout suits your taste."

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Zhao Rucheng said immediately. "Just give me the keys."

Although Jiang An'an didn't like to talk and didn't pay much attention to people, her cute little face was naturally likable.

Zhao Rucheng kept teasing her along the way.

"An'an, who do you think is more handsome, Brother Rucheng or your Brother Wang? Sigh, I asked an unfair question, there's no comparison!"

"An'an, An'an, do you see the candied hawthorns over there? Come into my arms, let's buy the whole bunch! Okay?"

"An'an, ah, do you know you're heavy? Look how fat you are! Your brother's hand is about to break! Why not let your Brother Rucheng hold you for a while?"

Little An'an remained silent, but when she heard this sentence, she tilted her head and looked at Jiang Wang.

"Are you tired?" she asked softly.

Jiang Wang smiled gently. "Not tired at all. I can hold you until next year without letting go."

The small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane was quite nice, with a main room, a south room, and east and west wing rooms. Although no one lived there, all the facilities were complete. All that was needed was to buy some daily necessities and they could move in immediately.

The decoration of the room was also very elegant and comfortable.

Jiang Wang took little An'an to look around each room to make sure she didn't show any resistance.

"Okay, it's this one." Jiang Wang smiled brightly at Zhao Rucheng, who was chattering around little An'an. "Give me the keys, you can go back now."

"Alright!" Zhao Rucheng turned around and left with great awareness. When he crossed the doorway, he suddenly turned back and waved to An'an. "Your Brother Rucheng is leaving, don't miss me too much~"

Little An'an toddled over and, amid Zhao Rucheng's bright smile, slammed the courtyard door shut.

At night, Maple Leaf City, which had been noisy all day, quieted down.

The little earthworm in the Tongtian Palace completed its final spurt, spitting out a round Daoyuan into the constellation array.

Jiang Wang opened his eyes and ended his cultivation for the day. The accumulation of Daoyuan, day after day, was a slow but steady process. All the effort would not be in vain, and would eventually become the foundation for opening the transcendent path.

It was precisely because of these countless days and nights of tedious cultivation that there would be a future of soaring through the Azure Firmament.

The room was very quiet. Jiang An'an lay on her small bed, her little hands neatly placed outside the quilt, not moving.

Because An'an was too young, Jiang Wang had specially ordered a small bed to be made for her to sleep in the same room as him. The two beds, one large and one small, were placed on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Quietly listening to little An'an's breathing, Jiang Wang said softly, "An'an, are you still awake?"

The little girl's flustered voice immediately sounded in the room. "Slee...sleeping."

Jiang An'an's nervousness caused Jiang Wang's heart to ache. This child, so young, had already learned to read people's faces. Just because Jiang Wang had instructed her to go to sleep earlier before he started cultivating, she was now uneasy and anxious that she hadn't been able to fall asleep.

A little girl less than five years old, suddenly in a strange place, suddenly separated from her mother, was already very strong not to cry. How terrified was she inside?

But of course, these things should not be mentioned again.

"Well, brother can't sleep either." Jiang Wang's voice became even softer. "Do you want to see the stars?"

After a while, a soft "Hmm" sounded in the room.

"Then get up." Jiang Wang got up, lit the oil lamp, and then went to the small bed to help An'an put on her coat.

Those hands that were so agile with a sword were particularly clumsy when taking care of a child.

"That's not how you put it on, brother, you put it on backwards..."

Jiang Wang awkwardly withdrew his hand. "Then An'an, you put it on yourself."

The two were busy for a while before they left the room.

At that time, the bright moon was in the sky, and the stars were twinkling. The empty courtyard was filled with clean moonlight, making this night, which should have been somewhat lonely, become soft and warm.

"Are we just looking at the stars in the yard?" Jiang An'an asked, tilting her little head.

"Of course not." Jiang Wang suddenly hugged her, rose from the ground, and leaped onto the roof.

Jiang An'an screamed and her face was already red when she landed on the roof.

Jiang Wang looked down at her and said with some guilt, "Did I scare you, An'an?"

Jiang An'an blinked her big eyes, actually looking a little excited. "Brother, can you fly?"

Although she seemed eager to try, Jiang Wang didn't want to jump around on the roof like a monkey and make people laugh. "I can't yet, but when brother's Taoist arts are accomplished in the future, I definitely will. When An'an wants to go somewhere, we'll fly there, okay?"

"Okay."

Jiang Wang took off his coat, spread it on the roof, and then lay down next to it, resting his head on one hand, and beckoned. "Come on, like your brother, lie down and look at the stars."

Little An'an obediently lay down on Jiang Wang's coat, her little hands also neatly resting behind her head. She opened her big, black eyes and stared straight at the starry sky.

The vast night sky was dotted with stars, shining and twinkling. Countless lights were born in the endless darkness. The Milky Way was vast, containing countless dreams and memories.

"That one is the Purple Star, that one is called Yuheng... The Southern Dipper is over there, look, there..."

"They're twinkling, like they're blinking."

"Only our cute An'an blinking is like a star. Like your Brother Wild Tiger, that big bearded guy you saw during the day, when he blinks, he just looks like a cowbell."

Jiang An'an giggled.

"Do you know, An'an, these stars are all in the billions of miles away..."

"How far is a billion miles? Is it farther than Phoenix Creek Town to here?"

"It's much farther than that, countless times farther. If there was a road that could lead to the stars, an ordinary person could walk for a lifetime from birth to death, and on this road, it would only be considered just starting out."

"Ah?" An'an was a little surprised. "That's so far?"

"That's right, so far. They are in the endless darkness, crossing such a long distance, sending the light to your eyes, offering you its beauty that may have been extinguished tens of thousands of years ago."

"They're so good."

"Father is like that kind of star. He may have been gone for a long time, but he is still shining brightly in a very, very distant place, and accompanying us with that light. So no matter what, don't be afraid, okay? Your brother will always be with you, and so will the stars."

"Brother." Jiang An'an's voice was very small. "My mother doesn't want me anymore, does she?"

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment.

Should he tell little An'an the truth, that she was a burden that was affecting her mother's life?

Should he denounce Aunt Song's selfishness and make little An'an hate her birth mother from now on?

How should he answer?

He didn't have much time to think, because silence was also a kind of harm.

In the end, he just turned to the side, seriously and gently holding An'an's little hand.

"An'an is so cute, how could anyone not want you? It's because brother really, really wanted to live with you, that I insisted on Auntie sending you over. When Auntie left, she was crying so sadly, she didn't want to leave you either."

"Really?"

Starlight and moonlight were all on Jiang An'an's small face, caressing the unforgotten tear stains. She was as beautiful as the spirit of stars and moon.

Although her face still carried undissipated confusion, those big eyes suddenly lit up.