Before long, Na'er had finished bathing and changed into a fresh set of clothes. She stood beside Ye Ran.
Her silver-white short hair shimmered with a pale blue sheen, decorated with feathers and white flowers, with a thin braid woven along one side. Her eyes were clear and bright with moisture.
Her white dress was trimmed with pink lace and petals, and a large pink bow and a red heart adorned the front. She looked like a princess who had tumbled out of a fairy-tale book.
Ye Ran led her downstairs by the hand, her steps light and delight shining in her eyes. Other people's children really were much more normal.
Her own child spent every day researching Soul Tools.
In the living room, Xiao Ming was already seated at the dining table, a lavish spread laid out before him. His gaze lingered on Na'er for a moment before turning away.
Xiao Mu came out of the lab. He had already confirmed the effects of his Soul Skill, and its potential applications were extensive.
He glanced at Na'er. If he had to describe her current look, it would be:
Three years in prison, grinning with joy; on the road to the Yellow Springs, laughing all the way.
Then he said nothing more, only pulled out a chair and sat down to eat.
Na'er looked at the food before her, and her stomach rumbled.
Ye Ran pushed a bowl of soup toward her. "Don't be afraid. Have some soup first to warm your stomach."
Na'er picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, put it in her mouth, and swallowed.
"Is it good?"
"Mm."
Then she began wolfing down the food, shoveling fried eggs and rice into her mouth at an almost ravenous pace.
Rice clung to the corner of her mouth, but she didn't wipe it away. She just kept eating, like a little beast that had gone hungry for far too long and had finally found food.
Ye Ran watched her without a word, then served another bowl of rice and pushed it over.
Xiao Mu wasn't surprised. He knew Na'er had inherited the Silver Dragon King's legendary appetite.
A big appetite was perfectly normal.
All this food was meant to help her recover faster.
"Take it slow. No one's going to steal it," he said.
Xiao Ming was slightly taken aback. He wondered if the little girl had been abandoned because she ate too much and her family couldn't afford to raise her. Still, he certainly didn't mind the cost of feeding her.
He might not earn as much as the Tang Sect, but he was one of the wealthiest people in East Sea City and a major taxpayer there.
Besides, he'd mooched off his parents when he was young and was now mooching off his son in middle age. Life really did go up, up, up—it had never gone downhill.
The Federation would take all those patents.
He wondered whether he'd be able to mooch off his own grandson in his old age.
After dinner, Ye Ran took Na'er to a room on the second floor.
The door opened, revealing moonlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling window and laying a layer of white frost across the floor.
The bed was large, with clean, pale gray bedding. A small night-light sat on the bedside table, its warm yellow glow wavering softly in the dimness.
"You can sleep here tonight," Ye Ran said gently. "Call me if you need anything. I'm right next door."
Na'er looked a little flustered. "Thank you."
Xiao Mu returned to his room, sat on the bed, and began cultivating for the first time.
He guided the Soul Power within him, letting it flow slowly along his meridians. At first, it was awkward, but gradually it smoothed out, trickling onward.
The vital energy of heaven and earth was drawn toward him.
At first, it was faint, like mist gathering from every direction. Wisps seeped into his skin and merged into his body.
Xiao Mu could clearly feel some sort of change happening within him, a warm sensation spreading through his body. He also understood why the people in novels were always going into seclusion to cultivate at the drop of a hat.
Night deepened. The lights of Eastsea City gradually went out, like a river of stars sinking into slumber.
When Xiao Mu opened his eyes again, the first ray of dawn was rising over the sea, like a golden blade slowly cleaving the boundary between night and day.
A new day had begun.
The next day, Ye Ran took Na'er to report the matter to the Federation Police Station. Everything went just as Xiao Mu had predicted: the Federation Police Station was full of people who did nothing but eat for a living.
They filed a report, filled out forms, and waited.
The officer searched the database on a light screen for fifteen minutes, but found no record of her.
There was no birth record and no household registration.
Na'er seemed to have dropped out of thin air.
Ye Ran was silent for a long time. At last, she rubbed Na'er's hair and said, "Forget it. With that appetite of yours, an orphanage wouldn't be able to feed you. You'd better stay at my house for now."
Na'er lifted her face and thanked her. "Thank you, Auntie."
After that, Ye Ran took her shopping. The mall was brightly lit and crowded, and Na'er walked hand in hand with Ye Ran past one store after another.
Ye Ran picked out clothes for her, trying them on her one by one.
Dresses, blouses, little jackets.
Na'er stood before the fitting-room mirror, her skirt falling to her knees. She looked down at it, then up at Ye Ran.
"This one looks nice."
"This one looks nice too."
Ye Ran smiled, her desire to shop climbing. In the blink of an eye, they had covered half the mall.
Xiao Mu leaned against a pillar by the shop entrance, hands in his pockets. He looked nonchalant, but was already panting.
At the street corner, there was a little cart selling ice cream. He spotted it and headed over without hesitation.
He couldn't understand why they had to visit so many stores when they could buy everything they needed in just one.
No wonder Ballad of Mulan said, "In the east market, she bought a fine horse; in the west market, a saddle and blanket; in the south market, a bridle; in the north market, a long whip."
So it really was a true-to-life account.
Xiao Mu straightened up and walked over to the ice cream cart.
"Boss, two strawberry Christmases."
The vendor nodded. Cold mist billowed out in a white cloud.
Xiao Mu took the Christmases and turned to leave, but a figure suddenly flickered into the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw a boy standing on the other side of the cart, holding two ice creams and examining them.
The boy was much taller than him, and looked six or seven years older. His expression was cold, and an aloof air hung between his brows.
Yet he was muttering, "I'm out shopping with my mom and my little sister. How can it be this exhausting? My legs are going numb."
Xiao Mu took a bite of his Christmas and looked up at the blue-haired boy.
Their eyes met, then they each glanced behind the other at the brightly lit clothing store.
They felt like old friends meeting at last, as if they had been destined to meet but had found each other too late.
"You too?"
"Looks like it."
Before long, Ye Ran came out with Na'er by the hand. Xiao Mu handed the Christmas to Na'er; he had bought it for her in the first place.
"Thank you, big brother."
Na'er accepted it with both hands, her voice soft and sweet.
She took a bite, and a little ice cream stuck to the corner of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed in delight.
Ye Ran's gaze fell on the blue-haired boy. Curious, she asked, "Are you the young master of Eastsea City's finance commissioner?"
The blue-haired boy turned around, clearly not expecting her to recognize him.
"Auntie, you know me?"
He knew that anyone who recognized him in Eastsea City was usually someone of considerable standing.
"Who in Eastsea City doesn't know Xu Xiaoyu, the young master of the finance commissioner's family?" Ye Ran smiled. "I met your parents at the city-state banquet last year."
Xu Xiaoyu nodded, acknowledging his identity.
Only then did Xiao Mu realize that this was Tang Wulin's love rival, the famous Xu Xiaoyu.
Just then, the door of the clothing store on the other side opened. A mature-looking woman came out, followed by a tiny figure.
The little girl had sky-blue hair tied into fluffy twin ponytails, and the hem of her matching dress swayed lightly. Her little face was rosy, her eyes curved into a smile. At five years old, she was soft and adorable, and looked very well-behaved.
She clutched a plush rabbit in her hands. Its ears drooped and swung with her steps.
Xu Xiaoyu stopped in his tracks and looked down at the tiny girl. His usually stern face suddenly softened, brimming with tenderness.
Xiao Mu saw Xu Xiaoyu's strange expression. He didn't immediately recognize the little girl either, but judging by the look of things, it was three years in prison at the very least.
Xiao Mu patted Xu Xiaoyu on the shoulder. "Brother, keep your composure. Keep your composure. At your age, that kind of thing can get you electrocuted."
As he spoke, arcs of electricity were already crackling faintly in his hand. He wanted to see if he could control electricity.