[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 57

Li Xuanci gazed at the white lanterns swaying in the wind, his eyes growing increasingly profound. Just as he was about to step forward to investigate, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

The one tugging at him was foolish, using only two small, chubby hands to desperately wrap around his fingers. Despite walking in the cool night for so long, her hands remained warm, enveloping his in her grasp.

“Aren’t we going to eat the little wontons?” Shiliu had suffered a setback during dinner and was now behaving somewhat meekly.

In truth, her soul had been utterly captivated the moment the wonton vendor’s swaying pole passed by earlier.

She had restrained herself for a long while, but Li Xuanci not only didn’t head toward the wonton stall—he had even stopped. Watching the steam from the wonton pole drift farther and farther away, Shiliu could no longer hold back and took action.

Li Xuanci turned to look at her. Her eyes were pitifully fixed on him, not daring to say more, only shaking his hand back and forth.

His eyes darkened like the deepening night, no longer as cold and rigid as before, but concealing a quiet intensity beneath the surface. Her foolish yet somewhat obedient demeanor inexplicably pleased him.

Shiliu tilted her head to look at him, unable to contain herself any longer. Anxious and whispering softly, she said, “Little wontons, buy them for Brother. They’re delicious.”

In these small matters, whether before or after her foolishness, she remained equally cunning. Clearly, she was the one who wanted to eat, yet she still used him as a shield.

Li Xuanci looked at this silly girl, the corners of his captivating eyes curving slightly for a moment before he lazily called out to her, “Pekinese.”

Then, he took one of her chubby hands in his, glanced once more at the household adorned in white, and strode off in the opposite direction.

Seeing that they were heading toward the wonton stall, Shiliu was so excited she nearly jumped for joy, her energy surging. She moved faster and faster, eventually almost overtaking Li Xuanci, as if she were dragging him along.

She chattered incessantly, “Little wontons, little wontons, Shiliu loves little wontons.”

Completely forgetting that not long ago, she had claimed the little wontons were for her brother to eat.

Li Xuanci inwardly scoffed, What a hopeless fool, unaware that his own eyes held a trace of warmth in the obscure night.

When the pole vendor was called over, he grew somewhat flustered upon seeing Li Xuanci—a figure who clearly stood out—thinking he had somehow offended this formidable presence.

Then, a delicate-looking youth jumped out from behind this formidable figure, a touch of naive charm in their features, holding the figure’s hand and happily exclaiming, “Brother, little wontons! The steaming little wontons!”

The pole vendor finally understood. This was likely a young master from a prominent family, taking his younger sibling out for a late-night snack. It seemed the brothers had a good relationship for the younger one to be so lively and uninhibited.

He quickly set down his pole, ladled out a bowl of little wontons from within. The wrappers were so thin they were nearly transparent, unfurling in a savory broth made from shrimp heads, sprinkled with a handful of vibrant green scallions. The rising steam from the scalding bowl whetted the appetite.

The wontons were still extremely hot. The vendor moved to place the bowl on a nearby windowsill, but Shiliu eagerly reached for it. She didn’t know how to hold a bowl properly, unaware that such hot food required holding the very bottom. Her tender fingers directly touched the hot rim, and she immediately yelped in pain.

Tears welled up in Shiliu’s eyes instantly, her face scrunching up like a pleated bun, her lips pouting like the pinched opening of a dumpling. She extended her reddened fingers toward Li Xuanci, complaining in a small, aggrieved voice, “It’s hot. Shiliu hurts.”

Li Xuanci looked at her chubby fingers, the originally fair and tender skin now flushed pink from the heat, then at her crumpled expression and tear-filled eyes. It was just a slight burn, yet she acted as if she had suffered greatly.

“Serves you right,” he said indifferently, watching as the tears in Shiliu’s eyes instantly grew larger.

Then, he reached out and took the scalding bowl of wontons, holding it steadily in his hand as if he couldn’t feel the heat at all.

Shiliu’s current brain, about the size of the filling in a wonton, wasn’t capable of pondering why Li Xuanci didn’t find the bowl hot or what it meant for him to hold it for her to eat. She just happily took the spoon from the pole vendor, skipped back to his side, and began eating cheerfully.

And so, there they were, on the street—one holding the bowl, the other eating happily.

It was improper, unseemly, and disregarded all decorum.

The pole vendor watched them with some surprise, then quickly understood. The young one seemed mentally underdeveloped, like a child. No wonder this seemingly formidable gentleman doted on them so, even holding the bowl for them to eat right on the street.

Such rare, profound brotherly affection.

After they finished eating, Li Xuanci tossed a silver piece to the vendor. The vendor’s face turned into deep gratitude, and he wished he could have Shiliu eat a few more bowls to earn more rewards. But Li Xuanci simply turned and led Shiliu away.

Back at the inn, Shiliu, with her full belly, collapsed onto the bed and refused to move. Li Xuanci went to Jin Zhan’s room.

He gave some instructions to investigate thoroughly the household adorned in white that they had seen that night.

Jin Zhan acknowledged the order and asked, “Your Highness, did you notice something amiss?”

Li Xuanci toyed with the teacup in his hand. “If an ordinary person dies, who should keep vigil?”

“Naturally, the sons. If there are no sons, then the sons-in-law. If there are neither sons nor daughters, then the nephews would take their place,” Jin Zhan replied.

“But that household only had a woman keeping vigil alone. Even if there were no sons, daughters, or relatives, many young men were guarding outside, wearing the mourning attire of disciples—considered half-sons. It’s unlikely they couldn’t find a single man to keep vigil,” Li Xuanci said, finishing the tea in his cup calmly.

“Moreover, the leader held a torn plain hemp belt. It must have been torn off during a dispute, yet he didn’t dare to wear it again. Likely, the woman keeping vigil tore it. Unwilling to leave but not daring to enter—that indicates guilt. Since there’s guilt, that person’s death is probably suspicious.”

Jin Zhan suddenly understood and went to carry out the orders.