[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 61
Madam Pang looked at the childish Shiliu, tears welling in her eyes. After a long moment, a single tear finally traced the weary lines on her face.
When she opened her eyes again, she said, “Ask. I will tell you everything I know.”
“Was that object given by a woman?” Li Xuanci asked directly.
Madam Pang was taken aback and said, “I thought you would first ask about my husband…”
Li Xuanci’s expression remained cold, devoid of even contempt. The solemnity of the hall left no impression on him as he interrupted, “It’s nothing but sordid affairs of debauchery and hypocrisy, too filthy to even dirty the soles of my shoes. Don’t flatter yourself. Answer what I ask, nothing more.”
His words pierced her heart like an ice spike thrust into warm flesh. Madam Pang’s face shifted through several emotions before she finally began to speak.
It turned out the treasure their family had obtained was an unremarkable-looking earthenware jar. Its uniqueness lay in the fact that if you put rice into it, the rice would become inexhaustible.
Naturally, Mr. Pang had tried putting other things into it, especially gold, silver, and copper coins, but nothing worked. Only rice produced this miraculous effect.
Although the Pang family sought fame and prospects, they also genuinely needed to support many disciples. To build their reputation, they often incurred debts.
Now, with this unexpected wealth, Mr. Pang considered it a new means of livelihood. If he could establish a private school, it would pave a true path to success. So, he exchanged the rice for money, planning to accumulate funds gradually.
And it was precisely because they revealed their wealth that Chen Da, who was close to him, guessed the existence of this object, leading to his fatal misfortune.
Similarly, as Li Xuanci had suspected, this treasure was indeed given by a beautiful woman. That’s why Madam Pang had been so alarmed when Li Xuanci pressed Chen Da about whether a beautiful woman had lured him into taking cold-eating powder.
That day happened to be during the provincial exams. After encouraging his disciples and seeing them off, Mr. Pang encountered a woman knocking at the door asking for water. Seeing her pale complexion, Madam Pang felt compassion and gave her a small bowl of the rice porridge they had prepared for the disciples.
After eating, the woman insisted on going to the kitchen to wash the bowl clean. She also went to see the earthenware jar holding the rice, touching it lightly, and told Madam Pang to use the jar well from now on and never damage it.
After she left, Madam Pang didn’t understand at first. It wasn’t until she discovered that the rice jar never emptied from that day on that she realized it must have been a miraculous encounter brought by that woman.
After listening, Li Xuanci’s gaze fixed on a distant point as he muttered to himself, “Is this truly a blessing or a curse?”
Shiliu, who had been behaving for a while, popped out again, hugging his waist and asking, “Brother, I’m a blessing, I’m a blessing.”
Li Xuanci looked down at her, the severity in his eyes replaced by disdain. Using the hand with the concentric knot, he extended a finger and pressed it against Shiliu’s forehead, where baby hairs still stuck up, pushing her away firmly.
“You’re the curse, the kind that spares no one within a three-mile radius,” he stated coldly.
Shiliu covered her forehead, staring at him blankly, not quite understanding. She was about to pout but remembered the pain from having her lips pinched, so she pressed them together instead, glaring at him indignantly.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Li Xuanci picked her up like a chick and walked away, leaving Madam Pang at a loss in the hall.
As he stepped outside, Jin Zhan was already waiting. In that short time, he had handed the half-mad Chen Da over to the authorities, arranged everything, and awaited Li Xuanci’s instructions.
Li Xuanci casually tossed Shiliu to him and walked ahead.
But just after stepping out the door, they encountered a big “surprise.”
“Shiliu!” It was Senior Brother He Chong, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time, appearing here unexpectedly, his face full of joy as he called out to his long-unseen little “junior brother.”
Shiliu froze for a moment, her thin eyebrows furrowing. After a while, something seemed to surface in her mind—a flicker of light in her eyes that then died out.
In the end, she simply smiled, laughing like a child.
Jin Zhan hadn’t restrained her earlier; years of intuition made him unconsciously maintain some distance from Shiliu. He always felt that although His Highness handled Shiliu like carrying a rabbit, if he actually laid a hand on her, his neck might feel a chill.
So, Shiliu took advantage of this opening, slipped away from Jin Zhan like a fish, and leaped into He Chong’s arms.
“Brother, brother, Shiliu is here! Play with Shiliu!” Her voice was crisp and bubbly as she repeatedly called him “brother,” sweet like a watermelon chilled in well water, each sip bursting with refreshing sweetness on the lips.
He Chong was first surprised but still caught Shiliu, a smile also appearing on his face, though he looked at her somewhat puzzeled.
Behind them, Li Xuanci stood under the sunlight. Perhaps because it was nearing noon, the sun was dazzling, making his eyes narrow. His captivating peach-blossom eyes narrowed, their alluring lines extending into sharp arcs.
After a long while, he softly uttered two words.
“Very good.”
The words scattered in the wind, heard by no one.