The snowstorm dispersed, and the two little girls looked at Xue An, somewhat afraid.
Xue An squatted down and said with a smile, "What are your names?"
The girls glanced at each other before one timidly said, "I am the elder sister, Xue Xiang."
"I am the younger sister, Xue Nian."
Xue Xiang, Xue Nian!
Xue An felt a stab of pain in his heart, imagining just how much An Yan must have missed him.
"Uncle, where is the chubby auntie?" Xue Xiang asked.
"The chubby auntie... they had to leave earlier because of some matters."
"Then uncle, who are you?" Xue Nian asked.
"Yeah! Who am I, indeed?" Xue An muttered to himself, lost in thought.
He had been a destitute youth, as well as the supreme Immortal Venerable, but now, who was he?
After a moment, a broad smile spread across Xue An's face, "I am... your daddy!"
"You're lying!" said Xue Xiang.
"Yes, you're lying, Daddy is actually dead!" Xue Nian chimed in.
Xue An looked at his twin daughters, a surge of tenderness suddenly welling up in his heart.
"Daddy isn't dead, Daddy just went to a very far place, and now Daddy has come back!"
"Really?" Xue Xiang looked at Xue An, hesitation in her eyes.
Xue An, moved, pulled out a ring.
It was the couple ring he had bought, one for An Yan and one for himself!
"Xiang Xiang, Nian Nian, look at this ring! It has Daddy and Mommy's names on it!"
Xue Xiang and Xue Nian of course couldn't read, but Auntie Tang Xuan'er had told them about a ring their mother left them when she went away.
Xue Xiang had always carried it with her, and upon comparing it with the one Xue An showed, it indeed matched as a pair!
"Daddy, is it really you?" exclaimed Xue Xiang and Xue Nian in unison.
Xue An nodded with a smile and then reached out his arms.
Xue Xiang and Xue Nian glanced at each other, tears streaming down their faces, and they ran into Xue An's embrace, crying.
"Daddy, we missed you so much!"
"Daddy, we thought you and Mommy would never come back, thought you didn't want us anymore!"
Tears moistened Xue An's chest, and also his eyes.
The Immortal Venerable, who hadn't shed a tear no matter how much suffering he endured over three thousand years, now had tears streaming down his face.
"Alright, alright, no more crying! Daddy has come back, and Daddy will never leave you again!"
"Mmm!" The little sisters buried their heads in Xue An's chest and refused to get up.
Yes!
Over the years, the little sisters had endured all the hardships of life; now that they had found a warm embrace, naturally, they didn't want to leave.
Gently stroking their hair, Xue An said softly, "How did you end up selling flowers outside?"
Xue Xiang looked up and said, "Because we're supposed to go to kindergarten now! But the tuition is a big problem, so Nian Nian and I came out to sell flowers to try to save up for it!"
Xue Xiang's words almost brought Xue An to tears again.
A four-year-old child had already taken on the burdens of life, sensibly mature in a way that was heart-wrenching.
Xue An touched Xue Xiang's little head and said with a gentle laugh, "From now on, you have Daddy. You don't have to worry about anything. I will make you the happiest little princesses in the world, no, in the entire universe!"
At the entrance of a secluded and dilapidated residential area in Beijiang.
Xue Xiang and Xue Nian each held one of Xue An's hands, excitedly walking inside.
Xue An, observing the familiar surroundings, experienced a tumult of emotions.
This was the place he and An Yan had lived for two years.
As they arrived at a familiar door, before they could knock, the door opened on its own.
Standing in front of them was the lively figure of Tang Xuan'er, who laughingly said, "Xiang Xiang, Nian Nian, look what Auntie Tang Xuan'er has brought for you!"
But upon seeing Xue An, she froze.
"Xue... Xue An?"
Xue An gazed at the familiar face, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly remembered.
"Tang Xuan'er?"
By then, Xue Xiang and Nian Nian were happily tugging at Xue An's hand, "Aunt Xuan'Er, our dad has come back!"
Tang Xuan'er's complexion was somewhat pale, which quickly turned into a trace of anger.
"Xue An, where have you been for these four years?"
Xue An gave a bitter smile, "May I come in first, please?"
"Aunt Xuan'Er, don't blame dad, dad went to a very far place, and he said that he will never leave us again!" Xue Xiang said.
After Tang Xuan'er and Xue An settled on the living room sofa, Xue An had roughly understood what had happened over these four years.
Following his disappearance, An Yan had gone into early labor from shock and anger, giving birth almost half a month premature, which resulted in a massive hemorrhage that nearly killed her on the operating table.
As a classmate and friend of An Yan and Xue An, Tang Xuan'er took care of everything without rest.
But just after An Yan had named the two children, a group of people burst into the hospital and forcefully took her away.
It was later that Tang Xuan'er found out that those were people from the An Family of Zhongdu, and An Yan had since vanished without a trace.
The left-behind Xiang Xiang and Nian Nian thus became orphans in all but name.
Tang Xuan'er could have chosen to send them to an orphanage.
But she didn't do so, instead shouldering the responsibility of raising the two children as an unmarried young lady.
Because of this, Tang Xuan'er gave up far too much!
After learning everything, Xue An looked at Tang Xuan'er's face, worn thin from toil, and felt an endless guilt welling up inside him.
"Xuan'Er... You have worked so hard!"
"To be honest... I've grown quite fond of these two children!" Tang Xuan'er said softly, looking at the little sisters watching TV in the other room.
"Tell me, where have you been these four years?"
Xue An sighed, "There are many things that I can't explain, but I can tell you that I'm back now, and I will never leave again!"
Tang Xuan'er looked at Xue An, and after a while, she nodded, "I hope what you're saying is true!"
"Have you eaten yet?" Tang Xuan'er asked.
"Not yet! How about we go out to eat?" suggested Xue An.
"Now that you're the dad of two children, you should save money where you can! I'll cook!" Tang Xuan'er stood up and went to the kitchen.
Before long, the aroma of food filled the room.
Xue Xiang and Nian Nian, like two little gluttonous cats, came out, drawn by the smell.
"It's fried rice with eggs!"
"No, it's tomato fried rice!"
The two girls argued, though saliva was nearly dripping from their mouths.
Xue An watched this scene, feeling a long-lost warmth in his heart.
"Dad, Aunt Xuan'Er's fried rice is so, so delicious!" Xue Xiang said.
"Is that so? Besides fried rice, what else do you two little gluttons like?"
"We like hamburgers, we like ice cream!" the two little girls exclaimed in unison.
"Then, tomorrow, dad will take you to eat those!"
"Really?"
"Of course, it's true. We'll eat hamburgers first, then ice cream! After that, we'll go to the amusement park!"
"Long live dad!" the two little girls cheered joyously.
When the food was served, Xue An took a bite. The long-missed taste made Xue An, accustomed to the delicacies of dragon liver and phoenix marrow, suddenly understand the flavor of home.
After they had eaten their fill, Tang Xuan'er cleaned up the dishes and got up to say goodbye.
Xue An walked her downstairs, and suddenly said, "Thank you!"
Tang Xuan'er shuddered in the darkness, then lifted her head to glance at Xue An's profile, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Four years had transformed the once immature boy into a dignified, mature figure.
The kind of aura he possessed was something Tang Xuan'er had only seen in very few people.
And those were without exception the elites among people.
What had he experienced during these four years...