Over the span of several years, Seven Star Market had grown considerably larger than before. With Seven Star Pavilion as the sect behind it, the place had attracted quite a following.
On the streets, a pack of children ran and played, chasing one another. Leading the charge at the front were a boy and a girl, both around seven or eight years old. Four or five older kids pursued them relentlessly from behind, the one in front seething with fury as he hurled clods of dirt at the pair, shouting, "Zhao Xiaobai, you better stop right there!"
The older boy was a few years senior and had no shortage of strength. His aim was decent too — a fist-sized clod of earth struck Zhao Xiaobai square in the back, making him cry out and nearly stumble to the ground.
He didn't slow down, clutching the little girl's hand as he bolted headlong forward. Rounding a corner, he made straight for a stall selling glutinous rice dumplings and ducked beneath the cart with practiced ease.
From the way he did it, it was clear this wasn't the first time he'd pulled this trick.
The older kids burst around the corner, but Zhao Xiaobai had already vanished. They searched high and low without finding a trace and had no choice but to stomp off in frustration.
"Come on out." Yang Kai, who'd been busy all this while, wiped the grease from his hands and gave the underside of the cart a light kick with his foot.
The two small figures crawled out from beneath the cart. Zhao Xiaobai, his face a bruised and swollen mess, flashed Yang Kai a goofy grin.
The little girl's eyes were red as she gazed at him, reaching up to touch the bruise on his face, on the verge of tears. "Big Brother Xiaobai, does it hurt?"
Zhao Xiaobai bared his teeth in a wince but put on a brave front. "Doesn't hurt at all!"
Yang Kai reached out, pinched his cheek, and gave it a twist.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Zhao Xiaobai immediately begged for mercy. Then, afraid the little girl beside him would worry, he thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Xiao Ya. It's just a little scratch. One good sleep and I'll be fine."
Zhao Ya nodded.
Watching him play the tough guy in front of a girl, Yang Kai pursed his lips to the side.
But whether it was Zhao Xiaobai or Zhao Ya, neither had the slightest doubt, because over the years, no matter how badly Zhao Xiaobai bumped or bruised himself, a single night's sleep left him completely healed.
This had baffled both Yu Lu and Granny Zhou. They figured the boy must have some extraordinary gift that ordinary people simply couldn't perceive.
"So what did you do to provoke them?" Yang Kai handed each child a glutinous rice dumpling and asked casually.
Zhao Xiaobai took the smaller dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking with his cheeks puffed out. "I didn't provoke them! Miao Feiping and his gang were trying to bully Xiao Ya, and I tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't listen!"
"And then you got beaten up?" Yang Kai looked at him with an amused half-smile.
Zhao Xiaobai flushed red and mumbled, "Mama said I can't fight with people, so I didn't hit back. I could only run."
"What if one day you can't even run away?" Yang Kai asked.
Zhao Xiaobai blinked, then grinned dopily. "That won't happen. I'm fast! They can't catch me. Besides, in a few more months, Seven Star Pavilion's recruitment ceremony is starting. I'm going to give it a try! Mama said if I can get into Seven Star Pavilion, I'll be able to cultivate and become a martial artist!" As he spoke, he clenched his fist hard and turned to Zhao Ya with a grin. "Sister Ya, I'll protect you when that happens."
Zhao Ya broke into a sweet smile and nodded firmly with an "Mhm!"
Suddenly Zhao Xiaobai's eyes lit up as he spotted three people walking past ahead. "Look — it's people from Seven Star Pavilion!"
The three passersby were one man and two women. The man was handsome and striking, the women were stunningly beautiful. All three wore the white robes of Seven Star Pavilion disciples, like a few pristine snowflakes drifting through the crowd.
Zhao Xiaobai's eyes were filled with admiration and longing. "When I get into Seven Star Pavilion, I'll get to wear these clothes too." He didn't forget to add to Zhao Ya, "When you grow up, Xiao Ya, you'll definitely be just as beautiful."
Zhao Ya nibbled at her glutinous rice dumpling and nodded softly. "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Big Brother Xiaobai!"
"Cough, cough, cough—" Zhao Xiaobai choked on a mouthful of glutinous rice dumpling, nearly suffocating. He reached out toward Yang Kai in desperation. "Uncle Yang, give me some tea!"
"Eat slowly!" Yang Kai couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He brought over a bowl of tea and handed it to him, giving Zhao Xiaobai a gentle pat on the back.
Once the two little ones had finished eating, Yang Kai ruffled Zhao Xiaobai's hair. "It's getting late. Head home now. Don't let your mother worry."
"I know!" Zhao Xiaobai hopped up, called to Zhao Ya, and the two small figures wove through the crowd like a pair of mudfish, vanishing from sight in no time.
Before long, Yang Kai packed up his stall and headed home too.
Starting from two years ago, Yang Kai had been running the stall on his own. Granny Zhou was getting on in years and it wasn't suitable for her to keep running about outside, so he'd told her to stay home and rest easy.
What puzzled Granny Zhou, though, was that over these past few years she hadn't felt herself growing older at all. On the contrary, her energy and vitality had increased considerably. She'd originally thought she didn't have many years left, but now it seemed she could easily live another ten.
The old woman was extremely satisfied with Yang Kai. Her only complaint was that he hadn't gone back to visit his own home in all these years. What about those wives of his, left behind at home?
After all, a grown man away from home for years on end — anything could happen.
In the beginning, Granny Zhou would try to persuade Yang Kai to find a chance to go back and visit. If he couldn't bear to leave them, he could bring his wives here. Seven Star Market had decent foot traffic, and the glutinous rice dumpling stall brought in enough to feed a whole family. But when she saw Yang Kai remained unmoved, she stopped trying.
She'd subconsciously assumed Yang Kai's claim of having several wives was just a joke from back in the day. Otherwise, how could any man放心 leave his wives behind at home like that? Yang Kai certainly didn't seem like the type to neglect his family.
When they arrived home, Granny Zhou had already prepared dinner and had ladled out an extra basin of fish soup. "Send this to Madam Yu. The two children are still growing, and it's hard enough for her raising them on her own."