“Home?” He frowned.
I nodded. “M City, Huan Yuan, my home. My parents’ graves, my friends and my little uncle are there. That’s my home.”
I didn’t want to walk around in circles. I only needed one uncle.
His disappointment was written on his face. “Nanxing, I’m serious.”
I nodded. “I understand, but I’m serious too.”
He didn’t say anything. We looked at each other speechlessly.
After a long while, he slowly said, “Nanxing, no matter what, you’ll be by my side from now on. You’re my daughter.”
I shrugged, “This appears to be an impasse. No matter, we’ll leave it to time. Time will solve everything.” Two days later, my little uncle would come. I smiled as I stood up and bowed slightly to him. “Thank you for treating me to a meal. I’ll be going back now.”
Under his gaze, I walked out with satisfaction after I had eaten and drunk my fill.
Xiao Yi came up to me and asked nervously, “Sister Xing! Are you alright? Are you injured?”
I snapped my fingers at him. “What are you thinking about?! He’s my uncle. He won’t treat me badly.” I comforted Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi curled his lips. “So what if he’s your uncle? Look at how he treats his own daughter! And you’re only his niece!”
I knocked on his head gently. “Alright! Don’t be rude! I’m too full. You should accompany me for a walk!”
Xiao Yi knew that I had something to tell him.
“Are you sure about your news?” I asked him.
Xiao Yi nodded vigorously. “I’m sure!”
I nodded. “Sadly, we don’t know how they would arrive and where we should go to wait for them. That way, we’d help them a lot.” I was very nervous.
Xiao Yi was not. “Sister Xing, Master Si will arrange everything. For the next two days, we should stay put and not interact with others lest we attract unnecessary problems.” As he said that, he pressed his palms together. “Amitabha, Bodhisattva, please bless us!”
I slapped his hand down. “You’re relying on the Gods to help us? Don’t waste time!”
Xiao Yi’s expression was solemn as he pressed his palms together again. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. What’s wrong with having God’s blessing.”
I argued. “The Gods are busy. They won’t have time for small fries like us! Instead of praying to some abstract construct, we better rely on ourselves!”
Xiao Yi quickly said, “Bodhisattva, please don’t listen to Sister Xing. She doesn’t really mean that!”
I was amused by Xiao Yi’s earnest piety. “I’m curious, when have Gods helped us before? If they did, we wouldn’t be in this state.”
Xiao Yi sighed. “Sister Xing, Tong Hui didn’t harm you, right?”
I shook my head. “He wouldn’t dare. In fact, he wants me to stay by his side forever to be his daughter.”
Xiao Yi then widened his eyes. “That’s because he wants an easy assess to your blood!”
I didn’t say anything, but I agreed with him.
Xiao Yi said angrily, “That’s too inhumane! You’re his biological niece!”
I looked around, and Xiao Yi quickly suppressed his voice. “How can he treat you like this?”
I said calmly, “Look at Tong Yan.. Are you really surprised?”