Adoption

Inside the shop, Chen Miemie had no idea what was happening to Chunhua out on the street.

When Chunhua completely stepped out of the Gap of Doors, Daidai sensed something was off.

“Chen Miemie, I can feel that the price placed on Chunhua has shifted again.”

“What happened?”

“It seems that every time he comes to the shop and then leaves, because of the shift in time and space, the ability I cast on him tends to mutate.”

“So you’re saying that this time, after he goes back, Wish Fulfillment will turn into something else?”

“Not entirely different—it will shift by half again on top of the previous version. As for the exact effect, I wouldn’t know.”

“Alright. Fortune and misfortune lean on each other. He’s already secured the position of Grand Scholar and knows the path he wants to walk. Whatever happens next is up to his own destiny.”

After leaving the shop, Chunhua wandered in a daze, unsure where he was going, or where home was.

Without realizing it, he walked toward the orphanage where he and Biyi had grown up.

Four Seasons Orphanage.

The orphanage was located at No. 1 Nuan Yu Road. If the orphans had no names of their own, they were given the surname “Seasons.”

If Chen Miemie were there, she would have noticed that Nuan Yu Road was a very familiar street.

The Yi family’s small house was at No. 50 Nuan Yu Road.

Though they were on the same road, No. 1 and No. 50 weren’t close to each other. No. 1 sat on a back street, so unless you were looking for it, the orphanage was hard to find.

Chunhua passed No. 50 Nuan Yu Road and, through the eyebrow-shaped window, saw lamplight glowing inside.

He stood at the door for a long time, raising his hand several times and then lowering it again. In the end, he did not knock.

Just as he was about to leave, the door opened.

Dujuan was carrying a bag of trash, about to take it out. Through the doorway, he could also see Xiaoqin inside, her eyes vacant, looking like she had shut herself off from the world.

“You’re—?” Dujuan’s face was full of mixed emotions.

The man standing before her, wearing the robes of a Grand Scholar and hailed as the city’s new hero, had saved her, Hua Nian, and Xiaoqin’s lives. She should have felt grateful.

But her husband had also died from “overwork” because of him, and deep in her heart, there was a shred of resentment.

The two stood face to face, neither knowing what to say.

“Mrs. Yi,” Chunhua spoke with difficulty, “there are still a few children at home, and the days ahead may be tough. I can arrange a job for you.”

A Grand Scholar’s offer would certainly guarantee a good position.

Dujuan, who had lost her pillar of support, was tempted to stop thinking and simply say yes. But the words reached her lips, and she changed her mind:

“No need. You saved us. Wu Duan acted willingly. He never blamed you, and you owe us nothing.”

Silence followed.

“Then take care of yourself, ma’am. If you ever run into trouble, you’re welcome to come find me.”

They passed each other.

Chunhua continued onward until he reached the gates of Four Seasons Orphanage.

When a Grand Scholar arrives, even in the dead of night, the orphanage comes alive with commotion.

The current administrators of the orphanage were not the ones who had cared for Chunhua back in the day, and there was little kinship between them.

Chunhua went straight to processing an adoption.

With a Grand Scholar personally adopting, everything went smoothly without hurdles.

An hour later.

Chunhua held a little girl’s hand as he led her to the home assigned to him by the Scholars’ Institute.

The girl looked timidly at this unfamiliar grown man.

“Hungry? Let me make you something to eat,” Chunhua noticed she was stealing glances at him.

“No… I’m not hungry. I already had dinner.”

“Don’t be nervous. From now on, this is your home, and I’m your family. According to the paperwork, I’m your adoptive father—but if you can’t get used to that yet, you can call me Uncle, or Old Man, whatever Makes you comfortable.”

“Uncle… why did you adopt me?” The girl sensed that the man before her carried no ill will whatsoever.

“Your mother—Biyi—has gone somewhere very far away, and she won’t be back for a very long time. Before she left, she asked me to take care of you.”

“Mother…” The girl dropped her head. She seemed to know something, showing no strong reaction.

Chunhua looked at the girl.

The child of a witch is always adopted; this little girl was Biyi’s descendant.

Only now did he understand why, before Biyi left the team—before she “left the city”—she had told him, “If you have time, look after my adopted daughter at the orphanage.” Why she herself hadn’t gone to take care of her.

“Are you Uncle Chuntian?” The girl tilted her head and asked.

“Chuntian” was what Biyi had privately called Chunhua.

“Yes. Thirsty?”

“Oh, a little thirsty.” It seemed the name Chuntian put the girl at ease.

“Wait, I’ll make you some tea.”

Chunhua boiled water, placed a few pieces of dried fruit in a cup, first poured in hot water, then added cold water to bring it to a comfortable temperature. He knew children generally didn’t like grown-up tea.

After he brewed it, he suddenly asked, “Do you like it sweet, or plain?”

The girl asked cautiously, “Can it be sweet?”

“Of course.”

Chunhua looked at the girl, his mind drifting to old memories. In a momentary lapse, he mistook salt for sugar and added a heaping spoonful into the cup.

By the time he noticed, the salt had already dissolved.

“Ah, Sorry, I was distracted. Let me brew you a new cup.”

But the girl, well-mannered and quick, grabbed the cup and drank: “It’s fine, I can drink this.”

Chunhua was startled and tried to stop her.

“Ah, that’s delicious! This is the best fruit tea I’ve ever had.” The girl squinted with delight.

Chunhua, puzzled, thought the girl was just being polite, and took the cup from her hand.

“I’d like a little more, please?” The girl’s eyes followed the cup.

“Is it really good? How is that possible? That was a huge spoonful of salt.”

“Really, really!”

Chunhua still didn’t believe her. He fetched another cup, poured a little for himself, and tasted it.

What hit his tongue stunned him.

The salt and the fruit’s sweetness merged flawlessly, each enhancing the other, in a heavenly balance.

“It… it really is this good!”

“See, Uncle is so talented. I want to be able to brew such amazing drinks someday too.”

As a Grand Scholar, Chunhua’s knowledge was top-notch. He knew for certain that the ingredients he used could never have produced such a flavor—not even by coincidence.

“Then there’s only one possibility: some Mystery is at work. Shopkeeper, is that you?” Chunhua murmured to himself.

Scholars believe in seeking truth through practice. Chunhua went on to brew another five or six cups of tea in a row, wildly adding sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and whatever else was on hand.

He and the little girl became the lab rats tasting his experiments.

Soon, he reached a conclusion: no matter how absurd the ingredients, as long as the tea passed through his hands, it became a delicious brew.

The girl had drunk her fill, her little belly round and content.

Chunhua’s experiments quickly came to an end.

He understood what had happened.

No matter how he brewed tea, it was always delicious. But only tea—other beverages wouldn’t do.

“This is the tea-brewing version of Wish Fulfillment. Ever since I stepped into that mysterious shop, I’ve been linked to tea. Only tea, huh? Shopkeeper, you’ve helped me again. I’m deeply grateful.”

The girl had no idea what he was muttering about and was beginning to feel sleepy.

"Feeling sleepy? Go wash up and get to bed. That room over there is yours from now on. Oh, by the way, what should I call you? Is it alright to call you by your name, Qiushi?"

"In private, Mother always called me Qiu Tian. I prefer that name."

"Qiu Tian, is it? Fine."

Chen Miemie slept again until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

Now he fully blamed the Black Hole for his late rising.

The Black Hole tried to argue back, saying it hadn't activated its power and that Chen Miemie simply loved sleeping in.

But after some rough tousling from Chen Miemie, the Black Hole quickly caved and admitted it was indeed its doing.

Having won the victory, Chen Miemie was in a good mood. He strolled out with the swagger of a lord, wandered onto the street of Fairy Tale Road, and skillfully made his way to the open-air tables on the opposite side, plopping himself down onto a small chair.

"Qiu Tian, give me a refreshing coffee—no cicada wings, and extra chili."