"Let's go." Tianmiao stood up and smiled at Xiao Anning, "Go and fulfill your wish."
Xiao Anning also stood up, following Tianmiao from behind, then took another look around, seemingly savoring the wonderful feeling of being able to see.
Kong Hou and Dong Xiao also followed, but Tianmiao waved at them, "No need to follow for now, come when we need to collect things."
"Yes." Kong Hou and Dong Xiao stepped back, naturally understanding what their master meant by collecting things. Each time they arrived in a world, their master would collect the gourmet food and fine wine of that world, the most to take away, and then the finest jewelry and jade. This was their master's greatest hobby.
Tianmiao led Xiao Anning out the door, and their figures disappeared from sight.
Kong Hou turned back, thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask Dong Xiao, who was tidying up the tea set, the question in his heart: "Dong Xiao, why do you think that human didn't choose to make his eyes see? Why wish for his family's happiness and health? Not being able to see is such a painful thing."
Dong Xiao didn't stop his actions of tidying the tea set but smiled and said, "That's the reason why our master loves humans."
"Ah?" Kong Hou was stunned, a bit confused.
Dong Xiao said no more and walked towards the kitchen.
"Wait for me. Is that epiphyllum from last time suitable for soup? Which ingredients would make it more delicious? Let's try it first, so that when the master returns, we can stew it for her." Kong Hou chased after him, chatting incessantly.
When the two were behind Tianmiao, they referred to her as the master. Only in front of her did they address her as Boss, according to Tianmiao's request.
...
When Xiao Anning followed Tianmiao out of the shop door, he fell into darkness once again.
Indeed, it was due to this shop that he could only see things inside. So, was everything that happened just now still his illusion?
"Little Marquis, do you want to renege on your debt?" Suddenly, Tianmiao's lazy voice came to his ear, denying his thoughts.
"No, I never intended to renege." Xiao Anning said, a bit embarrassed. Such a thing as reneging never existed in his world. Clearly, this was no illusion; he really saw, really entered a magical shop, and furthermore purchased a wish in it. Now that he stepped out of the shop, he just didn't know what the Boss would take as the cost.
"Alright, let's go. Your family must be worried to death." Tianmiao suddenly reached out and grabbed Xiao Anning's sleeve.
Xiao Anning felt a whirl, and the next moment, his ear was filled with various bustling sounds.
He heard his mother's sobbing voice, his father's comforting voice, and his grandfather ordering people on how to search for him.
"I'm here." Xiao Anning called loudly.
The loud noises suddenly stopped.
"Anning!"
"My child!"
"Little Marquis!"
A series of worried and joyous voices exploded, making Xiao Anning's eardrums ache. Then he fell into a warm embrace. That was his mother's embrace—the embrace of Yong'an's Commandery Princess.
"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay." Yong'an's Commandery Princess held Xiao Anning tightly in her arms, as if he were a lost-and-found treasure, repeatedly muttering this under her breath.
"Mother, I'm fine. It was this young lady who saved me." Xiao Anning felt Yong'an Commandery Princess's choked voice, warm and bitter in his heart, such caring from his loved ones, how could he bear to make them sad.
"Ah?" Yong'an Commandery Princess came to her senses, seeing a young lady smiling standing next to her son, ethereal like a highland flower bathed in cool moonlight.