Chapter 2: My Twin Daughters
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Chapter 2: My Twin Daughters
The snow and wind parted, revealing two little girls staring at Xue An somewhat fearfully.
Xue An crouched down and smiled. “What are your names?”
The two girls glanced at each other. One of them timidly said, “I’m the older sister, Xue Xiang.”
“I’m the younger sister, Xue Nian.”
Xue Xiang. Xue Nian.
A sharp ache pierced Xue An’s heart. He could well imagine how deeply An Yan must have yearned for him back then.
“Uncle, where’s the chubby auntie?” Xue Xiang asked.
“The chubby auntie? They had something to do and left first.”
“Then who are you, Uncle?” Xue Nian asked.
“Yes… who am I?” Xue An murmured blankly.
He had once been a down-and-out youth, and he had also been the supreme Immortal Venerable. But who was he now?
After a moment, a broad smile appeared on Xue An’s face.
“I’m… your daddy!”
“You’re lying!” Xue Xiang said.
“That’s right, you’re lying. Daddy is already dead!” Xue Nian chimed in.
Looking at his twin daughters, Xue An suddenly felt an infinite tenderness well up inside him.
“Daddy isn’t dead. I only went to a very faraway place. Now I’m back!”
“Really?” Xue Xiang gazed at Xue An hesitantly.
Xue An’s heart stirred, and he took out a ring.
It was the matching ring he had bought long ago—one for An Yan, and one for himself.
“Xiangxiang, Niannian, look at this ring! It has Daddy’s and Mommy’s names on it!”
Of course, Xue Xiang and Xue Nian could not read, but Auntie Xuan had told them that Mommy had left them a ring before she departed.
Xue Xiang had always carried hers with her. When she took it out and compared it with Xue An’s, they were indeed a matching pair.
“Daddy, is it really you?” Xue Xiang and Xue Nian cried out in unison.
Xue An smiled and nodded, then opened his arms.
The two girls looked at each other. Tears streamed down their faces as they sobbed and rushed into Xue An’s embrace.
“Daddy, we missed you so much!”
“Daddy, we thought you and Mommy would never come back. We thought you didn’t want us anymore!”
Their tears soaked Xue An’s chest, and his own eyes grew wet as well.
The Immortal Venerable, who had not shed a tear no matter how much suffering he had endured over three thousand years, was now crying openly.
“All right, all right. Don’t cry anymore! Daddy is back. I’ll never leave you again!”
“Mm-hmm!”
The two little sisters buried their heads in Xue An’s arms and refused to get up.
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Indeed.
Over the past few years, the two sisters had tasted every kind of hardship life had to offer. Now that they had finally found a warm embrace, they naturally did not want to leave it.
Xue An gently stroked their hair and asked softly, “Why were you selling things out here?”
Xue Xiang lifted her head. “Because we’re old enough to start kindergarten! But tuition is a big problem, so Nian Nian and I came to sell things on the street to save up for it!”
Her words nearly made Xue An cry again.
They were only four years old, yet they had already taken on the burden of making a living—so sensitive and mature that it broke his heart.
Xue An rubbed Xue Xiang’s little head and said with a soft laugh, “You have Daddy now. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. I’ll make you the two happiest little princesses in the world—no, in the entire universe!”
At the entrance of a remote, dilapidated residential compound in Beijiang, Xue Xiang and Xue Nian each held one of Xue An’s hands and excitedly led him inside.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Xue An felt a jumble of emotions.
This was where he and An Yan had lived for two years.
When they reached the familiar door, it opened before they even had a chance to knock.
A pretty young woman stood in the doorway, smiling as she called out, “Xiangxiang, Niannian, look what Auntie Xuan brought you!”
But the moment she saw Xue An, she froze.
“Xue… Xue An?”
Looking at that familiar face, Xue An thought for a moment before suddenly recognizing her.
“Tang Xuan’er?”
At that moment, Xue Xiang and Xue Nian happily tugged at Xue An’s hands.
“Auntie Xuan, our daddy is back!”
Tang Xuan’er’s face turned pale, then a trace of anger surfaced.
“Xue An, where have you been these past four years?”
Xue An gave a bitter smile. “Could you let me come inside first?”
“Auntie Xuan, don’t blame Daddy. Daddy went to a very faraway place, and he said he’ll never leave us again!” Xue Xiang explained.
After Tang Xuan’er and Xue An sat down on the sofa in the living room, Xue An learned roughly what had happened over the past four years.
After his disappearance, An Yan had gone into premature labor nearly half a month early, overwhelmed by shock and fury. After giving birth, she had suffered massive blood loss and nearly died on the operating table.
As a classmate and friend of both An Yan and Xue An, Tang Xuan’er had cared for her day and night.
But on the very day An Yan had finished choosing names for the two children, a group of people stormed into the hospital and forcibly took her away.
Only later did Tang Xuan’er learn that they had been from the An family of Zhongdu. From that point onward, An Yan vanished without a trace.
The two girls left behind, Xiangxiang and Niannian, effectively became orphans.
Tang Xuan’er could have sent them to an orphanage.
But she had not done so. As an unmarried young woman, she had taken responsibility for raising the two children herself.
Because of that, Tang Xuan’er had sacrificed far too much.
After learning everything, Xue An looked at her gaunt face, worn thin by exhaustion, and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
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“Xuan’er… you’ve worked so hard.”
“Actually… I’m quite fond of these two children.” Tang Xuan’er glanced at the sisters watching television in the inner room and spoke softly.
“Tell me. Where have you been these past four years?”
Xue An sighed. “There are many things I can’t explain, but I can tell you this: I’m back now, and I’ll never leave again.”
Tang Xuan’er stared at him for a while before nodding. “I hope you mean that.”
“Have you eaten?” Tang Xuan’er asked.
“Not yet. Why don’t we eat out?” Xue An suggested.
“You’re the father of two children now. We should save money where we can. I’ll cook.” Tang Xuan’er rose and went into the kitchen.
Before long, the aroma of food drifted through the house.
Xue Xiang and Xue Nian came running out like two little gluttons the moment they smelled it.
“It’s egg fried rice!”
“No, it’s tomato fried rice!”
The two girls argued, though they were both practically drooling.
Watching them, Xue An felt a long-forgotten warmth spread through his heart.
“Daddy, Auntie Xuan’s fried rice is absolutely delicious!” Xue Xiang said.
“Is that so? Aside from fried rice, what else do you two little gluttons like?”
“We like hamburgers and ice cream!” the two little girls shouted in unison.
“All right. Tomorrow Daddy will take you out to eat.”
“Really?”
“Of course. We’ll have hamburgers first, then ice cream! After that, we’ll go to an amusement park!”
“Long live Daddy!” the girls cheered excitedly.
When the food was served, Xue An took a bite. After being accustomed to delicacies fit for dragons and phoenixes, that long-missed flavor suddenly made him understand what home tasted like.
After they had eaten their fill, Tang Xuan’er cleared away the dishes and rose to leave.
Xue An walked her downstairs. Then, quite suddenly, he said, “Thank you.”
Tang Xuan’er trembled in the darkness. She raised her head and glanced at Xue An’s profile, her heart filled with complicated emotions.
Four years had transformed that once-naive young man into a calm and dignified figure of stature.
Tang Xuan’er had seen that kind of bearing in only a very few people.
Every one of them had been an outstanding elite.
What on earth had he gone through during these four years?
Actually, in real life, I really do have a pair of adorable twin daughters! Hehe. Although raising them is exhausting, the sense of accomplishment I feel whenever they call me Daddy is simply overwhelming! So, dear readers, for the sake of my two daughters’ formula money, please continue to support me!
End of Chapter