Perhaps for ordinary children, visiting a night market is a common occurrence.
But for Ningguang in the past, visiting a night market was an unattainable dream.
Because she had to go out and sell goods every day, and after closing her stall, she had to rush home to take care of her mother.
She simply had no time to visit the night market.
Furthermore, the night market was dazzling with countless strange and wonderful goods, and their prices were not cheap.
Ningguang had no money to buy anything and did not want to burden her family.
So every time she passed by the night market, Ningguang would sensibly quicken her pace.
She dared not linger for a moment, nor did she dare to look too much at the things in the night market.
Because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist buying a small item,
In that case, all the money she had painstakingly earned would be gone.
It was precisely because Ningguang's life was so hard in the past, and she had never been to a night market,
That she was so happy when she heard Makoto wanted to take her to visit the night market.
Actually, what Ningguang wanted to say was,
Even if she didn't buy anything at the night market, she would still be very happy,
Because having Makoto by her side was enough.
Looking at Ningguang's smiling, crescent-shaped eyes, Makoto felt a pang in his heart.
The little girl's life before had been too bitter,
So much so that just visiting a night market could make her overjoyed.
It was like drinking too much bitter medicine; any piece of candy could sweeten her heart.
It was precisely for this reason that Makoto hoped to give Ningguang a childhood without regrets and worries.
He wanted to personally fill in those empty parts that Ningguang had lacked in the past.
Collecting his thoughts, Makoto held Ningguang's hand and then softly said, "Let's go, let's take a stroll around Liyue Harbor."
"At this time, it should be the busiest time for the night market."
Before, Ningguang never held Makoto's hand.
It's unclear when it started,
The little girl has always held Makoto's hand, no matter where they go.
If Makoto were to let go of the little girl's hand, she would probably pout and be upset.
He really didn't know what this little girl would do when she grew up.
"Mm-hmm, okay!" Ningguang's face lit up with joy, and she held Makoto's hand even tighter.
Although the itinerary was planned,
Makoto did not rush to leave but turned his gaze to Qiqi.
Speaking of which, Xiao Qiqi had just emerged from the amber and still had no place to live.
A thousand years of change had long since rendered everything unrecognizable, and Xiao Qiqi was homeless.
And the new house had many empty rooms, which could perfectly provide Qiqi with a place to live.
Ningguang also noticed this point.
She also felt sorry for Qiqi's pitiful plight.
Therefore, Ningguang blinked her big, watery eyes, looked earnestly at Qiqi, and asked, "Qiqi, do you want to live with us?"
"With me, and Brother Makoto..."
Perhaps because Ningguang had experienced hardships, she did not want Qiqi to repeat such an ordeal.
As for whether Qiqi was willing, that was her choice.
Ningguang was only responsible for making the invitation.
"Live with Makoto... Ningguang..."
Qiqi raised her head, blinking her big pink eyes, trying to process the information.
"Living together... does that mean I can see Ningguang and Makoto every day?"
Ningguang nodded solemnly: "Yes, Qiqi can see us every day when she opens her eyes!"
"If that's the case... Qiqi... is willing..."
"I can... accompany everyone..."
Xiao Qiqi also wanted to stay by Makoto's side.
Because only when she was by Makoto's side did she feel a warmth in her heart.
That warmth was different from sunlight; it was a warmth that made Qiqi feel comfortable.
Xiao Qiqi paused, her big pink eyes looking towards the villagers.
"But... Qiqi needs to treat the injured villagers first..."
Although Qiqi had forgotten everything from the past, healing people had become her instinct.
Fortunately, the treatment process was not complicated.
It only required crushing Qingxin, Violetgrass, and glaze lily together, then applying the mixture to the wound.
After Qiqi finished all this, she held Makoto's hand and stood very obediently by his side.
And Ningguang stood on Makoto's other side, holding his other hand.
From a distance, it looked like one adult with two little ones.
Makoto found the feeling of taking care of two Little Cuties very interesting.
So, with the villagers' farewells, Makoto led the two Little Cuties towards Liyue Harbor.
This return to Liyue Harbor was a little better than the very beginning.
At least they didn't have to walk in the dark;
There were torches along the way to provide light.
Perhaps because the Fatui's actions had been too significant recently, the Liyue Seven Stars had also strengthened their patrols.
However, these matters were not for Makoto to worry about.
Currently, Liyue had the Liyue Seven Stars, various Adepti,
And the Lord of Geo, who hadn't retired and was still slacking off.
In any case, it wasn't Makoto's turn to worry about management.
He just needed to be a dad who took care of his children.
Soon, the three arrived at Liyue Harbor.
During the day, Liyue was a hub for dock cargo ships and merchant trade.
Passersby hurried along, as if time was never enough.
But at night, Liyue Harbor presented a completely different scene.
Thousands of lights illuminated the city, and Kongming lanterns floated on the coast.
Children, in groups of two or three, walked together, laughing and playing, with small dogs following behind them.
It was peaceful and warm.
Ningguang was visiting a night market for the first time, so naturally, everything felt new to her.
And Qiqi had been asleep for a thousand years, so she also found the changing Liyue interesting.
As they walked, Qiqi suddenly stopped.
Her big eyes gazed directly at a stall in front of them.
A middle-aged man was holding fireworks.
As the fuse was lit, the fireworks shot into the sky, Blooming into colorful patterns.
Qiqi pulled Makoto's hand, looked up, and said in a childish voice, "Makoto... Qiqi... wants to play with fireworks..."
"Can I?"