When the little girl saw the exquisitely wrapped meal bundle in front of her, she was clearly stunned.
He wasn't… disgusted by her?
He was different from all the people she had met before.
When dealing with girls who were highly guarded, Jiang Yan always had his own straightforward method.
"Why… are you giving this to me?"
The girl's voice carried obvious hesitation.
The fragrance coming from the rice ball kept tempting her.
But a girl who had seen the warmth and coldness of the world had learned to be wary of everything.
If a stranger suddenly treated you this well, there must be some ulterior motive.
"I just saw that you were hungry."
Jiang Yan naturally understood what the girl was wary about.
So he chose the most direct way to reassure her.
He split the rice ball in his hand into two halves and quickly ate one half.
Then he handed the other half to the girl.
"Here. Eat it. It's safe."
Seeing this, the girl finally relaxed. She could no longer hold back and grabbed the rice ball from Jiang Yan, devouring it ravenously.
She was simply too hungry.
Even a plain rice ball felt like a delicacy from the mountains and seas to her.
"Eat slowly. If it's not enough, I still have more."
Jiang Yan spoke softly, taking a water pouch from his robe and handing it to her.
"What's your name?"
After the girl finished drinking the water, Jiang Yan handed her another rice ball and asked gently.
"…Beidou."
The girl hesitated for a moment before finally giving her name.
She had a relatively good impression of the man before her. Although she was still wary of his motives, he was far better than the people who used to bully her.
When Jiang Yan heard the name, he froze slightly.
This dirty little girl in front of him was the future Uncrowned Dragon King of the seas, Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet?
Jiang Yan quietly watched as little Beidou finished another fist-sized rice ball. Seeing her still looking a bit unsatisfied, he chuckled softly.
Beidou also realized her eating had been somewhat unsightly, and her dusty little face turned red.
But Jiang Yan had no intention of mocking her.
During the time after his parents died in his previous life, when he had no income, he had even rummaged through trash cans at night looking for something to eat.
He understood better than anyone what hunger felt like.
"If you've been starving for too long, eating too much at once isn't good. It'll make you bloated."
"Let it digest a bit before eating more. I still have plenty of rice balls."
Thinking of his own hardships in the past, Jiang Yan looked at Beidou with a hint of sympathy.
Beidou nodded gently. After their short interaction, the guard in her heart had clearly lowered a little.
Little Beidou had drifted around for years. She might not have many skills, but she was good at judging whether someone was a good person or a bad one.
At the very least, from their brief interaction, Jiang Yan didn't seem like a bad person.
"Thank you, big brother."
Beidou said gratefully.
"It's nothing. Just a small effort."
Jiang Yan reached out, intending to rub her little head.
But Beidou instinctively dodged.
His hand froze slightly in midair before he slowly lowered it.
"I—I'm sorry… I'm just not used to it…"
Beidou hurried to apologize.
She had instinctively avoided his hand just now.
She also realized how rude that must have seemed.
Big brother had just been so kind to her, yet she reacted like that.
He must find her annoying now…
Children often have sensitive hearts and overthink things.
But Jiang Yan didn't find anything wrong with it.
A child wandering alone without vigilance wouldn't even know how they died.
"It's fine. When you're alone out there, being cautious is a good thing."
Jiang Yan said with a smile.
Hearing that he wasn't angry, Beidou let out a small sigh of relief.
"Big brother, what's your name?"
Beidou asked.
She had to remember his name. When she grew up, she would definitely repay him!
"Me?"
"My name is Jiang Yan. Yan as in 'speech.'"
Jiang Yan replied with a grin.
"Brother Jiang Yan…"
Beidou murmured softly, firmly engraving the name in her heart.
You know what?
You really know what?
Beidou and Ningguang actually had something in common.
When they were young, they were ridiculously adorable!
Even though Beidou was currently dusty and dirty like a little mud doll, it still couldn't hide her bright eyes and delicate facial features.
With that thought in mind, Jiang Yan asked:
"So, little Beidou, where are you going now? Or rather… what are your plans next?"
Continuing to wander like this wasn't a solution.
There was an old saying:
"The Southern Dipper governs life, the Northern Dipper governs death."
Beidou's name corresponded to the Death Omen Star, symbolizing misfortune and ill omen. Wherever she went, she was destined not to be welcomed.
At that moment, Jiang Yan suddenly wondered if he should also take Beidou as a disciple.
After all, he had already accepted Ningguang. One more wouldn't hurt.
In the original storyline of his previous life, Ningguang and Beidou were practically rivals.
And Beidou had a unique talent for naval warfare. Jiang Yan felt that in the future, she could take over the position of Commander of the Navy.
After all, he himself currently held the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies.
The position of Tianquan was already reserved for Ningguang. If Beidou assisted her, things would likely become much easier.
But when Jiang Yan brought up the topic, the smile on Beidou's face faded, replaced with an indescribable worry.
Beidou had always been confused about the future.
Every day, the only thing she thought about was how to fill her stomach.
Because of that, she had often felt like someone who had no tomorrow.
But she didn't want to reveal her weak and pessimistic side to the big brother in front of her.
So she forced a smile.
"I haven't thought that far."
"As long as I can survive today, that's enough."
"Tomorrow's matters… I'll leave them to tomorrow's me."
"As for now… I guess I'll be thinking about where I can sleep tonight…"
Jiang Yan slowly raised his hand and flicked her lightly on the forehead.
"Dummy girl. You don't have to force yourself to smile."
"You're confused about the future, aren't you? You don't know where you're going or what you should do."
Beidou rubbed her forehead gently and pursed her lips without speaking.
Because Jiang Yan's words left her with no way to refute them.
"Well then."
Jiang Yan stood up and extended his hand toward her.
"Be my disciple."
"I'll give you a home."
"What do you think?" ✨
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