Chapter 470: Xiao Huai’an Side Story: The Weary Bird Returns Home (Part 7)

The young man stood upright, his posture quite relaxed, even with a hint of laziness, as he turned sideways, watching the shimmering river surface below.

In a certain moment, Lord Yao felt that the young man before him was like an eagle poised to soar, ready to take flight at any time, reaching heights unattainable by others.

He paused slightly, then after realizing, he shook his head with a slight amusement.

This was the child of Lady Tang and Prime Minister Xiao, regardless of what achievements he might attain in the future, it shouldn’t be surprising.

He took slow steps forward, and the young man who had been watching the river turned to look at him, stood up straight, and smiled, “Luckily, we really found the culprit, otherwise Lord Yao might worry even more about me causing trouble next time.”

Lord Yao: “…”

So this young man knew all along that he didn’t trust him.

He deeply bowed to the young man, saying, “How could it be causing trouble, Young Master Xiao’s wisdom is extraordinary. Thanks to Young Master Xiao, this case was solved so swiftly.”

Xiao Huai’an quickly sidestepped, laughing, “Uncle Yao, you are my elder. If my mom knew you bowed to me, she would surely scold me for being impertinent.”

Earlier, when Xu Jing took Xiao Huai’an out to investigate the case, he instructed him to address Lord Yao this way.

The young man’s address and casual words instantly closed the distance between them. Lord Yao stood up straight and couldn’t help but laugh, “Your mom would be too happy to have such a smart child like you. There’s something I want to ask Young Master Xiao, since the culprit had honey on their feet that wasn’t completely cleaned, why didn’t you just let us check their feet directly, but went through the trouble of finding a scout bee?”

Xiao Huai’an raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled and said, “Honey doesn’t dissolve easily in cold water, but it’s not entirely solubly either. I just guessed that the culprit couldn’t find warm water to clean the honey off his feet in such a short time, and likely didn’t completely wash off the honey. But I wasn’t certain of the extent of the honey dissolution. If it dissolved to an extent that we couldn’t detect with just our eyes and nose, we wouldn’t be able to identify the real culprit either. At that time, the culprit would surely know what we were looking for, and to clear suspicion, he might try by all means to cover up any remaining honey scent. So it would be better to use a scout bee from the start, increasing the chance of successfully finding him.”

Lord Yao sighed to himself.

It is indeed so.

The young man’s mind is truly meticulous.

It wasn’t until this case that he realized there’s a kind of bee specifically for finding nectar sources.

Who knows how this pampered young man came to know, but judging by his attire today, he must have led a commoner’s life during his year of travel, and he must have learned such knowledge while mingling among the people.

Xiao Huai’an spoke, then suddenly narrowed his eyes, and laughed like a little fox, “Even if the bee we found couldn’t eventually pinpoint the culprit, the process itself would have been tortuous enough for him. At that moment, whether or not we located the real culprit was no longer important. Lord Yao would have noticed, when Mr. Wen heard Lord Yao say they had found a way to identify the culprit, he still managed to control his facial expressions. But when Lord Yao mentioned that honey was on his feet and released the bee, his expression completely changed. Watching the process of the culprit’s psyche being completely unraveled and then revealing a flaw, isn’t it quite interesting too?”

Lord Yao: “…”

Oh, young one, you may have an immortal-like appearance, but why is your heart so dark!

His mouth twitched slightly, reminding himself not to be surprised, and after a hard time controlled his expression, said, “Young Master Xiao is indeed worthy of being Lady Tang’s son. By the way, Young Master Xiao is fifteen now, right? The tutors who taught Young Master Xiao earlier all said that Young Master Xiao is exceptionally knowledgeable. If he were to take the imperial examination, he would surely excel. I wonder if Young Master Xiao plans to take the examination now, upon returning to the Western Capital? Currently, our Western Capital government offices are in need of talent like Young Master Xiao, who would definitely be sought after by various bureaus after passing the exam.”

As he spoke, his eyes shone with immense desire.

It appeared he set his sights on this top-tier workforce.

Xiao Huai’an was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, “Indeed, I returned this time wanting to do something substantial.”

Lord Yao immediately looked excited, “Then…”

“It’s getting late.”

Xiao Huai’an suddenly looked up at the sun, said, “I sent a letter home a few days ago saying I’d be back today for dinner.”

After traveling for a whole year, he must be eager to return home.

Even if Lord Yao wanted to coax… uh, recruit this young man into his Western Capital government offices, he could only postpone it, saying, “So Young Master Xiao ought to hurry home, so as not to keep your parents waiting. By the way, please do convey my regards to your father and mother.”

Xiao Huai’an gave a gentle smile, bowed respectfully to Lord Yao, then took his leave.

Finally able to go home, Xianyun was also quite excited, even though he was already in his twenties, he almost hopped while walking.

Xiao Huai’an looked at him amused, “Back then I told you not to follow me on my travels, yet you insisted. Upon returning now, I wonder if Little Doudou will still recognize you.”

Five years ago, Xianyun and the gentle and virtuous Chuju were struck by cupid’s arrow, and Xu Jing was happily supportive, quickly arranged their marriage.

Two years after marriage, Chuju had a daughter, nicknamed Doudou.

When Xiao Huai’an was about to set off on his travels, Little Doudou was just two years old, still toddling around, and Xiao Huai’an told Xianyun to stay home to accompany his wife and child, suggesting he find another companion.

But Xianyun was unwilling to leave the Young Master he had raised, and finally, bearing the pain of separation, bade goodbye to his wife and daughter, and followed the Young Master on his travels.

Upon hearing this, Xianyun nearly jumped out of excitement, “My Little Doudou would never forget her father, besides… I’ve brought her lots of tasty and fun things! She’ll definitely be very happy, happily running into my arms, sweetly calling me daddy.”

The more Xianyun spoke, the more enchanted he became, as if he could already see his soft little treasure.

Xiao Huai’an watched him with a subtle smile.

Not just Xianyun, he also missed his parents a bit.

And his clingy little brothers and sisters.

When the two finally returned to the gate of Xiao Mansion, the guards at the gate were dumbfounded, rubbed their eyes several times to confirm they weren’t seeing things. A gatekeeper who had just stepped out took one look at Xiao Huai’an and gasped, turning and quickly ran back, shouting, “The eldest son is back!”

“The eldest son is back!”

The joyous sound instantly echoed throughout the residence.

Xiao Huai’an couldn’t help but be a little bewildered, turned his head to look at Xianyun, “Didn’t I already send a letter saying I’d return today? Could the letter have not been delivered?”

Xianyun calmly smiled at the young man before him.

Although the Lord is wise, he is still very young.

A child who wandered outside finally returned home, even if the family knew in advance, they still longed constantly. The yearning and anticipation in their heart doesn’t decrease, but rather grows stronger.

The happiest ones, in fact, are not the birds weary of flying back home, but the family who stayed at home, waiting.