"Mother, why have you come?"
Huo Xiang opened the door, appearing as usual, but there was a hint of grievance in his eyes. Sure enough, Madam Huo sighed deeply upon seeing him, looking at him with heartache:
"You have suffered."
Hearing this,
Huo Xiang felt a surge of joy in his heart, but on the surface he lowered his head and forced a smile, saying:
"How could I have suffered? Mother, don't listen to the rumors floating around outside. When it comes down to it, I was in the wrong too—I offended Miss Su again and almost caused trouble for the family. Grandfather only gave me a few scoldings, which is already very generous."
"You child, always telling only the good news, never the bad."
Madam Huo's status was unassailable; her maiden family also came from a prestigious background.
With many people watching and gossiping, everything that had happened was already being spread around. Naturally, she knew what had transpired with Huo Xiang.
So she said displeasedly,
"What fault of yours is it?"
"It's clearly that Concubine Zhuo with ill intentions, who used you for the benefit of her own family. And your grandfather too—he can't tell friend from foe, blaming you for the sake of an outsider. Not to mention that Miss Su, who is so unreasonable; she hadn't actually suffered any real loss, yet she wouldn't even show mercy or let the matter drop, insisting on making trouble for you."
As she spoke, Madam Huo’s brows were filled with disgust.
"An unmarried young lady, always talking about matchmaking and being a witness at weddings—such bad upbringing!"
If the match she had been setting up was for a good girl, it might have been fine.
But it was Concubine Zhuo!
Even if this incident hadn't happened, all that woman deserved was the status of a chamber concubine—how dare she dream of being a legitimate wife.
A flicker of triumph passed through Huo Xiang’s eyes, but his words still tried to dissuade:
"Mother, don't say such things. Grandfather thinks very highly of Miss Su. If he hears this, it will be bad for me." His tone turned bitter as he blinked, adding: "Besides, I'm not truly a member of the Huo family. Although you love me, Mother, in the eyes of outsiders, perhaps I really am a fitting match for Concubine Zhuo. When Miss Su made that proposal, Grandfather didn't object—maybe that’s what he thought as well..."
Huo Xiang lifted his head and looked at Madam Huo painfully:
"I'm sorry, Mother. Maybe I should just leave the Huo family."
"If I'm gone, Grandfather might feel a bit better. Perhaps... your real son will be found again."
Madam Huo's heart ached.
She began to cry as well:
"You’re stabbing my heart! You're the one I raised from childhood—you ARE my child. Even if Huo Lin comes back, in my heart, he can never, ever compare to you."
"And besides, your grandfather may have grown muddle-headed in old age, but I haven't. So many years have passed, times have been chaotic and war-torn—that child surely died long ago. Even if he were alive, raised roughly outside without proper education, he probably wouldn’t even know how to read—how could he inherit the Huo family?"
"How could he compare to you? You were meticulously raised since childhood—literate, versed in social graces, and skilled in business affairs. You are the best choice to take over the Huo family."
The moment Madam Huo said these words,
the servants listening heard arched their brows uncontrollably in shock.
No matter how much they doted on Young Master Xiang,
he wasn’t the one who had been lost young—that boy was her biological son!
It was truly baffling.
But no one cared what they thought. Madam Huo’s eyes were full of sympathy for Huo Xiang, and she continued to counsel him not to be disheartened.
She would always stand by his side!
"Mother, you’re so good to me."
Those words were sincere; after all, like other men of fortune, even Concubine Zhuo had required some effort on his part to keep her affectionate.
But Madam Huo? There was no need for that at all.
"Silly child, if I don't treat you well, who should I treat well?"
Madam Huo said with a gentle smile.
After comforting her son, she thought it over and first went to Old Master Huo. She carefully spoke in Huo Xiang's favor. To her surprise, the usually stubborn old man actually seemed to take it in more than before.
It made her heart feel gratified.
She had always said that someday the old man would come to see Huo Xiang's good qualities.
Then there was that person, Su Ning.
Though Madam Huo disliked her, she also realized that this Su Ning was indeed a force to be reckoned with. But that was precisely why they had to strike while the iron was not yet cold—once Su Ning rooted herself more firmly, it would be even harder to handle.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to use the Huo family’s power to vent her son's anger.
So Madam Huo went to her own family instead.
...
And then?
Her family sent her out—and immediately went straight to Su Ning’s place.
Are you kidding?
Did Huo Xiang share any blood with them? Besides, the Huo family had already submitted—why would they take it upon themselves to offend Miss Su? They weren't like Madam Huo, who had water in her brain and drunk Huo Xiang’s aphrodisiac.
After sending her off.
"Huh, something's wrong!"
The system exclaimed excitedly:
"Even at this point, she still dares to go against you, the big villain? Host, do you think Huo Xiang used some item on Madam Huo too? That guy's truly inhuman. From what I hear, Madam Huo dotes on him so much—for revenge, he pushed her into making a move without hesitation, not even considering what would happen to her if you found out."
"It's probably not that."
Su Ning shook her head, speaking casually:
"First of all, if Huo Xiang truly wanted revenge, using a prop directly on me would be much simpler. Using Madam Huo is just an unnecessary effort. Besides, he should be completely out of resources by now."
"So this is most likely voluntary on Madam Huo's part."
Upon hearing this,
the system was astounded. "Ah, truly a touching and heartbreaking mother-son bond."
Motherly love gives boundless courage!
Just like Madam Huo!
Thinking this, it muttered: "Such favoritism for an adopted son... Does she not know we're helping find her biological child? Acting so recklessly without considering the consequences."
"Maybe she has thought about it, but just doesn't care."
Su Ning raised an eyebrow:
"In fact, Madam Huo in the original novel was also interesting. She adopted Huo Xiang precisely because she missed her own son, but once she had a substitute, she truly forgot about her biological child. Unlike Old Master Huo, who constantly keeps searching for the lost boy, she doesn't even mention it."
"Host,"
"Mhm?"
"I have an idea," the system said in a low voice. "When something is strange, there must be a ghost playing behind it. Maybe Huo Xiang is her illegitimate child—bet he's the son she bore for a true love—and that's why she's so partial and good to him!"
Su Ning: ...
What a cliché, overdone domestic scandal.
"It's unlikely. Huo Xiang and her biological son are almost the same age—how could he be her illegitimate child? Old Master Huo isn't a fool."
"Then why?"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Su Ning spread her hands, raising an eyebrow. "We'll know when we find the real young master Huo... So, system, how's your progress?” The information and documents Lin Sen had gathered were complete—feeding them in must yield some results, right.
"Err… I'm searching—I'm searching!"
The system stammered in a guilty voice.
It began working hastily: scanning data, analyzing comparisons…
A flicker of amusement danced in Su Ning's eyes.
She kindly didn't expose her slacking-off system and yawned again. Summer really was perfect for sleeping. Her eyelids kept drooping, and just as she debated whether to have a sweet, cozy midday date with Mr. Sandman,
there came a knock from outside.
It was Lin Sen.
Never mind, no sleep for now.
Just as she had anticipated, Assistant Lin wouldn’t disturb her over something trivial. This time, it was about sorting out industrial summaries and managing social niceties with the local officials—matters both big and small, all condensed into a thick stack of documents and the dark circles under his eyes.
“Not bad at all.”
After listening to the brief report, Su Ning nodded and waved her hand to grant him a raise.
Straight up doubled!
Lin Sen smiled and thanked her.
It wasn’t for the money—to be honest, with 24/7, no-stop work schedule, he didn’t even have time to spend it. There was another reason he couldn’t bring himself to say.
Su Ning looked down at the documents, and suddenly her gaze paused on a certain spot.
“This plantation was once heavily planted with opium poppies by the Zhuo family. After clearing everything out, it’s not easy to convert directly into other crops for now. So, I thought we could use it for breeding. The white-feathered chickens you have on hand would be a great choice.”
It was indeed a good idea.
White-feathered chickens grew fast, with plenty of tender meat.
The plantation, tainted by the poppy past, lacked public trust. Switching to raising white-feathered chickens—a premium meat bird—could sweep the market with overwhelming force.
It would also help bury the old, negative impression in people’s minds.
Turning waste into treasure.
This utterly showcased Lin Sen’s ability.
But—
“White-feathered chickens can be raised in small numbers, but not on a large scale.” Su Ning traced her finger across the document and explained, “This type of chicken is highly prone to disease, and it spreads extremely quickly. The time isn’t right yet.”
Even with full breeding equipment and know-how, qualified personnel still needed to be trained—none of this could be accomplished overnight.
Lin Sen nodded.
