Nanyang was hot and dry all year round.
Old Master Huo had lived there for most of his life and had long since grown accustomed to the climate. Yet now his cheeks were flushed, and he was breathing rapidly, his chest heaving up and down.
At first glance, he looked as though he had suffered heatstroke.
The old servant was startled and hurried over to support him. “Master, what’s wrong?” Believing that Su Ning must have written something unpleasant, he added sympathetically, “Business is a matter of ability. If Miss Su has the means to suppress Young Master Xiang, then she should deal with him directly. What does coming to trouble you accomplish? Her conduct is truly…”
“Enough.”
Old Master Huo waved his hand excitedly. “From now on, Miss Su is my benefactor—and the benefactor of the entire Huo family. Hahahahaha!”
He burst into laughter.
Seeing that the old servant was still utterly confused, he said cheerfully, “She found Lin’er. My Lin’er!”
Lin’er?
The old servant’s eyes widened.
Huo Lin—the true young master of the Huo family, Old Master Huo’s biological grandson, and the rightful heir to the Huo family!
Unable to contain himself, he blurted out, “Young Master Lin has really been found?”
“What do you mean, ‘Young Master Lin’? I have only one grandson. Just call him ‘Young Master,’” Old Master Huo corrected him unhappily.
The delirious joy faded from his face, and he frowned. After all these years, Huo Xiang’s foundations within the family had become far too deep. He would have to think carefully about this…
“It’s absolutely certain. We have all the physical evidence and witness testimony required. There’s no mistake.”
As long as a person had lived, they would leave traces behind.
It was like unraveling a silk cocoon: once the original thread was found, everything else followed naturally. The kidnappers’ trail, the tickets they had purchased, the food they had eaten—even the records left behind when the child fell ill during their years of wandering and was taken to see a doctor—all of it had been documented.
The doctor even remembered him.
“The child wasn’t particularly strong when he was born, but he had clearly been raised with constant care from a highly skilled physician. His family had looked after him meticulously, nourishing his health little by little. Given time, he would have grown up no different from anyone else—perhaps even healthier. Yet in this case, the child spent more than ten consecutive days eating filthy food and drinking raw water. All the progress he’d made was undone. It’s truly strange…”
Old Master Huo’s eyes filled with tears.
His grandson.
His only bloodline.
From the moment he was born, the boy had been treasured like a pearl. Old Master Huo had feared that even holding him too tightly might hurt him, or that keeping him in his mouth might melt him. Everything he ate, wore, and used was the finest available.
But after being kidnapped, he had endured such suffering.
Old Master Huo stared at the few photographs in his hands.
In the oldest one, the child’s head looked disproportionately large compared to his body. His eyes were timid, and he clung tightly to that damned kidnapper, as though terrified of being abandoned.
Old Master Huo’s heart twisted with pain.
At that time, Huo Xiang had already come into the family. He wore silks and satins, ate delicacies from land and sea, and had more than a dozen maids and servants devoted solely to his care.
As he recalled this, Old Master Huo’s gaze slowly turned cold.
The inexplicable tenderness and affection he had recently felt toward Huo Xiang gradually faded, replaced by an even deeper loathing. A man who had carved out such a vast family fortune amid the chaos of war was never softhearted to begin with.
“I recall that Huo Xiang is holding a victory banquet tonight, and quite a few people have come…”
He paused, then smiled coldly. “Excellent. Lin’er has been found. Go tell him the good news. It’ll make the occasion doubly joyful.”
Doubly joyful?
For Young Master Xiang, this was more like a disaster looming over his head.
And it was going to happen in front of so many people.
The old servant stared at him in disbelief.
Was this… too ruthless? No matter what, Young Master Xiang had called him Grandfather for decades.
But when he looked up, he met the sharp, probing gaze of Old Master Huo. His heart jolted, and he nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.
“Yes. I’ll go at once.”
The old servant left.
Old Master Huo did not rest either. In high spirits, he began preparing a place for his grandson to live, selecting fabric for his clothes, arranging for a physician to restore his health, and, more importantly, planning for his future—including choosing the people who would form his foundation.
As he busied himself, his aging body seemed to fill with boundless energy.
He did not feel tired in the slightest.
…………
Meanwhile, the banquet was at its liveliest.
Huo Xiang was not a good-for-nothing. With the help of his “fortuitous encounter” and memories of the future, everything had gone smoothly for him. The only person who had ever made him stumble was Su Ning…
He had invested in several promising future powerhouses and offered timely help when they were at their lowest. With his foresight, he had led everyone to great profits, so naturally, people flocked around him.
The potential of the white-feather chicken was obvious to everyone.
Many people had come to the celebration banquet.
Amid the clinking of cups, someone picked up a golden piece of fried chicken and placed it in his mouth. After savoring it carefully, he nodded repeatedly in praise.
“It tastes wonderful. The meat is tender and juicy. This dish really can only be made with white-feather chicken. I’ve eaten fried chicken made with other breeds, no matter how expensive they were, and the meat was always too tough and got stuck in your teeth. It didn’t have much juice, either. Those breeds are fine for stewing, frying, or stir-frying, but they’re not suitable for coating in flour and deep-frying.”
The others smiled and chimed in.
“It really is delicious.”
“White-feather chicken tastes good and grows quickly. It’s truly a rare find.”
“Speaking of which, we have to thank Mr. Huo. Without you, none of us would even know that white-feather chicken existed. Now ordinary families are doing everything they can to raise a pair or two for meat and eggs. And Mr. Huo isn’t even trying to keep it to himself—he’s benefiting the whole population. A hundred years ago, someone like you would have been granted an official title and a noble rank.”
Huo Xiang’s eyes were filled with amusement, though his expression was one of helplessness.
He shook his head. “Ah, I wasn’t the first to discover white-feather chicken. I’m sure you all know that the breed originally came from Miss Su’s side. Even the method for making fried chicken came from her. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I simply wanted to raise a few more chickens for my own household. I never expected the flock to grow larger and larger.”
He sighed deeply and gave a bitter smile.
“As the saying goes, joy shared is doubled. If ordinary people want to raise them, then let them. I was even thinking of building a large-scale farm with everyone, so that more people who couldn’t afford meat could enjoy it. I just never expected…”
He let out another long sigh.
“Miss Su became angry when she found out and forbade me from raising white-feather chicken.”
“She said the chickens would get sick and die out.”
At this, everyone frowned.
“There’s no mark on the chickens bearing her name. Isn’t she being far too domineering?”
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but white-feather chicken has been in her hands for so long, and she’s only been raising them casually to supply herself with fried chicken. Isn’t that a terrible waste? Does she really think she’s some emperor who alone is allowed to enjoy them while no one else can benefit?”
“Exactly. Just because she says we can’t raise them, does that mean we have to listen? Several batches have already been raised, and nothing’s gone wrong.”
Someone thought of something and reminded Huo Xiang that Su Ning might be threatening him.
If he refused to listen, she might take action and make the chickens “get sick and die out.”
“She could indeed do that,” Huo Xiang said, his expression grave. “But I will never let her have her way!”
The others seized the opportunity to propose investing in a farm.
“If we all work together and raise as many white-feather chickens as possible, then once they’re successfully raised and nothing happens to them, let’s see what she can say.”
This was exactly what Huo Xiang wanted.
Naturally, he agreed.
The host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.
At that moment, the old servant finally arrived. Huo Xiang was somewhat surprised to see him. Then he thought it over. Thanks to his efforts, the matter of working for the Japanese had already been put behind them. Old Master Huo had also tacitly supported the white-feather chickens. Perhaps the old servant had come to lend him his authority and add prestige to the occasion.
His spirits soared.
With a smile, he said, “You’ve gone to all this trouble to come here. Does Old Master Huo have something to say?”
“Don’t mention it.”
The old servant lowered his head and said, “There is indeed some wonderful news. The Old Master couldn’t wait any longer, so he sent me to inform you.”
“What good news?”
“Young Master Lin… is still alive, and he’s been found. The Old Master is overjoyed. It’s all thanks to Miss Su—she went to so much effort and actually managed to find him. The Old Master said that Miss Su will be the Huo family’s benefactor from now on…”
The entire room fell silent.
Those who didn’t know who “Young Master Lin” was quickly learned from the whispers around them.
Then came all kinds of looks—shock, pity, mockery… They all fell on Huo Xiang. His face turned deathly pale, and he was utterly unresponsive.
How could this be?
Someone whose life or death had been unknown for so long—how could he suddenly have been found?
And it was Su Ning again!
