Chapter 203: Their Father’s Visit
It was the first time after so many days that they finally met again. The atmosphere was definitely different.
Especially for Zhou Anran.
The aloofness belonging to a nobleman seemed to vanish from Xiao Yuanwei’s figure the moment he stepped inside the house. Or... was it merely her imagination?
He looked much more kind and approachable that she had an illusion her long-lost husband was returning home.
"Mr. Su, there is no need for such trouble." Zhou Wenzhi was quite stunned when he saw the guards carrying boxes of gifts also joined them in entering the house.
What was the kind of occasion that could make a nobleman like Xiao Yuanwei bring so many gifts? He couldn’t understand it since Xiao Yuanwei himself also didn’t explain.
Xiao Yuanwei quickly found a plausible reason. "It’s no trouble at all. My sister has been quite busy for the past few days and hadn’t had the time to make a visit, so she told me to bring these to you."
Zhou Anran bit her lip. "It’s alright, Mr. Su. We understand that sometimes life happens... there is no need to do such a thing. These gifts are too expensive for us. Please, bring them back."
Just by looking at the gift boxes alone which were exquisitely carved from some kind of expensive wooden materials, the items inside them definitely wouldn’t be cheap.
They wouldn’t fit a commoner family like hers.
Xiao Yuanwei had brought these gifts specifically for her. The moment he heard her refusal, a certain fragment of memory suddenly flashed in his eyes.
He seemed to recall a similar scene before.
One day, he managed to catch a lot of preys in just a day, and he knew that his small family wouldn’t be able to eat them all, so he sold most of them at the market.
His games fetch a considerable price that he decided to buy an expensive necklace for her.
Her reaction had been the same as back then.
"Yes, Mr. Su, please bring them back and tell Miss Su that it’s fine," Zhou Wenzhi agreed with his daughter.
His words snapped back Xiao Yuanwei to his senses. He was almost lost in the nostalgic memory. At this moment, he suddenly started to feel that these memories were really his.
Not some kind of memories played as though they were someone else’s life anymore. The small, throbbing headache he would occasionally feel in his head also stopped.
It seemed that in order to stop his headache, he indeed had to spend more time with her and slowly recall these memories.
He also wanted to make it up for her for putting her in a danger before. The gifts were just one of his attempts to do that. Upon hearing their refusal, he decided to dump the problem to his sister.
"Master Zhou, Mrs. Zhou..." The way he had to address her now felt a little uncomfortable in his tongue. "Please accept them. I cannot make a decision on the behalf of my sister since I only deliver them as per her request."
They were quite stumped when they heard that. At this moment, the guards already put the boxes on the table and were already leaving the room.
Xiao Yuanwei quickly also seized the opportunity to change the topic.
"I apologize for the abrupt visit." He slowly said, "I want to tell your family about the latest update regarding your daughter."
Zhou Anran immediately felt that they had been rude. "Mr. Su, please don’t apologize. It makes us feel ashamed we haven’t shown you much hospitality since you arrived here."
She immediately motioned him to sit on a chair she had just grabbed. "Please, Mr. Su."
After that, she went to the kitchen to bring some refreshment for him.
Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi already realized that this man who had come to visit was their father. He was still wearing a mask, but now that they looked at him more closely, his figure actually resembled their father a lot.
They both stiffened, suddenly not knowing where to put their hands and feet. They subconsciously threw a glance at the calm Xiao Jingran.
Their anxiety somewhat lessened a lot.
Xiao Qingya, who had fallen asleep due to exhaustion from today’s studies, also suddenly became awake because of the commotion.
She rubbed her eyes; she was dozing off on the chair beside her elder brother’s.
[Woah, is this a dream or am I seeing it wrong?] Xiao Qingya mumbled. [Is that my cheap father sitting in the living room?]
[System, do you think my brain is malfunctioning because my master was too strict with me? Wuwuwu]
The System was speechless. [Host, you are fine. You don’t see anything wrong. That’s indeed your father.]
Xiao Yuanwei almost couldn’t hold back the small twitch on his lips. He almost forgot that he could hear the lively inner thoughts of his youngest daughter.
However, what was this system she was talking to? He had observed that Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi could also hear her inner thoughts, so her mother and eldest brother most likely could hear it too.
They were just better at hiding it.
Alas, in order to reconcile with his wife, he had to take it slowly, so he couldn’t blatantly reveal he could hear Xiao Qingya’s inner thoughts to them and ask them some questions.
His mind also settled on another matter she mentioned.
She already had a master at such a young age? At this moment, Xiao Yuanwei’s fatherly heart was suddenly triggered with just one this visit after Mo Chen’s confirmation.
Xiao Qingya let out a huff. [Fine. My hands just hurt a little from drawing the talisman, anyway. I have learned a lot of new talismans even if I can’t draw most of them yet.]
The System immediately praised. [Host, you are only four years old and are already so talented!]
However, Xiao Yuanwei suddenly caught the keyword. Talismans?
The little one’s master... was it Mo Chen?
"Please, Mr. Su." Zhou Wenzhi’s voice snapped him back to reality. Zhou Anran and Zhou Shuran have finished bringing some food and drink to entertain him as the guest.
Xiao Yuxi was so busy with her own thoughts that she didn’t realize her mother and little aunt had been quite busy moving things from the kitchen.
She became a little embarrassed and a little nervous, wondering whether her mother would pick up on her unusual behavior.
Xiao Yuanwei nodded at them. He took a sip of the tea—his mask only covered his upper face—and then told them the result of the investigation about Xiao Yuyan’s whereabouts.
It was in line with what they had suspected.
"We caught one of the kidnappers who was involved, and he confessed that your daughter had run away from their lair." Xiao Yuanwei explained.
He observed their reactions before continuing. "We had been focusing our search in the Capital and so far, there was so little clue about her. It seems that your daughter is currently no longer in the Capital."
His words only further strengthened their suspicion.
Xiao Yuanwei didn’t forget to add, "I will send my subordinates to search for her outside of the Capital."
Upon hearing that, Zhou Anran couldn’t help but fall into a daze. She gripped the edge of her garment tightly, her heart brimming with unease and suspicion.
Why does this man suddenly pay so much attention to Xiao Yuyan? He even expanded so much manpower just to help with her search... as if he was searching for his own daughter.
She suddenly looked up, and their eyes met.
The look in his eyes... she bit her lip and instinctively looked away.
"Thank you, Mr. Su, we have bothered you so much," Zhou Wenzhi sighed when he heard Xiao Yuanwei’s plan.
He didn’t want their family to trouble him so much, and although it might sound ridiculous for some people, he still mentioned what Mo Chen had told their family.
Xiao Jingran had told him about Mo Chen and his ability. The latter had contributed a lot in helping their family, starting with the ghost that had been haunting his eldest grandson to taking in Xiao Qingya and sincerely teaching her.
"We don’t want to trouble you further," Zhou Wenzhi began. "Earlier, we met a trustworthy taoist master and he told us that Yan’er is not in any kind of danger right now."
"When the time meets, we shall meet her again," he added.
[So, that was the content of my master’s conversation with Grandfather and Mother, huh?] Xiao Qingya’s soft voice rang out in everyone’s mind.
Zhou Anran gripped her garment tighter. She was sure that Xiao Yuanwei could hear Xiao Qingya’s inner thoughts.
Alas, her youngest daughter was such a chirpy little bird and she talked a lot with the System. It was unknown how many things he had guessed just from her conversation with the System alone.
[Is this in line with the plot, System?]