Chapter 50 Caught

Xie Huaijin coughed a few times guiltily and flicked his nose with his index finger.

There was a reason for it; he went to catch the thief, which is why he missed Miss Bai's performance. He didn't mean to.

Xie Huaijin looked in the direction Bai Yun had left, wanting to go and explain, but found that she had already disappeared without a trace.

He sighed. Well, since Miss Bai didn't expose him just now, there was no need for him to go up and make trouble.

Xie Huaijin looked down at his younger sister and said, "It's getting late, we should go back."

Then he took out a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the table. He couldn't let Bai Yun spend money on them; it wasn't easy for the young girl to save up some money.

The bony finger pointed to the giant python beside him, "It's time for it to return to the palace."

Xie Mianmian hugged the giant python, "No, it wants to come back with me."

The giant python blinked its beady eyes innocently.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, and what followed was that the two men and the python were squeezed into the carriage, swaying back and forth as the carriage moved.

Xie Huaijin couldn't take it anymore. He slapped his forehead and muttered, "Why did I squeeze in with you guys? Staying with Mianmian for too long makes my brain stop working properly."

Having said that, he strode out of the carriage and nimbly leaped onto the flames.

The cool night breeze caressed the boy's face, dissipating much of the smell of alcohol from his body.

Unlike his playful and carefree demeanor at the banquet, Xie Huaijin was serious as he pondered the words the wine seller had spoken after being caught.

The cart wheels turned slowly on the blue bricks, and soon we arrived home.

Xie Huaijin led his younger sister along the corridor, with the giant python following closely behind.

Suddenly, at the end of the corridor, they saw a figure standing facing them, seemingly having been waiting there for a long time.

Upon seeing the man, the two siblings felt a jolt in their hearts, and at the same time, a thought flashed through their minds: Oh no.

Having just been exposed to the wind and with his mind clear, Xie Huaijin pushed his younger sister forward and whispered, "Go ahead." Better to die for your friend than for me.

The child who was pushed out by the third brother was a little flustered, but he quickly calmed down. He was just an innocent and useless child.

But Xie Mianmian was still timid and said to the man, "Greetings, Father."

Xie's father stepped forward from the shadows, his voice stern, "You good-for-nothing, bringing your sister home so late!"

"Oh no, don't scold Third Brother!" The child was so frightened that he rushed up and hugged Xie's father's leg.

With her head tilted back, the words slipped out naturally in a coquettish tone, "It's Mianmian who wants to go out and play, don't be angry, okay?"

After completing this series of actions, both the person holding the hug and the person being hugged froze.

Xie Mianmian had almost forgotten when she last felt so close to her father.

Feeling the child hug him tightly, Xie's father's heart softened completely. He looked at the child with a complex mix of surprise, pain, and affection.

"Mianmian wants a kiss from her father!" the child said softly.

Mr. Xie stiffened even more. Looking into Xie Mianmian's round, expectant eyes, he couldn't refuse.

He slowly bent down and kissed the child on the forehead.

Xie Mianmian was very uneasy. Everyone had kissed her, so it wouldn't be good to leave her father out. What would it feel like to be kissed on the cheek by her father? The child didn't know.

As her father bent down, Xie Mianmian's first sensation was that it was prickly. Her father hadn't shaved, haha, the child thought.

Then a gentle kiss landed on her forehead. Xie Mianmian clearly felt that it was different from her eldest brother's coldness, her sister-in-law's gentleness, her second sister's softness, and her third brother's cheerfulness.

Father's words are: Take care, and it's been a long time.

Before she could fully appreciate it, tears unknowingly soaked her cheeks.

Mr. Xie stood up, turned around, and waved to them impatiently, signaling them to go back and rest.

Xie Huaijin didn't notice anything unusual about the child. He told his father about the people selling Wushi Powder in Xihe, "That wine seller said someone asked him to sell Wushi Powder to me. Could it be that someone is secretly trying to tell you this?"

Xie Huaijin suddenly remembered the tomb raiders he had caught before. It was unusual that they dared to go up the mountain during the spring hunt.

Moreover, how did those two bumbling thieves discover the shipwreck that was buried deep underground, which remained unharmed during all these years of hunting seasons? Or rather, where did they get the information?

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed; the coincidence of these two events was too much.

Mr. Xie nodded to indicate that he understood and would look into it.

Xie Huaijin bowed to his father, then took his younger sister's hand and left.

Only then did Xie's father turn around, gazing at the small figure in the distance, his right hand behind his back, and sighed deeply.

Years have passed, and my wife has been gone for more than five years.

Xie Mingyi, who was reading under the lamp, finally waited for her child to return.

She first pulled Xie Huaijin over, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a good beating. When she saw the giant python following behind the child, she closed her eyes and slapped her younger brother twice more.

Xie Mingyi turned around and saw two pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly. She then turned away, tacitly agreeing that she could stay.

The black wolf walked over, circled the giant python a few times, and bared its teeth to scare it, only to find that the python was just silently coiled up to one side, looking pitifully at the child.

The black wolf left satisfied. "Hmph, cowardly mute snake, nothing to fear."

Late at night, when Xie Mingyi got up to use the bathroom, she tripped over something, but a tail caught her just in time.

Xie Mingyi was no longer surprised; she was used to it. Looking at the wolf, the snake, and the rabbit brought back from the spring hunt in the room, she sighed and smiled bitterly, her boudoir had become a beast garden.

The next day, Xie Mianmian went to the animal park, wanting the snow wolf to move to the Xie residence as well.

The snow wolf shook its head and refused, looking at its swollen belly, and simply said, "I'm living very well here."

It didn't want to bother the child, and it was feeling unwell, weak, and anxious, often wanting to bark, so it didn't want to frighten her.

Xie Mianmian wasn't annoyed by the rejection. She stroked the snow wolf's head and said, "You have to take good care of yourself."

Then she threatened the wolf cub still in her belly, "Stay in there obediently, or I'll spank you when I get out."

Time passed little by little, and soon it was the ten-day school break. On this day, Xie Mianmian was having a great time playing with a wolf and a snake at home.

When she saw Xie Mingyi about to leave, she insisted on going out with her.

Hehe, this time I'm definitely going to have my second sister take her to Futianzhai. The little one has been eyeing their pastries for a long time, but lately her family hasn't been letting her eat too many sweets.

"Look, all your teeth have been eaten by sweets," they said.

Xie Mianmian didn't believe it.

Xie Mingyi brought her child to a study. She had heard that a new batch of Huizhou ink had arrived, so she came to take a look.

However, there were unusually many people in the study today, mostly young men and women gathered together.

"I heard that the Flower Banquet will be held on a cruise ship on the West River this time!"

“I know! My brother has exclusive information.” The woman whispered excitedly, “I heard that this cruise ship is run by a member of the royal family and foreigners, and it’s supposed to be a lot of fun!”

Wow! Tell us what's inside!

But the woman remained mysterious, keeping everyone in suspense, and didn't speak for a long time.