Damn, I finally understand. This kid has absolutely no intention of actively searching—he just looks around wherever he happens to be. He's completely making his family find him, if his family exists.
"It's still better to have a family—at least you'd know what your surname is." A servant said coldly. He somewhat disliked Xiaoyao's attitude, as if he didn't value family at all, because he was someone who extremely valued family.
But how could he understand? Xiaoyao didn't not value family—quite the opposite, he valued family very much. But finding his lost family—would that count as going home?
A place he'd never lived, a place full of strangers—could that be called home?
Home wasn't just blood relations but more the accumulation of feelings—day by day, year by year of emotions slowly forming a place for the heart to rely on.
With only blood relations but no feelings, it still wouldn't become home. Without blood relations but with feelings, it could still become home.
"I know." Xiaoyao didn't mind others' comments and answered with a smile.
"Know what?" The servants were somewhat puzzled. Everyone seemed to know Xiaoyao had never had a surname because he was only called Xiaoyao. When found, no information indicated his surname, and no one had given him one.
Could he want to say he was surnamed Mo, part of the Mo family?
That would work too. Many servants were like him—picked up since childhood without surnames, then taking the Mo family surname. The Mo family didn't oppose this and even welcomed it.
After all, a surname was just a surname. People with the same surname were everywhere—they didn't belong to one person or family. Even imperial clans used common people's surnames.
Would Xiaoyao use this surname? For origınal chapters go to novel★fire.net
No, definitely not, absolutely not.
"I know I'm surnamed Le. I'm called Le Xiaoyao." Xiaoyao said with a smile, very calmly uttering these three enviable characters.
"Le Xiaoyao—seeking a lifetime of joyful freedom."
"Doesn't sound good. Better to take Sister's surname."
While everyone was talking, the Young Miss suddenly appeared, startling everyone.
"Young Miss." Everyone respectfully bowed and greeted her.
"How about it, Xiaoyao? Take Sister's surname—Sister will bring you good food and drink afterward." The Young Miss had been very, very good to Xiaoyao lately, completely like a boss taking care of a little brother.
"No, I don't want to." Xiaoyao directly refused.
"Because you're surnamed Mo. If I took your surname, I'd be called 'Mo Xiaoyao' (Don't be Free)."
One sentence blocked all the Young Miss's words, leaving her with nothing to refute.
"Forget it, never mind. You're here for New Year's Eve, so spend it with me." The Young Miss said.
The Young Miss's words made everyone feel envious, jealous, and hateful. Though everyone knew the Young Miss's personality, they still liked her and fantasized about becoming her man.
The Young Miss had never shown favor toward any man, so everyone thought they still had chances.
No chance. She showed no favor toward men because she liked women. If Xiaoyao knew everyone's current thoughts, he'd definitely mutter quietly.
However, for some people, as long as the Young Miss was a woman—an unmarried woman—nothing else mattered. So what if she liked women? As long as they could possess her, that was enough.
Regardless, everyone now watched Xiaoyao with complex gazes, thinking he would definitely agree to such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, things went beyond people's expectations.
"I can't. I need to spend it with my boss." Xiaoyao shook his head and answered.
"?? What? Boss?" The Young Miss asked somewhat puzzledly.
"Mm." Xiaoyao nodded.
"Aren't you a Mo family servant?" The Young Miss asked.
"Yes." Xiaoyao continued nodding.
"Then shouldn't your boss be the Mo family?" The Young Miss continued asking.
"Mm." Xiaoyao still continued nodding.
"Then am I not your boss?"
"Yes, one of them, but not my direct boss."
"No way, you're someone else's exclusive servant? Impossible." After hearing Xiaoyao's words, the Young Miss understood he was someone else's exclusive servant, naturally having his own boss—his master.
"Why impossible? I've had this boss for many years. Though I'm usually not by her side, it's New Year's—I should keep her company so she won't be lonely. My boss is very pitiful, different from you, this happy Young Miss." Xiaoyao said with a smile, then continued working.
Pitiful? That should be an unfavored family member, possibly from a very distant branch, the Young Miss guessed.
"Then let's spend it together." The Young Miss didn't mind—whoever it was didn't matter, even gender didn't matter.
Most people would agree to such a request from the Young Miss because she'd already made significant concessions. However, Xiaoyao still refused: "No need. If you interact with her, it'll only make her more pitiful."
"Why? Who is she?" The Young Miss didn't understand why her interacting with someone would make them more pitiful.
"Don't ask. You'll know in the future." Xiaoyao shook his head and replied lightly.
Ordinary people in such situations would continue asking, determined to get to the bottom of it. However, the Young Miss was different—she just said lightly: "Oh, never mind then."
She didn't pursue it because she felt Xiaoyao wouldn't lie to her. She'd know in the future, and some things weren't good to know early—timing was necessary.
"Oh right, I almost forgot the important matter. Just now a Taoist specifically asked for you—seems like a very famous Taoist." After a while, the Young Miss suddenly said.
"Taoist? Oh, Master Wucai." Xiaoyao also remembered. Every year at this time, the Mo family would invite some feng shui masters to examine the household, and Master Wucai had been a regular guest in recent years.
Though his Taoist name was Wucai (No Talent), this Master Wucai was actually a Taoist prodigy, proficient in various mystical arts and alchemy. Ordinary people could hardly hire him for rituals and feng shui readings.
"Right, right. This Wucai Taoist said he needed you for something. Xiaoyao, why is he looking for you?" The Young Miss was very confused why a Taoist prodigy would seek out Xiaoyao, a little servant.
"Nothing much, just to help out..." Xiaoyao replied indifferently.
Help out? Alchemy? Yes, definitely that.
The Young Miss thought Xiaoyao's "helping out" meant assisting Master Wucai with alchemy. She understood Xiaoyao somewhat and knew he had some skill in pill refinement.
However, things weren't as she imagined. Xiaoyao's "helping out" was something she could never imagine...
When the Young Miss saw Xiaoyao again, she fell silent once more. At this moment, she really wanted to ask Xiaoyao: What exactly you can't do? No, she should ask: What exactly you don't know?
At this time, Xiaoyao wasn't beside a pill furnace, and his dress was very peculiar—not like a servant but more like a Taoist.
Right, like a little Taoist boy. He was actually wearing Taoist robes, beside Master Wucai, holding a compass as if helping measure something.
Now the Young Miss understood. The so-called "helping out" was actually helping Master Wucai with feng shui readings. How did this kid know even this? This was mystical arts—how could a servant know these things?
Was he fooling around, or was this Master Wucai a fraud randomly finding a little servant to help?
"Kid. What are you doing here?"
The Young Miss grabbed Xiaoyao over. She seemed not to notice what kind of occasion this was or whether she should be entangled with a little servant so shamelessly.
Originally, this was a feng shui reading moment. For some people, this might not be very important, but for others it was crucial—even more important than anything else.
This depended on whether people valued and believed in it.
For the Mo family, this moment was very important because an extremely important Mo family member took this very seriously, spending large sums annually to invite experts for guidance.
This person was the Mo family's Great Master—the family head.
When the family head valued something, it became a major day. At this time, the Great Master was leading his family, following Master Wucai for feng shui readings, examining household arrangements and property changes.
The reason the Young Miss appeared here was because of this. She was the Great Master's eldest granddaughter, the eldest daughter of the Mo family's new generation.
With the Great Master present, this occasion naturally became different. The Young Miss grabbing Xiaoyao in front of so many people would definitely attract everyone's attention, making the Great Master and others think her behavior improper.
The Young Miss's father, the Mo family's First Master, immediately spoke: "Xiao Yu, what are you doing? How can you treat the master's Taoist boy ."
The Young Miss was stunned. Soon she understood—everyone still didn't know this Taoist boy was Xiaoyao, thinking he was someone Master Wucai brought himself.
No wonder everyone would think this. After all, not many people in the Mo family remembered Xiaoyao—how many would recognize him?
If Xiaoyao were currently dressed as a servant, perhaps someone would recognize him. But in his current appearance, even the Third Young Master who'd interacted with him several times wouldn't recognize him without looking carefully. Even with suspicions, they wouldn't think this Taoist boy was Xiaoyao.
Who could imagine that Master Wucai's Taoist boy would be Xiaoyao, this little servant.
If not for the Young Miss's outburst, this matter would probably have passed without anyone thinking there was a problem.
The Young Miss had been frequently together with Xiaoyao during this period—though somewhat coincidentally, this didn't affect her familiarity with him. How could she not recognize him?