On the road, tracking him, Huo Yunyan had double-checked with the company: the tracker’s small electric current wouldn’t hurt the bird. At worst, it would just make him freeze, too scared to fly off again.
The idea was simple—when birds feel “off,” they usually stop and rest until they feel better.
When Huo Yunyan first bought the tracker, he only ever planned to use the GPS. In fact, he’d even been annoyed that the new models all came with that shocking feature. Too high-tech for his taste.
He never thought he’d actually use it.
But honestly—he blamed the bird.
That little furball had ditched him way too many times.
At some point, anyone would snap.
So Huo Yunyan pressed the button—just once.
When he saw the bird stop moving, he couldn’t bring himself to press it again.
But even that one little zap completely ticked the bird off.
Its sharp, angry chirping echoed for a good 500 meters.
“…”
One of the team members asked, a little confused, “Mr. Huo, doesn’t that… kind of sound like…”
Huo Yunyan’s face twitched, and he nodded. “Yeah. It’s him.”
That foul-mouthed little featherball.
The others tried to hold back their laughter. “Wow. That chirp was sharp. Why did it sound like he was cussing someone out?”
Most canaries sing sweet and pretty, a joy to listen to—not like that, where it sounded like someone was getting told off.
“Ahem.” Huo Yunyan coughed, feeling awkward.
Honestly, raising a bird and still ending up this helpless? He had to be the first.
No matter what, he had to catch Little Feather today. And when he did? Oh, he was going to teach him a lesson.
Even the cleverest bird couldn’t win forever against modern tech.
Shen Jingque was freaking out about the tech now. His poor claw was still numb, and his brain was racing.
Ugh, so frustrating.
If he tried flying again, Huo Yunyan would definitely zap him. At this rate, getting caught was a sure thing.
But Shen Jingque wasn’t out of options yet.
He quickly came up with three:
Option A: Use the last of his strength to find a firefighter uncle for help.
Option B: Fly back, sing a sad little song, and beg for mercy. (?)
Option C: Hold his head high and confidently go back… like he’s the one in charge. (Yes. That’s more like it.)
Without hesitation, Shen Jingque picked Option C.
Firefighters were too risky. Nope. Not happening.
He still had a long bird life ahead. He could play the long game. For now, going back to Huo Yunyan meant he could still be the top bird.
“Mr. Huo, how’s it going? Did it work?”
Huo Yunyan: “It worked… he’s not moving.”
After days of chasing, the two teams finally met up again. From a distance, Huo Yunyan spotted that bright yellow little troublemaker lying flat on a rock. His heart skipped a beat—did the bird fall out of a tree?
“Little Feather?” Huo Yunyan panicked. He rushed over with the travel cage in hand. “Did you fall? Come on, we’re going to the vet for some X-rays!”
Wait, what?!
Shen Jingque hated hospitals. X-rays were the worst. The moment he heard that, he jumped up and bounced twice to prove he was totally fine. No need for any of that nonsense!
“Chirp chirp!” See? Your daddy’s alive and kicking!
“You’re not hurt?” Huo Yunyan sighed in relief. But the second he confirmed the bird was fine, he flipped like a switch—gritting his teeth, he snapped, “If you’re fine, then get in the cage. Now. Don’t make me do it myself.”
“If I were you, I’d start thinking about what you did. The more stuck-up you act, the worse it’ll be. Got it?”
The bird was ready to puff up and act smug again… but after hearing that, he reluctantly lowered his head and dragged his dirty feathers into the cage. Just before going in, he slammed a wing into the cage bars—pure attitude.
Huo Yunyan didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him: “…”
With Little Feather finally back in the cage, Huo Yunyan could finally relax. On the way back, he couldn’t help but start nagging: “Wait till we get in the car—I’m giving you a mirror so you can take a good look at yourself…”
Little Feather: Doesn’t matter. Still cute.
“Here.” Huo Yunyan pressed a small mirror against the cage.
Shen Jingque looked up and was instantly shocked. The bird in the reflection had a dirty face, soaked feathers, muddy streaks all over, and muddy claws to top it off.
This was… the look of a soldier after war.
The revolution may have failed, but the spirit lives on.
“Chirp chirp chirp!” Long live the little bird!
He suddenly got all hyped up in front of the mirror.
Huo Yunyan: “What kind of curse is this? What is this bird?”
“Pfft, he’s so cute!” someone nearby laughed. Such a lively, quirky little guy—how could anyone not find him adorable?
Huo Yunyan smiled to himself.
It’s exactly because he’s this cute… that he’s worth spoiling.
Whatever. The bird’s back. No need to stay mad.
The man of the house officially declared a truce.
Huo Yunyan immediately pulled out a small pouch filled with food, water, and snacks he’d packed just for the bird.
Little Feather had been out wandering for days. His human hadn’t just been worried about his safety—he was also afraid the poor thing hadn’t had enough to eat.
“Here, have something,” Huo Yunyan said gently.
The bird turned his head away dramatically, gazing out the window with an air of disdain. Even if he was locked in a cage, even if he was wearing a leg shackle—he would never be anyone’s slave!
“You’ve lost weight after a few days on the run. Come on, I’m begging you here, just eat a little?” Huo Yunyan tried coaxing him patiently.
Only then did the bird turn back. Now that’s how you feed a noble bird properly. Finally, some manners.
Perfect.
“Mr. Huo… can your bird actually understand what you’re saying?”
“Probably…” Huo Yunyan thought about it. Little Feather was a lot like a child—he could pick up on tone and body language easily.
Trying to act all bossy never worked on him. If you wanted him to behave, you had to use the right approach.
Thinking back, Huo Yunyan added, “He even knows some simple words. He just doesn’t like talking unless he feels like it.”
Everyone nodded. “Yep, classic bird behavior.”
After eating from Huo Yunyan’s palm, Shen Jingque plopped down and stretched out. These past few days had been like a war—he was absolutely exhausted.
Next time he opened his eyes, he was already lying in his luxurious nest, everything around him just as familiar as ever.
Damn. The spoiled life was back again.
He looked around. No sign of Bird #2.
Huh. Guess the second bird had been sent away during the chaos.
Poor thing—casualty of war.
Still, Shen Jingque wasn’t too worried. Huo Yunyan had promised to find a great new owner for Bird #2.
With a roll, the little bird got up, shook the mud off his wings, grabbed a face towel in his beak, and went off to find Huo Yunyan. He was feeling very gross. It was high time for Dad to give him a proper bath.
In the study, Huo Yunyan was working when he suddenly felt something peck at his ankle. He looked down to see a little yellow fluffball glaring up at him with an absurd amount of attitude.
Canaries weren’t even that tall, and yet somehow, Huo Yunyan felt like he was being looked down on.
Resting his chin in his hand, he laughed. “You’re the one who misbehaved, so how come you’re still acting like the boss here?”
The bird thought: Because I am now Niohulu* Little Feather, thank you very much.
(*T/N: When someone is given the surname “Niohulu”, it means that he is no longer innocent and has become very scheming.)
They locked eyes for a moment. Then Huo Yunyan gave in: “Alright, fine. I’ll run your bath.”
He put aside his work and got up from his chair.
Behind him, his little runaway chicken was dragging a towel and trotting after him.
It hadn’t just been rough on the bird these past few days—Huo Yunyan had had a tough time too.
Now that things had finally calmed down, he kind of wanted a nice soak himself.
Little Feather usually took his baths in a basin or a sink. Only on rare, special occasions did he get to use the bathtub. So the second he saw Huo Yunyan filling the tub with water, he ditched the face towel and rushed off to grab all his favorite goodies—scented bath bombs, rubber duckies, and every random thing he could find—dumping them all into the tub.
As always, his human scolded him: “No, Little Feather, you can’t put that much stuff in the tub.”
Niohulu Little Feather: “Chirp chirp!” I do what I want!
A mature and composed man would never let his bathtub turn into a rainbow-colored toy soup. With a blank expression, Huo Yunyan started fishing out toys using a plastic basin.
He looked the bird dead in the eye and said seriously, “The basin is yours. The tub is mine. We bathe separately.”
The bird tilted his head. “Oh?”
“Don’t even try to act cute. It won’t work,” Huo Yunyan said, already seeing through the antics. “Here are your options: One, you bathe in the basin and put whatever you want in there. Two, you behave and stop tossing stuff into the tub.”
“I’ll let you have two toys at most,” he added, showing off his negotiation skills. “The yellow duck and the rainbow rings?”
The bird shook his head and shoved over a toy cart stacked with even more bath accessories.
Huo Yunyan sighed and rubbed his temples. Death would be easier than dealing with this.
Sensing that his human was about to lay down the law, Little Feather flapped up to the window latch and perched there dramatically. The message was clear: Either let me have my bath toys, or I’m flying out of this cold, loveless home forever.
“Okay, okay! You win!” Huo Yunyan surrendered instantly. He gave in to the bird’s outrageous demands.
Because honestly? Losing his beloved bird again would be way worse than taking a bath in a sea of floating toys.
Since Little Feather was still a bit dirty, Huo Yunyan started by washing him in the basin first.
The bird lay there looking blissed out, water at the perfect temperature just covering his chest. He tilted his head back, lazily lifting his left foot, then the right.
Compared to a human hand, Little Feather’s claws were tiny, so Huo Yunyan was extra gentle. He always used a soft brush to clean them.
Claws seemed to be a sensitive spot. The moment the brush touched his foot, the bird curled his toes in reaction.
“Ticklish?” Huo Yunyan asked with a soft smile, more than happy to pamper him.
Maybe he didn’t fully understand why the bird had to leave, or why staying with him wasn’t enough… but if Little Feather stayed, he’d gladly wash those little feet for the rest of his life.
No one else out there would spoil him like this.
Once all the mud and grime was scrubbed off, Shen Jingque was allowed into the bathtub. The basin was for cleaning; the tub? That was for fun.
He hopped onto a toy block, pretending it was a boat, and paddled around the tub with his claws, zooming from one side to the other.
Huo Yunyan muttered about how mischievous the bird was, but he still couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
Finally, he couldn’t resist anymore—he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Little Feather sailing across the tub.
He posted it with the caption: “Row, row, row your boat—no oars needed.”
Everyone had heard by now that he’d lost his bird. The post was a quiet way of saying: He’s home. No need to worry anymore.
“…”
The picture got people’s attention. Not because of the bird. But because the tub was crammed full of toys. How was Huo Yunyan not having nightmares after soaking in that chaotic mess?
Meanwhile, Shen Jingque had no idea his majestic bath session had been shared with the world. But even if he did—so what? This bird feared nothing.
After realizing how smart Little Feather really was—able to understand and even say some words—Huo Yunyan was itching to teach him more.
“Little Feather, where did you learn to say ‘bye-bye’?” He didn’t recall ever saying that in front of him. After thinking for a second, he remembered—the staff always said goodbye to the bird when they left. The little guy had definitely figured out what it meant.
“How about we learn some new words?” Huo Yunyan was excited now. Singing was cute and all, but a talking bird? That would be legendary.
And Little Feather? Absolutely down to learn.
After his bath, Little Feather smelled fresh and clean. He gave himself a little shake in front of the mirror, then trotted over to Huo Yunyan when called.
Huo Yunyan said, “Let’s review—say bye-bye.”
Little Feather chirped, “Bye-bye!”
Compared to singing, Shen Jingque actually preferred talking like a human. If his human could accept him speaking, he might as well start learning more words. Being mute all the time wasn’t nearly as fun.
Huo Yunyan patted his head. “Good bird. You get a pine nut as a reward.”
Little Feather nibbled the nut. This kind of snack? He got it all the time, even when he was being a little rascal. And now it was a reward? Seriously?
But fine. He’d play along.
“Okay, now let’s learn a new word,” Huo Yunyan said, pointing at himself. “Say: Daddy.”
Little Feather’s eyes went wide. “Chirp?” Huh??
“Not chirp. Daddy,” Huo Yunyan repeated patiently, as if he had all the time in the world. “Daaaddy.”
Little Feather rolled his eyes hard. This guy really wanted to be his dad? What a sneaky move.
“You’re so dumb,” he muttered, not even bothering to chirp this time.
To be fair, “Daddy” was a totally new word for him. Huo Yunyan didn’t mind—he kept trying anyway. “Daddy, Daddy. Daaaaddy.”
The bird standing in front of him was living for this.
He couldn’t help but chirp happily. Aww, what a sweet dumb human.
After a good thirty minutes of effort, the bird had been focused—but made no move to speak. Huo Yunyan started to suspect something. He didn’t want to be paranoid, but… this bird? Too smart for his own good.
“Okay, fine, let’s try something else.” Mr. Huo cleared his throat and switched strategies. “Let’s learn a new word: Hello.”
But without “Daddy” in the mix, it just wasn’t fun anymore. No way was he going to sit here learning “Hello” like some fool.
Little Feather gave his wings a shake and waddled straight back to his nest to sleep.
Huo Yunyan: “?!”
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