Feng Qishi knew Mu Anxiao had her own ideas, so when Mu Anxiao spoke, he voluntarily retreated to his previous position.
Next, Mu Anxiao walked gracefully to A Chu's side. "I have something to say to you," she said, unfastening her money pouch from her waist and holding it out to A Chu. "I brought money."
Upon hearing this, A Chu glanced at the money pouch in Mu Anxiao's hand and replied, "You don't need to pay to come here. You're different from them." As she spoke, she thought for a moment and looked again in the direction the dirty-faced man had gone before lowering her head.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao followed A Chu's gaze and looked in the same direction the dirty-faced man had gone. "You don't want him to leave, do you?" she said, turning back to A Chu.
"No," A Chu replied, sighing softly. She turned to look at Mu Anxiao. "What did you say to him?"
"Curious?" Mu Anxiao's lips curved upwards.
A Chu said, "I am quite curious. At that time, many people were trying to persuade him, but he wouldn't listen to a word, refusing to leave. However," she narrowed her eyes, "with just a few words from you, he calmed down and even turned to leave. Honestly, I am quite curious."
"That's skill." Mu Anxiao understood that the dirty-faced man wanted to leave because he didn't want A Chu to know his identity. In other words, he was deeply trapped in his own inferiority complex.
Therefore, out of consideration for the dirty-faced man's cooperation, she decided to help him keep his secret.
"Can you... explain it more clearly?" A Chu looked troubled.
Seeing A Chu's determined expression, Mu Anxiao realized that if she didn't give her a reasonable explanation, A Chu wouldn't give up. So, she stared at A Chu for a few seconds and said, "It might not be appropriate to say some things here."
"What's not appropriate? Didn't you just talk to that man?" A Chu insisted.
Mu Anxiao knew this would be the outcome, so she took a deep breath and said helplessly, "Alright, I'll tell you the truth." As she spoke, she suddenly turned sideways.
Seeing this, A Chu frowned slightly.
Mu Anxiao knew that A Chu was not someone who would give up. She thought that once she answered A Chu's question, A Chu would immediately think of Feng Qishi. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, she decided to clarify everything in one go.
"Look at him," she said, gesturing towards Feng Qishi.
When Feng Qishi saw this, he immediately straightened his body from leaning against the railing. Just as he was about to step forward, Mu Anxiao waved him slightly, as if to remind him. Seeing this, he immediately understood her intention, withdrew his step, and waited for her next... 'command.'
At the same time, A Chu followed Mu Anxiao's gaze and looked at Feng Qishi standing not far away. "Who is this?"
As expected, she asked.
"He's from the General's Mansion," Mu Anxiao said.
"The General's Mansion..." A Chu repeated, looking down and thinking. She then realized, "I see. That man, like him, is from the General's Mansion."
"..." Mu Anxiao simply smiled without speaking.
A Chu: "Is he still from there now?"
"Does he look like it, seeing him like that?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Upon hearing this, A Chu's expression immediately turned confused. "He's not?"
"I'll answer the question you want to know, and then we'll go inside," Mu Anxiao said, gesturing inwards.
A Chu nodded.
Seeing A Chu's reaction, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but smile and say, "He used to be from the General's Mansion, but he's not anymore."
"Why did he leave there?" A Chu became curious.
Mu Anxiao sighed. "He made a mistake, but I don't know the specific mistake because," she shrugged, "I only recently came to the General's Mansion."
"Then, in that case, he's also to be pitied."
Pitied?
Mu Anxiao thought A Chu would say that the dirty-faced man must have made a big mistake, which is why he was expelled. But to her surprise... she ended up calling him pitiable.
Mu Anxiao immediately didn't understand A Chu's thoughts. "You think he's to be pitied?"
"Yes," A Chu nodded.
Mu Anxiao looked puzzled. "Why do you think he's to be pitied? Is it because..." she thought for a moment and continued, "he gave you benefits?"
"No," A Chu said profoundly.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "No? Then why do you think he's a pitiable person?" she asked, becoming curious about A Chu's thoughts.
A Chu said, "Because ever since he came in, he's been drinking water, and his whole body was trembling. Even so, he was still thanking me, calling me a fairy. In short," she said earnestly, "I could see in his eyes that he is a good person."
"How did you two meet?" Mu Anxiao frowned slightly.
A Chu turned and walked into the room.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao glanced back at Feng Qishi and then walked in. "Didn't you... didn't you say you weren't afraid to talk about it outside?" she said, turning around and closing the door.
Just like that time, the room was filled with fragrance, a scent she still couldn't get used to.
So, she turned around, raised her hand, and fanned the air in front of her face a couple of times before walking to the table and sitting down.
A Chu sat opposite Mu Anxiao.
Next, Mu Anxiao lowered her head and accidentally noticed a stain on the white porcelain teacup. "This is the cup he used," she said.
A Chu nodded and pointed to a teacup beside Mu Anxiao. "There's a new one, you can use it."
"Oh," Mu Anxiao nodded, picked up the teapot, and refilled the cup with tea.
"Before, when I went out to burn incense, I came back and saw him curled up in the corner of the wall by himself, and then..." A Chu thought for a moment and continued, "I gave him one or two taels of silver and a steamed bun. Since then, he's always come here. But because of the owner, I didn't dare let him in and told him off once. After that, he stopped coming in. Actually, I'm quite curious... how did he get in?" she asked, picking up her teacup and taking a sip.
Mu Anxiao nodded. "So that's how it was. But speaking of which," she sighed softly, "he's quite grateful."
"Yes, I've always thought he was a pitiable person..."
"Did you call him in because of Ouyang Ye?" Mu Anxiao interrupted A Chu.
A Chu was surprised that Mu Anxiao had guessed her thoughts and exclaimed, "How did you know?"
"Just a guess," Mu Anxiao said casually.
Listening to Mu Anxiao's words and then thinking about it, A Chu asked, "Are you here to talk about Song Xu?"
"You said you know everything. I wanted to..." Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and continued, "ask you for some information."
"Song..."
"Song Xu is now at the General's Mansion. I told him about your situation," Mu Anxiao said quickly, afraid that A Chu would turn hostile.
A Chu nodded. "Is that so? Then what was his reply?"
"I'd like to ask my question first," Mu Anxiao said calmly.
A Chu knew that Mu Anxiao was not someone who went back on her word, so she chose to trust her. "You say," she said, taking another sip of tea.