Mu Anxiao, upon hearing this, immediately shifted her gaze from Zhao Xiang's face to Feng Qishi. "News of me becoming friends with you has already spread throughout this mansion. Even if we didn't want him to know, it's impossible now."
"That's true," Feng Qishi said helplessly. "The speed at which these servants spread information is quite remarkable."
Then, Mu Anxiao recalled her and Feng Qishi's actions at the front gate. She lowered her voice and said, "This might be a good thing."
"What do you mean?" Feng Qishi didn't understand.
Mu Anxiao pointed to the teacup placed before Feng Qishi.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi immediately understood her meaning. Without a word, he picked up the teacup, leaned forward, and placed it in front of Mu Anxiao. "Drink it," he said.
"Thanks," Mu Anxiao replied. She picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. She continued, "What I mean is, this way, I'll have my freedom."
"Freedom..." Feng Qishi repeated, then suddenly understood. "You mean that after becoming friends with me, you've essentially gained your freedom."
"Yes. Since we are friends, you naturally won't assign me any work. Without assigned work, I can peacefully stay by Ouyang Ye's side and complete my tasks. Therefore," Mu Anxiao smiled, "whether my task can be completed depends on you."
"You mean you want me to officially declare the fact that you are my friend," Feng Qishi said plainly.
Mu Anxiao smiled and shook her head. "You're really quite foolish. When we were at the front gate, we already made quite a scene. What I mean is, you need to tell Ouyang Ye yourself that I am your friend, and my job is to help him. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Didn't you say that after becoming friends with me, you wouldn't have to work anymore? Mu Shazi," Feng Qishi gasped. "What exactly are you trying to say? I really don't understand."
After all that explanation, Mu Anxiao thought she had made herself perfectly clear, but in reality, Feng Qishi hadn't understood a word. Sighing, she said, "Let me put it this way: I'll tell Ouyang Ye that I'm your friend, but I can't just eat idly. I'll still have you arrange work for me. Do you understand now?"
"Continue."
"Oh," Mu Anxiao nodded and continued, "So, publicly we are friends. But without letting the other servants know, arrange for me to work by Ouyang Ye's side. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Can you clean stables?" Feng Qishi doubted Mu Anxiao's abilities.
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Mu Anxiao immediately became displeased. "What, do you look down on me?"
"No, I just mean cleaning stables is a troublesome job. Are you sure you want to do it?"
Hearing Feng Qishi's concern, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but smile. "To be honest, I'm the one who cleaned the stables today. If you don't believe me, go and see how clean I've made them." With that, she lifted her chin, deliberately adopting a capable demeanor.
"Really?" Feng Qishi was skeptical.
Seeing Feng Qishi's doubtful expression, Mu Anxiao immediately picked up her teacup and drank it down in one gulp. "Why would I lie to you about this? Back then, before I became a beggar, I used to clean stables. I was even kicked by a horse and stayed in bed for several days. Thinking about it now," she shivered, "I still feel scared."
"What's wrong?" Feng Qishi became nervous.
Mu Anxiao looked at Feng Qishi's nervous expression and gave a wry smile. "I was shorter back then, so I was almost kicked."
At that moment, Feng Qishi saw fear on Mu Anxiao's face. It was also at this moment that he didn't want her to go. "Just go find Ouyang Ye. There's no need to stay by his side," he decided for her, not wanting her to relive that trauma.
Unexpectedly, Mu Anxiao became displeased. "Shen Fengzi, this isn't the time for you to be jealous." She completely misunderstood Feng Qishi's intentions.
Hearing Mu Anxiao say that, Feng Qishi felt wronged. "That's not what I meant, I..." He trailed off.
Mu Anxiao: "Why aren't you speaking?"
Hearing this, Feng Qishi glanced at Zhao Xiang. Zhao Xiang, seeing Feng Qishi look at him, paused for a moment, then lowered his gaze to Mu Anxiao and said thoughtfully, "Mo Yun is just worried that you're afraid of those horses, that's why he's acting like this. You've misunderstood him."
However, Feng Qishi was looking at Zhao Xiang hoping he would leave. He never expected Zhao Xiang to guess his thoughts so accurately, let alone convey them to Mu Anxiao. Feng Qishi was speechless.
...
Conversely, as soon as Zhao Xiang finished speaking, Mu Anxiao shifted her gaze to Feng Qishi's face. "Is that really what you think?"
Seeing Mu Anxiao looking at him, Feng Qishi became embarrassed. "Yes, I was just worried about you and afraid of them." He lowered his head as he spoke.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao smiled.
Feng Qishi looked at her, puzzled. "What are you smiling about?"
"I'm smiling because you're silly," Mu Anxiao said, still smiling.
Feng Qishi was annoyed. "How am I silly? When you were talking about your past experience, you were clearly scared. Could it be," he frowned, "that I'm wrong?"
Mu Anxiao: "You're truly dense," she said, smiling at Feng Qishi again. "If I were really scared, how could I have cleaned the stables? Besides, that was hindsight fear, not present fear. Also, your horses are well-trained. They listen to me."
"It listens to you?" Feng Qishi was surprised. That horse was something he had brought back from the battlefield. It had taken him a long time to tame it. Now, Mu Anxiao said this so casually, it astonished him.
"Yes, why are you so surprised?" Mu Anxiao glanced at Feng Qishi sideways, then looked at Zhao Xiang standing beside her. "Can you stop standing there like a pillar?"
"Okay," Zhao Xiang nodded and sat down.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao withdrew her gaze and looked at Feng Qishi, asking, "Why aren't you talking anymore?"
"That horse is very wild. No one else can touch it, yet it let you touch it." Feng Qishi was still perplexed.
Mu Anxiao smiled, but before she could speak, she suddenly remembered the woman who had jumped off the horse. The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. "How long has this horse been with you?" she asked.
"A few months."
"A few months," Mu Anxiao repeated. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Is it a mare or a stallion?"
"Why are you asking that?" Feng Qishi was stunned by Mu Anxiao's question.
Mu Anxiao became serious. "Tell me."
Seeing Mu Anxiao like this, Feng Qishi said helplessly, "It's a young fellow." After saying this, he stared intently at Mu Anxiao's face.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao lowered her eyelids.