Chapter 47 Some Matters Caused a Delay

"Miss, Miss, the master—he's back! What should we do now?"

Little Lotus hurried in from the courtyard, her face anxious with worry as she announced Li Rui's return to the manor.

"What do you mean, what should we do? Since Brother Li is back, I'll go and find him now."

Zhang Xiaolan was quite happy to hear Li Rui had returned, and was about to head out to look for him.

"Miss, there's still a man in black hiding in your room! Now that the master is back, what if he finds out? He'll surely be caught and handed over to the authorities, and I might be punished as well. What should we do, Miss?"

Little Lotus paced back and forth, deeply troubled, wringing her hands as she tried to figure out how to keep this a secret. That man in black must be an assassin or a murderer—if the master found out, he'd definitely turn him in, and she'd be punished along with him.

"Simple! Just chill—that's the easiest solution!"

Zhang Xiaolan looked completely at ease, as if this was no trouble at all. Ling Xiao had already left anyway, though Little Lotus didn't know it. She decided to tease her for a moment.

"Miss, how can you be so calm? You still have the mood to joke? I'm nearly worried to death here!"

Little Lotus was almost faint with frustration at Zhang Xiaolan's nonchalance. How could she joke around at a time like this? Of course, Zhang Xiaolan knew Li Rui wouldn't punish her.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore—it's no fun. Ling Xiao came to say farewell not long ago. He's already gone, so stop worrying for nothing."

Seeing Little Lotus's face droop, nearly on the verge of tears, Zhang Xiaolan decided not to keep up the act and told her the truth: Ling Xiao had already left.

"Really, Miss? Then why didn't you tell me sooner? You let me worry for nothing!"

The moment Little Lotus heard that Ling Xiao had left, her face brightened, and she clung to Zhang Xiaolan's arm, pouting and complaining about having been frightened for so long.

"You came in so flustered and noisy, I just wanted to let you stew for a moment. Come on, let's go find Brother Li," Zhang Xiaolan said mischievously, tapping Little Lotus on the nose.

Hand in hand, the two walked off to look for Li Rui, both feeling lighthearted—especially Little Lotus, who could finally breathe easy. After all that worry and fear, Ling Xiao was finally gone.

"Brother Li, you're back!" Not long after stepping out of the courtyard, they spotted Li Rui coming in.

"Lanlan, have you been well these past few days?"

"Very well! I've had good food and drink every day—how could I not be happy here?"

Zhang Xiaolan spoke honestly. These days living in the manor had given her a taste of the life of a young lady in ancient times.

"These are some snacks and pastries I brought for you, and here are some clean clothes," Li Rui said, handing his things to Little Lotus to carry. She was delighted; now she, too, could share in the treats.

"Thank you, Brother Li! Why were you away for so many days this time?" Zhang Xiaolan thanked him and began chatting.

"There were some matters that delayed me. By the way, where's Haizi? No one's here to tend to the horses."

Li Rui did not mention recent events—being attacked by assassins, wiping out a killer organization, and arranging for the cleanup and investigation of the remaining members, all of which had kept him away for days. Now that everything was settled, he came back out of concern for things here.

"Haizi went to return something for me. We didn't know you’d be back today—he’d be so happy if he knew," Zhang Xiaolan explained. She’d sent him to return the cart to Nanmei’s family; it had been here for days, and with farm work to do, they probably needed it.

"Haizi dreams of going hunting with the master every day. Of course he’s eager for your return," Little Lotus chimed in. She knew Haizi would be delighted Li Rui was back—now he’d have another chance to join Li Rui on a hunting trip.