Before Fu Man'er could recover from her daze, a servant came to report from outside the pavilion.
"Madam, Commander Xu is outside requesting an audience. He says he wants to report to you on matters entrusted to him by Lord Song."
Fu Man'er was dumbfounded once again. The concubine, who had been crying miserably, immediately regained her noble demeanor.
The speed was so fast that Fu Man'er wondered if she was seeing things.
Madam Ru wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief. "Xu Yi came quickly, and he's quite clever." He knew to use Lord Song as an excuse to come in.
Fu Man'er pretended not to hear and looked away. After all, she had just inadvertently witnessed Madam Ru's loss of composure, so it was best to remain silent.
"Let him in." The servant responded and left. The lady-in-waiting then had a maid bring water and quickly washed the lady's face during the break.
When no one was looking, Fu Man'er moved her stone bench around and around until she reached the very edge of the pavilion.
Just before Xu Yi appeared, Fu Man'er, who had just finished tidying up and was sitting there idly with her chin in her hand, perked up the moment she saw him.
"Brother!" she called out, jumping up in a flash, forgetting that this was not the Xu residence, and rushing out of the pavilion while lifting her skirt.
Xu Yi quickened his pace, his heart finally settling back into his chest the moment he saw the little girl.
Inside the pavilion, Madam Ru raised her head, her gaze following Fu Man'er's footsteps. "Man'er really likes the Xu family."
The girl had been deliberately reserved when she was sitting in the pavilion with Xu Yi, but she completely relaxed the moment she saw him.
The relaxation she felt was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and thinking about it, Lady Ru felt a slight pang of sadness.
The lady-in-waiting gently comforted her, "Madam, don't overthink it. After all, this is your first time meeting Miss. As time goes on, Miss will get used to you and might even become closer to you."
As they were talking, Fu Man'er and Xu Yi walked into the pavilion.
Xu Yi respectfully bowed to Madam Ru.
"Man'er, don't stand, come sit next to me." Madam Ru beckoned to Fu Man'er to sit next to her, but ignored Xu Yi who was standing next to her.
"Thank you, Madam." Fu Man'er curtsied slightly. "We'll go home after my brother finishes his report, and we won't disturb you any longer."
She's been out for so long, she has no idea how worried her family is.
Just as the lady was about to erupt, the lady-in-waiting gently shook her head. She knew that this matter could not be rushed.
"Please speak, Mr. Xu." She turned to the side, picked up the teacup beside her, and looked nonchalant.
Xu Yi responded and recounted everything he had learned in the past two days. He naturally knew that Madam Ru had already sent people to investigate.
So there was nothing to hide; they said whatever they knew. In fact, the madam's investigation was even more detailed.
At first, Lady Ru listened absentmindedly, but when she heard about the Wang family, she finally turned around.
"The Wang family you're talking about, is it the one called Wang Sanbao?"
"Yes, Madam." Xu Yi was surprised that Madam Ru even knew the Wang family's name.
"What you said is different from what the Wang family told me." The reason why Madam Ru was able to find out about Fu Man'er's existence so quickly was largely due to the Wang family's help.
After the Wang family was thrown out that day, Wang Sanbao and Niu Daya noticed that Wang Dacai was absent-minded. When they pressed him for details, they learned about this major incident.
The couple became increasingly uneasy, wondering if Fu Man'er was indeed the daughter of a nobleman, which meant their Wang family was doomed.
They used to beat and scold Fu Man'er, but now if Fu Man'er tells the truth, the nobleman can crush them as easily as crushing an ant.
Even the usually clever Niu Daya was at a loss. She felt that the Wang family should run away as soon as possible, so they might be able to escape this calamity.
Wang Dacai panicked, "My sister is still at the Xu family's house." What will happen to Wang Chunni if they run away?
But at this moment, Wang Sanbao and Niu Daya couldn't care less about their daughter; they couldn't even protect themselves.
Wang Dacai was powerless to help and could only watch anxiously from the sidelines. On the other hand, Wang Sanbao, who had never been very bright, came up with a solution.
Instead of letting the Xu family talk about this, it's better for our own family to do it. We won't say much, just reveal that Fu Man'er resembles the noble person.
Then they would take the opportunity to ask for a reward, and once they had the reward, they would run away quickly.
Niu Daya thought it was a good idea, so the couple brought Wang Dacai to the Song residence and successfully leaked the news, receiving a substantial reward in return.
Of course, he remained silent about his family having adopted Fu Man'er, only saying that he had seen a woman in the Xu family who resembled a noblewoman.
The lady was so eager to find her daughter that she immediately sent someone to inquire about her, and paid no attention to the couple. She gave them a reward and sent them away.
Now, hearing Xu Yi talk about it, I realize there were these hidden details all along.
"Outrageous!" The Lady Consort felt a pang of pain in her heart at the thought of what her daughter had suffered as a child. She said to the lady-in-waiting beside her, "Have someone immediately arrest those scoundrels from the Wang family."
The ruthlessness in his eyes was obvious; clearly, the Wang family would suffer a severe blow, if not die, this time.
Then she got up and walked to Fu Man'er's side, looking at her with heartache, "I didn't know they treated you like that back then, otherwise I would never have let them leave the Song Mansion alive."
"How are your injuries? Do they still hurt?" Xu Yi had just said that when Fu Man'er first came to the Xu family, she was covered in injuries.
Madam Ru was already wondering if any of the medicines she had brought with her could treat this kind of old injury. Even if they didn't, she would spend a lot of money to find them.
Fu Man'er smiled and said, "I'm fine now. I don't even have any scars left."
"There used to be a big scar here, but it faded away as I grew up and you can't even see it anymore."
As Fu Man'er spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth wrists, where all that could be seen was smooth and delicate skin.
Madam Ru nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "That's good, that's good."
Anyone who dares to treat her daughter like that, the Wang family will never have a good life.
Lady Ru's emotions were very volatile, and she couldn't help but want to cry whenever she looked at Fu Man'er.
Fu Man'er was a little overwhelmed. She gently tugged at Xu Yi's sleeve and said, "Brother, I want to go home."
Xu Yi gave her a reassuring look before turning to Madam Ru and saying, "Madam, I'm taking my younger sister back with me. We won't disturb your meditation."
Madam Ru's return this time was under the guise of a retreat.
"You like those pastries, right? I'll have the lady-in-waiting take you to get some," Madam Ru said to Fu Man'er, ignoring Xu Yi.
Anyone with eyes could see that this was an attempt to get her away; most people would have taken the opportunity to leave.
But this was Fu Man'er. "You guys talk, I'll just cover my ears and not listen." She didn't want any snacks; she wanted to stay next to her brother.
This unconventional behavior left Lady Ru speechless, unsure of what to do.
Xu Yi spoke up, "Man'er, go play over there for a while."
"Alright then, I'll go sit there for a while." Then Fu Man'er bent down, picked up the stone bench next to her, and walked outside.
When the maid outside tried to come up and help her carry it, she gestured with one hand that she didn't need to.
As soon as Fu Man'er left, the atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly became heavy.
“Now that you’ve investigated and know that Man’er is my daughter, do you think you can take her daughter away in front of her mother?” Madam Ru looked at Xu Yi expressionlessly.
“Man’er is my sister, and also a member of the Xu family,” Xu Yi said neither humbly nor arrogantly, showing no sign of bowing his head under the pressure from Madam Ru.
"She has no blood relation to your Xu family."
"In reply to Madam, I knew this from the moment I brought Man'er home. Not only me, but our entire Xu family knew it."
After Xu Yi finished speaking, Madam Ru remained silent for a long time.
It wasn't until the lady-in-waiting who went to fetch the snacks walked along the path that Madam Ru spoke again, "Since Man'er wants to go back, let her go back first."
Xu Yi bowed to her and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer, Madam. I'll take my leave."
Lady Ru stood in the pavilion, watching Xu Yi walk to Fu Man'er's side, and watching Fu Man'er holding a bunch of flowers, looking excited and saying something to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi's previously tense face suddenly broke into a smile, and then Fu Man'er took Xu Yi's arm, and the two of them walked forward along the path.
The lady-in-waiting walked to her side. "Madam."
She could clearly see the disappointment on Lady Ru's face and in her eyes.
Just as she was about to turn the corner, Fu Man'er suddenly turned around, smiling brightly, and waved to Madam Ru while holding up the book in her hand.
"Madam, I'm going home now. Thank you for the snacks and the flowers."
Lady Ru took two steps forward, as if to say something, but Fu Man'er had already turned and disappeared.
"She...she still remembers me, doesn't she?" Just because Fu Man'er suddenly turned around, Madam Ru felt that the loneliness she had just felt was swept away.
The lady-in-waiting said, "Miss is romantic and innocent, a kind and innocent person."
"Go see them off." She was afraid that if she went, she would be unable to resist letting Fu Man'er stay.
The female official accepted the order and left, and the concubine also returned to her room. The maids began to tidy up everything in the pavilion.
Everything else is fine, except for that stone bench.
“I clearly saw Miss carry him over with just one arm,” a maid said.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Even with the three maids working together, they could only move it half an inch.
Fu Man'er only realized as she reached the door, "Oh dear, I forgot to bring the stool back."
The lady-in-waiting said nonchalantly, "Miss, you don't need to worry about such a trivial matter. The maids in the manor will take care of it."
Now that it's not good to go back, Fu Man'er could only say, "Alright, then call a few more maids, preferably male servants, the strong kind."
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The female official was puzzled, but she still agreed. She didn't know that Fu Man'er was moving a stone bench.
It's unclear why the three maids weren't giving up, but in their attempt to move the stool that the young lady had lifted so easily, one strained her back, another twisted her ankle, and the third dislocated her hand.
As soon as Fu Man'er stepped out of the Song residence, she saw several carriages parked not far away.
Several other people were standing nearby: "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, and Second Uncle and Second Aunt~~"
The Xu family members were all standing there. Fu Man'er called out in one breath and ran towards them like a swallow returning to its nest.
Why are you all here?
"Silly girl, we've come to take you home." Grandma Xu held her granddaughter's hand, while the others stared intently at her.
Fu Man'er's gaze swept over everyone. Ugh, she felt like blowing bubbles.
The little girl sniffed and said loudly, "Then let's go home."
"Sigh, go home, go home."
The Xu family members boarded the carriage one after another, and once the carriage left, the area in front of the Song residence returned to quiet.
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