What to do if you receive the wrong package?

When Gu Yan and the others arrived at the door, Lin Mu'an was blushing and angrily gesturing at the guard who had been dutifully blocking his way from leaving.

"An'an, what's wrong?" Gu Yan patted Lin Mu'an's shoulder, smiled apologetically at the guard, and squatted down to look at the little boy in front of him at eye level.

"If there's anything you need, you can tell your second sister, and she'll help you."

Lin Mu'an saw Gu Yan as if she were his lifeline, gripping her sleeve tightly with his right hand while gesturing to the left with his left.

"Brother Tiger, come out quickly, my sister is here, she will help you."

Following Lin Mu'an's movement, Gu Yan looked up and saw a tall, thin boy walk out from behind a pillar by the door and stand in the shadows, making it difficult to see clearly.

Although Gu Yan was full of curiosity about the tall, thin boy, she still looked at Lin Mu'an and said, "An'an, your second sister will definitely help you with your matter, but you must first tell your second sister what happened."

“Yes, An’an, don’t be afraid. Only by explaining things clearly can we resolve this better,” Shen Mujin said softly as she squatted down as well.

"Second sister, I...I, Brother Tiger said that Sister Little Red has gone missing."

"Okay, so Brother Xiaohu is him, right? Then who is Sister Xiaohong?" Gu Yan did not lose patience with Lin Mu'an's incoherent speech and asked softly.

Lin Mu'an seemed less anxious, and even the sentences he spoke were much more fluent. "Brother Xiaohu and Sister Xiaohong were my best friends before I met Shengsheng. Brother Xiaohu and Sister Xiaohong often helped me and gave me food."

After standing up, Gu Yan glanced at the gray-clad youth who had remained silent since appearing, then turned to the guard beside him and said politely, "Brother Guard, we know that youth; he's not a bad person. Please let him in."

The guards knew that these girls had a close relationship with the King of Chu, and after hearing Gu Yan's personal assurance, they stopped stopping them and let them pass.

Seeing that the guards had all returned to their original positions, Lin Mu'an immediately ran towards the gray-clad boy. He took the boy's hand and tried to walk towards Gu Yan, but found that Little Tiger Brother did not move.

"Brother Tiger, come with me quickly, my sister will help us find Sister Little Red."

The boy, nicknamed Little Tiger, gently patted Lin Mu'an's head, remaining motionless in front of the pillar, his gaze fixed on Gu Yan, his eyes filled with undisguised wariness and suspicion.

Gu Yan stepped forward and finally saw the boy's appearance clearly. The boy was about twelve or thirteen years old, very thin, and his face, which was trying to be serious, still had a childish look. His gray coat, although patched, was clean and tidy.

"Hello, I'm An'an's second older sister." Gu Yan smiled gently and introduced herself to Xiao Hu. "An'an just told me that something might have happened. Is there anything I can help with?"

Xiao Hu pursed his lips, seemingly hesitating about something, and did not speak.

“An’an is very worried about you. If you don’t want to go into the manor, we can find a place on the street. Or we can do as you say. We don’t mean anything by it, we just want to help if we can, after all, you are An’an’s little tiger brother.”

Gu Yan's explanation seemed to persuade Xiao Hu, and he finally nodded and was led into the Prince's Mansion by Lin Mu'an.

Gu Yan led Xiao Hu to a small pavilion, where the openness of the pavilion might make Xiao Hu feel safer than a more enclosed room.

Gu Yan watched as Lin Mu'an sat down next to Xiao Hu, and Bai Hongsheng followed closely behind, sitting down on the other side of Lin Mu'an and tugging at Lin Mu'an's clothes. He couldn't help but find it a little funny.

He could only suppress his laughter while pouring tea, and said seriously, "Have some tea to calm down. Don't be afraid, we mean no harm. My surname is Bai, and I am An'an's second older sister. The girls behind me are all An'an's older sisters, so you can rest assured."

"I just heard from An'an that Sister Xiaohong has gone missing. I think you came here for this reason, right?"

Xiao Hu stared at the exquisite white porcelain teacup in front of him, and only nodded stiffly after Gu Yan finished speaking.

Gu Yan patiently continued to ask, "When did Sister Xiao Hong go missing? What was she doing before she went missing?"

Xiao Hu paused for a moment, then thought for a second and said, "A few days ago, it should have been September 14th. My sister was working at a tea shop outside Shaolin Temple, but she didn't come home all night."

Listening to Xiao Hu's description, Gu Yan frowned slightly; it was related to Shaolin Temple again.

"Have you asked about the place where your sister works?" Zhou Yuran interjected.

“I went there. The boss said that my sister collected her wages and left at sunset that day.”

The girls exchanged glances, and they all thought of the same possibility: the missing girl case that Jian Yuheng had mentioned.

Gu Yan couldn't tell Xiao Hu about the disappearance directly, so he could only try his best to comfort him, saying, "Don't worry, we'll try our best to find him first, and we'll let you know when we have any news."

Upon hearing Gu Yan's words, Xiao Hu's previously expressionless face lit up with surprise. He asked incredulously, "You're really willing to help me find my sister? But... I have no money. And... I have nothing to offer as collateral." As he finished speaking, his bright eyes dimmed again.

Hua Yin couldn't bear to see the pitiful look on the person in front of her, so she took the initiative to say, "Don't worry, we won't take any money, and you don't need to provide any collateral."

"Really? You really don't want anything?" Xiao Hu still couldn't believe that he had encountered such a wonderful thing as "manna from heaven".

"Of course, you're An'an's friend, so you're our friend." Gu Yan couldn't help but pat Xiao Hu on the shoulder. "However, there are some things we still need."

"What...what is that?" Xiao Hu's heart tightened, and he stammered.

Seeing Xiao Hu's nervous expression, Gu Yan smiled and said, "We need all the information about Sister Xiao Hong before she disappeared. You have to tell us everything you know."

"No problem, I'll tell you everything." Xiao Hu patted his chest with a sigh of relief, thinking that he was going to return empty-handed again.

"Okay, first question. After your sister went missing, did you look for her? Did you find anything?"

Little Tiger immediately nodded.

"Of course I went to look for her. I walked along the path my sister usually took three or four times, but I didn't find anything. Then I went to look for my sister near Shaolin Temple, but the road was covered with tire tracks that had covered up all the footprints of pedestrians, so I couldn't find anything there either."

"Then, for the second question, do you and your sister have any enemies? Or have you offended anyone or had any conflicts with anyone in the past?"

Xiao Hu thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "My sister and I live in an abandoned temple in the west of the city, and no one usually comes to look for us."

Gu Yan nodded, then looked at the other sisters and asked with her eyes: Do you have any more questions?

Shen Mujin coughed lightly and said, "Okay, one last question. Why did you think of asking An'an to help you find your sister?"

Xiao Hu took out a small, flawed piece of purple jade from his pocket, glanced at An An beside him, and explained, "Before An An came to Zhongjing, she went to say goodbye to my sister and me. Not long ago, my sister and I also arrived in Zhongjing, but we didn't let An An know."

Xiao Hu still remembers his sister's serious admonition to him. His sister said that An'an is different from them now. An'an has her own path, a path different from theirs, so it's best to stay away from them and not rush to join them.

"But since my sister disappeared, I had no other choice but to go to the Wutong Courtyard to look for An'an, only to be told that An'an had come to the Prince's Mansion."

When Xiaohu arrived at the Prince's mansion, he was immediately frightened by the tall and imposing guards at the gate and dared not approach them. But as his sister's disappearance dragged on, he feared something terrible had happened to her.

So today, Xiao Hu gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and just as he reached the door, he bumped into Lin Mu'an and Bai Hongsheng, who were about to leave.

After listening to Xiao Hu's introduction, Gu Yan became even more curious about this little girl, Xiao Hong. Her words and actions gave people a sense of poise, elegance, and grace.

"An'an, how about Little Tiger stays with you for the next couple of days? Can you show him his room?"

After successfully getting Lin Mu'an and Xiao Hu away, Gu Yan decisively turned his attention to the only man in the room—Bai Hongsheng.

"Sheng Sheng, how did you and An An meet?"

Bai Hongsheng looked at Gu Yan's slightly serious expression and couldn't help but swallow. He said, "Once when I went out to play, I lost my wallet. An'an found it and returned it to me."

"Have you met the 'Sister Xiaohong' that Xiaohu and An'an mentioned before?"

Bai Hongsheng nodded, "We've met a few times. Sister Xiaohong or Brother Xiaohu would occasionally bring things to An'an."

"Do you still remember what Sister Xiaohong looks like?"

Bai Hongsheng pondered for a moment, unsure how to describe it. "Sister Xiaohong is very pretty, tall and slender, but she doesn't talk much. An'an said before that Sister Xiaohong had a fever that damaged her voice, and that's why she's become less talkative."

Gu Yan patted Bai Hongsheng on the shoulder as he tried his best to describe the situation.

"Thank you, Shengsheng. With your description, my sisters and I will be able to help An'an find Sister Xiaohong more quickly."

Sheng Sheng quickly waved her hand, "You're welcome. I'm happy as long as I can help."

"Sheng Sheng, go and show Xiao Hu the room with An An. Remember to bring Xiao Hu to the dining room when we have lunch later."

"Okay! Goodbye, sisters."

Watching Bai Hongsheng disappear in a flash, Shen Mujin finally asked, "Ayan, is there something you're thinking about by asking so many questions?"

Gu Yan shook his head. "I just think it's quite impressive that Xiao Hu, a teenager, could find the Wutong Courtyard in Zhongjing and come to the Prince's Mansion all by himself."

"We should always be wary of others. Although we promised to take care of Xiaohu's matter, we still need to be careful not to fall into a trap," Zhou Yuran added from the side.

Shen Mujin said, "Yueya is right. I feel more at ease leaving Xiaohu in the Prince's mansion and having the guards keep a close eye on him."

"Now that Xiao Hu's matter is resolved, how do we find the missing Xiao Hong?" Hua Yin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gu Yan looked around and said directly, "I want to take Sheng Sheng to Ciyun Nunnery."

"Just you and Sheng Sheng?" Shen Mujin frowned, seemingly finding Gu Yan's idea somewhat risky.

“Yes, Shengsheng has seen Xiaohong before and can help identify her. With just Shengsheng and me, we won’t be too conspicuous, so the safety level will be higher.”

Zhou Yuran then asked, "And then what? Even if Xiao Hong is really at Ciyun Nunnery, you can't guarantee that you'll run into her every time you go."

Gu Yan knew Zhou Yuran's thoughts and continued, "Yes, so Mumu can take An'an next, and you two can take Xiaohu. Since we have different people going each time, we won't be suspected."

Hua Yin seemed to be persuaded by Gu Yan's plan. "There's another question. Ciyun Nunnery is a nunnery. Although Sheng Sheng and the others are still young, they are male. Will Ciyun Nunnery allow them to enter?"

"Let...let me pass." Gu Yan's tone was somewhat uncertain, after all, she had never been to a nunnery before. "How about I take Sheng Sheng to try it out tomorrow?"

"I think we should discuss this matter with His Highness and Xuan Yi to avoid any conflict or mutual interference in our actions," Shen Mujin said earnestly.

Zhou Yuran chimed in, "I agree. We should definitely inform His Highness about Xiaohu staying at the Prince's residence."

"Sigh, I wonder how their discussion went?"

Hua Yin suddenly remembered the topic they had discussed at the beginning and quickly said, "Let's forget about them for now. Since we need to find Miss Xiao Hong first, should we write to Miss Lin to contact her?"

Gu Yan: "Of course we should keep in touch. When I take Shengsheng to Yunci Nunnery, you can go to Shaolin Temple with Miss Lin. It's like we're splitting up."

"Forget it. It's just you and Shengsheng going to Yunci Nunnery, how can we not worry? How can we have the mind to investigate Shaolin Temple?" Zhou Yuran glanced at Gu Yan with some disdain, as if accusing her of being heartless.

Having finished discussing the matter, the group, still thinking about Little Tiger and the two little ones, got up together and left the pavilion one by one, heading towards the courtyard where they lived.

Unexpectedly, on their way back, they ran into Duan Chenke and his group, who had just finished their discussion.

The more Zhou Yuran looked at the people in front of her, the more she turned to the back and asked in confusion, "Why are there only you? Where is His Highness Prince Ning?"

“Yes, yes, I haven’t met Prince Ning yet.” Hua Yin stood close to Zhou Yuran, who had originally wanted Zhou Yuran to point out who Prince Ning was.

Duan Chenke said, "Just as we were finishing up, a letter suddenly came from the palace that my elder brother had been summoned to the palace."

"Tsk tsk, summoned to the palace again. I wonder what it's about this time." Gu Yan, who was following at the back, muttered to Shen Mujin in a low voice.

"Who knows? Last time it was the hot potato case of the Marquis of Anping's mansion. Who knows what it will be this time?"

After the group reunited, Zhou Yuran immediately told Duan Chenke about Xiaohu and also recounted the plans the girls had discussed.

"I'll go with you," Jiang Si said directly after glancing at Gu Yan.

"Ah Si..." Gu Yan tugged at Jiang Si's sleeve, as if she were pleading. "I know you're worried about me, but it's not really appropriate for adult men like you to go to Meng Ci Nunnery. I promise, I'll go safely and come back safely." After saying that, she symbolically held up three fingers to her ear.

Jiang Si remained silent, his initially cold gaze softening as he looked at Gu Yan's slightly ingratiating expression. He could only gently grasp Gu Yan's raised right hand, no longer objecting, and said, "Alright, be careful!"

Gu Yan immediately gripped Jiang Si's hand tightly, grinned at him, and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"That's enough. Be careful in public." Xuan Yi, who was holding Shen Mujin, felt that the couple was being a little too sweet and quickly "reminded" them.

"You have the nerve to say that to me? Shouldn't you and Mumu be more careful too?" Gu Yan leaned against Jiang Si, not to be outdone, and retorted smugly.

“Hey.” Xuan Yi looked at Gu Yan taking another step closer and was about to do something when Zhou Yuran ruthlessly stopped him.

"Stop! All four of you, that's enough! Anyone who shows off their affection again will be fined!"

Hua Yin covered her mouth, almost bursting out laughing. She quickly went to Zhou Yuran's side, trying to calm her down, and said, "Don't be angry, don't be angry, I'm here with you."

Upon arriving at the dining room, Bai Hongsheng was already waiting at the door with Lin Mu'an and Xiao Hu. Seeing the group approaching, he immediately waved happily.

Lin Mu'an looked at Xiao Hu, who was a little tense beside him, and comforted him, "Brother Xiao Hu, don't be afraid. These brothers and sisters are all good people, and they will help us find Sister Xiao Hong."

Xiao Hu watched the group of people getting closer and closer, especially Duan Chenke walking in the middle. He looked down at his worn-out cloth shoes, and the wisps of hair on his forehead slightly obscured his eyebrows and eyes. He was unsure how to face them.

Duan Chenke, who was in the lead, also noticed this side because of Bai Hongsheng's shout. Looking at the thin figure next to the two little beans, he felt that it looked strangely familiar.

"Axi?"