Concealing the turmoil within his heart, he awkwardly said to Wang Xiangxiang and Yang Qiu, "I've been at the Dyeing Workshop these past two days and didn't expect them to go to the manor in the countryside. The manor in my hometown is quiet; Xiaotian likes it there. A few days ago, she said she wanted to take the child to the manor. I said she could go any day, but I didn't expect her to go at this time—it's really unfortunate."
The explanation was meant to clarify why he didn't know Xiaotian and her daughter's whereabouts, but in front of Wang Xiangxiang and Yang Qiu, it seemed rather feeble. Both of them felt uneasy but didn't continue to ask questions.
At this moment, Madam Guo came forward to smooth things over, "Didn't we send someone to inform you at the Dyeing Workshop? Didn't you get the message?"
Then she chuckled and looked at Wang Xiangxiang and Yang Qiu, "The servants must have been inefficient and didn't pass on the message."
