Chapter 42 A new friend or rival?

Lately XiaoRue and ManQi feel their master too often leaving them behind but they get used with it. ManQi looks to XiaoRue,
"Well...its time for us to return also..."
"That's right..."
ManQi smiles, his horse is ready also, so he offers the ride to XiaoRue,
"Come, let me ride you back home..."
XiaoRue almost takes the offer if QingQing doesn't suddenly interrupt them,
"Hey, how 'bout me?!" asks QingQing, she felt being ignored after no one answered her question before.
ManQi gives a questioning look to XiaoRue. XiaoRue understands it and explains,
"XiaoJie said Ms QingQing will stay with us for a while...so I think I will return with her"
ManQi observes QingQing more detail,
from QingQing's appearance and remembering her status as a sister of Lady FengHuang, ManQi is guessing that QingQing has a quite good martial skill. 'Maybe I don't need to worry leave XiaoRue with her'... he thought.
"Very well if that so..." ManQi immediately ride on his horse.
"Hey, handsome guy...won't you offer me a ride too?? Why your threat is so different?" Although their style are not same but QingQing is really Lady FengHuang's sister. Once they have interest in someone, they don't feel shame to show their liking openly. Actually QingQing had observed ManQi for a while just now and Manqi's appearance coincidentally is QingQing's type.
But ManQi doesn't respond it at all, he just ride away and leaving them. While XiaoRue is a little bit surprised to hear how QingQing called ManQi.
"What a cool respond...!!" QingQing immediately turns to XiaoRue,
"Hey, do you know that guy? I think he is Prince Li's right hand, isn't he? Will we meet him again in Li Mansion later? What a lucky I am..." QingQing without hesitated folding her hands around XiaoRue's hand, "XiaoRue...let's be good friend okay and tell me more about that handsome man.."
XiaoRue feels uncomfort with the questions, she wonders what makes she feels uneasy to talk about ManQi?
"I am not too close with him...so I can't help you...I am sorry, Ms QingQing"
XiaoRue tries to release herself from QingQing's holding,
"Ah...its okay, and please just call me QingQing...I don't like to be formal...and I really wanna to be friend with you...beside both of us has the same job to help HuaMuTan right? Let's go...I can't wait to arrive at Li Mansion and meet that handsome guy again...". Once again QingQing holds XiaoRue's hand and pulls her to walk again,
The holding is so tight so XiaoRue just give up and follow QingQing to walk. During the journey, QingQing is quite talkactive asking XiaoRue about ManQi about his background, his friends and even his favourite food but XiaoRue can't answer any of those things.
"Hm...you really don't too close with him hah? Although both of you work together to the same masters and in the same place? What an odd...you really don't know anything at all?"
Somehow XiaoRue feels uneasy and sad about it, 'Its true, I don't know anything about ManQi...', but finally she says,
"I know some..."
"What is that?" QingQing put all her ears to listen,
"I know that...he is very skillful in martial art and...he is good in cooking medicine" In her mind, XiaoRue recited the moment she and ManQi cooked medicine together for XiaoJie, he was so kind and very helpful at that time.
"okay...and else?" QingQing asks more,
"That's it." XiaoRue answer shortly.
"That's it?" QingQing widens her eyes,
"Oh well, it seems i need to find out by myself later..."
Not too far from them, there is a *mantou-seller, QingQing sudden stops XiaoRue,
"Ehm...I remember that I didn't eat anything yet since morning....I think I want to buy some man-tou...do you want some too XiaoRue?"
"No...I am good!"
"Okay, please wait here...I won't too long..." QingQing right away approaches the mantou seller while XiaoRue just observes QingQing buying mantou from across.
Without anyone noticing it, The mantou seller actually secretly hand over a small piece of paper to QingQing. At a glimpse, they looks to each other like giving a secret code and then they acts like ordinary mantou seller and a buyer. QingQing secretly keeps the paper safety in her pocket and then she returns to XiaoRue and shares a mantou to her.
"Take it XiaoRue...consider as a friendship gift from me as a new friend or...maybe coworker right?"
XiaoRue doesn't want to be rude so she takes the mantou and then in the rest of return way, they enjoys eating the mantou together.
*Mantou= a chinese steamed white bun.