Chapter Twenty-One: The Young Master

  Ma Ling'er was only fifteen years old and had never seen so many beautiful accessories before, so she rushed to the stall. Gan Ping chased after her from a distance, but just as she suddenly stumbled and fell forward, someone appeared in front of her and stretched out his hands, and Ma Ling'er fell into his arms.

  This collision was a bit heavy, causing Ma Ling to stick her whole body on that person's body. The concave and convex figure of the girl was fully revealed, and the soft jade fragrance in her arms made that person sniff his nose in a daze. It wasn't until then that Ma Ling reacted, pushing both hands and drilling out of that person's arms, coincidentally bumping into Gan Ping who had just arrived, and couldn't help but blush on her face. She was embarrassed to have fallen into the arms of a strange man in front of her fiancé.

  Ma Ling'er, who was in an awkward situation, didn't notice the cold glint that flashed across Gan Ping's eyes. Earlier, Gan Ping had seen from a distance that when Ma Ling'er fell, the young man could have easily lent a hand to help her up, but instead he stood in front of her, waiting for her to fall into his arms. This was not the behavior of a gentleman. If he had known this earlier, even if it meant causing a sensation, he would have rushed to support Ma Ling'er and not let that guy take advantage of the situation.

  Here is the translation:

  Thinking of this, Gan Ping coldly said to that person: "Brother, thank you." Ma Ling'er had long been too ashamed to lift her head and hid behind Gan Ping. The young man heard Gan Ping's voice and quickly turned his head, catching sight of Ma Ling'er who was blushing behind Gan Ping. Her delicate face was red like a peach blossom, and her watery eyes seemed as if they could squeeze out water. This shy and charming demeanor made him involuntarily dazed, and he didn't seem to hear Gan Ping's words, but instead stared straight at Ma Ling'er.

  Gan Ping saw the situation and hummed coldly, only then did the man react, hastily saying: "Oh, I am Fang Zhengyuan, earlier in my anxiety I was a bit abrupt, offending the young lady, please forgive me." After spouting some flowery words, Fang Zhengyuan also felt a bit sour, but for the sake of his image in front of the beauty, he acknowledged it. Gan Ping gave him a distant bow and pulled Ma Ling'er's hand to walk forward, not bothering to argue with such a hypocrite.

  That Fang Zheng was slightly disappointed that Ma Ling'er hadn't left him, and thinking of the lovely girl who had just thrown herself into his arms, the feeling of her plump chest bumping against his body made his heart burn with desire. He didn't expect to meet such a stunning beauty in this remote and desolate place - even in Xiangyue City, such a beautiful girl would be hard to find. She looked like she was only 15 or 16 years old, but if she waited another two years, she would definitely become a ravishing beauty capable of toppling cities.

  In his heart, Fang Zhengyuan saw the young couple walking towards their jewelry stall and couldn't help but feel a thrill. Originally, he didn't want to come to this remote place to do business with the merchant group, but after causing trouble in the city, he had no choice but to follow them out of the city and wait for the storm to pass before returning. He didn't expect his luck to be so good that he would encounter such a beauty.

  He raised an eyebrow and strode towards the jewelry stall. He quietly arrived beside Ma Ling'er, who was selecting jewelry, and his unbridled gaze swept up and down her curvaceous body. He clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking that although she was a bit inexperienced, she was still a rare treasure. Just as he was sizing up Ma Ling'er from head to toe, Gan Ping had already noticed him and, seeing his unreasonable behavior, couldn't help but frown.

  Malinger was enthusiastically selecting accessories, took a delicate hairpin and compared it on her head, then turned to Ganping and smiled: "This hairpin is so beautiful, I'll wear it, is it suitable?" With a smile, the girl's demeanor was fully displayed, this charming appearance almost made Fang Zhengyu's eyes drop out. "Suitable, suitable, Miss wears this hairpin and is simply as beautiful as a fairy." Before Ganping could speak, he hurriedly said it out loud. Malinger only then discovered Fang Zhengyu standing beside her, upon seeing him, her face suddenly turned red, and she slightly curtsied: "Thank you so much, sir, just now." Only when near familiar people would Malinger reveal her innocent and lively side, but towards outsiders, she was extremely polite.

  This voice of thanks almost made Fang Zheng Yuan's bones go soft, and he hastily said: "No need to thank me, no need to thank me, it's my good fortune to be able to help a beautiful young lady like you." This rascal had barely started talking when his true nature as a spoiled rich kid was revealed. Gan Ping smiled coldly and tossed out a silver ingot onto the stall, not giving him a chance to refuse, then pulled Ma Ling'er in the direction of their return journey.

  Fang Zhengyuan hastily stepped forward to block the two of them, and Gan Ping's eyes flashed with a cold light as he said, "What? Do you have any other business?" Fang Zhengyuan wanted this beauty to stay, but in his haste, he was unable to come up with a reason. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said: "This... I am the owner of this stall, and also the young master of Da Chang Number in Xiao Yue City. I think this young lady suits this hairpin very well. As they say, 'a precious sword is given to a hero, and red makeup is given to a beauty.' So, I won't take this silver." He spoke nonsense here, but Gan Ping had already seen through his ulterior motives and didn't bother to argue with him. Stretching out one hand, he waved it, and Fang Zhengyuan stumbled to the side. "People from Ma Jia Cun don't have the habit of taking things for free." After saying this, he turned around and led Ma Ling'er away without looking back.

  Fang Zheng Yun couldn't help but feel annoyed, this ignorant little brat dared to touch him, if it weren't for being in Ma Jia Cun, he would have... Just as he was thinking, he suddenly discovered that the shopkeeper who was originally hiding behind the stall had sneaked up, and his pent-up anger finally found a direction. He loudly scolded: "Not going to work, what are you doing running here? Can't you see I'm not in a good mood?" The shopkeeper rubbed his nose and slunk away with his tail between his legs, muttering under his breath: "I thought the young master had taken a liking to that girl."

  When he heard this, Fang Zhengyuan suddenly pulled the shopkeeper back and asked, "Do you know whose family that girl is from?" "Hehe, I've only been to Majiacun twice, but I've seen that girl once. She's the granddaughter of the village head of Majiacun, named Ma Ling'er." When he heard this, Zhengyuan turned his head towards the direction where the two had left earlier, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ma Ling'er, what a delicate flower! Young master has never been so moved before, hehe?????" The shopkeeper couldn't help but roll his eyes beside him, saying, "You're always having your first time being moved."

  Ma Ling'er was tightly held by Gan Ping's hand as they walked home, feeling a bit of pain in her hand. She lifted her head to speak, but saw Gan Ping's gloomy face. Ma Ling'er was clever and thought about what had happened earlier, so she knew why he was like this. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Gan Ping turned his head with an unpleasant expression, looking at her. Ma Ling'er smiled and looked at his dark face, saying: "I didn't expect you to be jealous too." "Hmph, I'm not," Gan Ping said with a sulky face. "I don't believe it," Ma Ling'er said, stretching out her slender fingers to draw a line on Gan Ping's cheek. "If you're not jealous, why is your face so dark?"

  Gan Ping heard this and said, "He's intentionally taking advantage of you." "It was just a slight touch, don't be angry." Ma Ling also knew that the young master had done it on purpose, but she still comforted Gan Ping, saying: "Next time I'll be careful not to let people take advantage of me, okay? Besides, he's also kind-hearted. Come, smile." As she spoke, she gently pinched Gan Ping's cheek, and Gan Ping looked at the delicate face close in front of her, with a subtle fragrance like orchids, and the anger in his chest dissipated.

  The little monkey, seeing that its master was no longer frowning, also came to pull Gan Ping's face with a grin. Ma Ling'er gently patted the little monkey's paw, stretched out her hand and hugged it over, poking at its upturned nose, laughing and scolding: "You little rascal." Having spent a long time with Gan Ping, Ma Ling'er's affectionate movements towards the little monkey were just like Gan Ping's. She turned her head to look, and Gan Ping was no longer angry, but looking at her instead. Their eyes met, and all words were conveyed in that one glance.

  The two originally thought that the matter would pass like this, but unexpectedly in the evening, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived at Old Horse Head's home. Old Horse Head was calculating tomorrow's affairs when he suddenly heard someone shouting outside the courtyard: "Is Village Chief Ma at home?" He hurriedly walked out of the door and saw clearly who it was, then hastily smiled and said: "Ah ah, it's actually Shopkeeper Li, a rare guest! Quick, come in, come in!" The one who came was indeed the shopkeeper who spoke with Fang Zhengfan that afternoon.

  The old horse head was somewhat puzzled. This Li Zhuang was the boss of Tianfeng Number One in the city, and Tianfeng Number One was the largest commercial firm in Xiaoyue City, with many shops, and the master was also the leader of the Xiaoyue City Chamber of Commerce, and in Xiaoyue City, it was considered a powerful force. Li Zhuang himself had only seen him twice, with an extremely arrogant attitude, and every time he discussed business, his subordinates came forward to represent him. Why did he change his nature this time and come here personally? As Li Zhuang smiled and walked into the house, the old horse head suddenly had a bad feeling.

  They offered tea, sat down, and Li Zhuang started chatting about everything under the sun. It had to be said that he was able to become a manager of Tianfeng Number because of his skills, although he was just an external affairs manager who ran around with his apprentices. The old village chief could only respond while thinking about his intentions, but in the end, he couldn't figure it out and had to interrupt Li Zhuang's non-stop talking, saying: "Li Zhuang, you came so late, there must be something important?"

  Li Zhuanggui saw that he was already unable to contain his anger, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He said: "Ma brothers, this time I've come with the most wonderful news - your family's wealth and prosperity is just around the corner."