Chapter 88◇

She craves you.

The cries for help drew everyone's attention to a burly man with a fierce expression who was punching and kicking an old woman who was begging. The people around hesitated to speak, and a few who wanted to stop him were pulled back by the others.

It wasn't until the old woman's sobbing came from her arms that someone couldn't bear to watch any longer and spoke up to stop her.

"Brother, please show mercy. If you've made a mistake, just hand it over to the authorities. Why resort to violence?" The man who spoke was young, about sixteen or seventeen years old, and full of passion. He couldn't bear to see women and children being bullied.

Hearing someone speak up for her, the old beggar wailed even louder, "Young master, it's my fault, but my granddaughter is innocent! Is there any kind person who can help us?"

The old woman hadn't spoken for a long time, and her voice was a bit rough. If you didn't know it was coming from an old woman, you would think it was an old man's voice. It sounded very awkward.

The young master, true to his word, said, "Grandma, don't be anxious. Tell me your grievances, and I'll help you get justice." He spoke with a face full of indignation, and although he was half a head narrower than the strong man, he had a commanding presence.

Upon hearing this, the burly man's thick eyebrows shot up, and he said in a rough voice, "You brat, mind your own business! I don't care if this old woman reaches out to ask for something, but what kind of kind person reaches into their pocket!"

Upon hearing that it was an old beggar woman begging, the young master's face turned bright red. The rule in Ningcheng was to help the poor but not to help thieves, and he hadn't known the truth before.

Seeing that the person who stood up for her was backing down, the old woman cried even harder, "Young master, it's all my fault, but look at my granddaughter, she's dying. I had no other choice but to do that despicable thing!"

After speaking, the old woman revealed the young woman she had been protecting in her arms. The old woman had a large frame and had protected the girl firmly during the earlier fight, ensuring she wasn't hurt at all.

Everyone noticed something was wrong when they saw the young woman's complexion. "She has a high fever?"

The old woman carefully gathered the young woman's clothes, but no matter how she gathered them, she couldn't hide how thin they were. They looked like a thin layer, and no matter how she looked at them, they couldn't keep out the biting spring breeze.

People always sympathize with the vulnerable. When they saw that the old woman was indeed trying to save her life, the crowd's criticism instantly turned into concern. "Go find a doctor quickly, poor thing."

The burly man spat fiercely, "You think you can steal my silver just because you need money? How do you know I didn't use the silver to save someone?"

Perhaps due to the noise of the crowd, the young woman groaned and woke from her slumber, her watery eyes filled with endless sorrow. "Ahem, sir, it was my haste that caused this old woman to make a mistake. I'm alright now. Please give the money to you, sir. You must be short of these few taels of silver, ahem."

The old woman, her hands trembling, raised the warm silver coins she had been clutching in her palms and handed them over. "Young man, I was wrong. Please take the silver quickly to tide you over!"

The burly man's face darkened, and he snatched the silver that the old woman had reluctantly handed him. "Pah! This is clearly mine!" he said, and left without looking back.

Whether it was out of revenge or not, the old woman fell backward after her money was stolen, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"That man is heartless. Judging from his clothes, he doesn't seem to be short of money. Besides, he beat up the old man first, and then he just robbed him of his money and left? He's not a real man."

Many in the crowd felt sorry for the young woman, especially when they saw her beautiful profile, which resembled a lotus emerging from the water. Their hearts were filled with pity, and they ignored the threatening look from their wives beside them, constantly speaking up for the grandfather and granddaughter.

This is why, even if they don't have money, they will never let a beautiful woman suffer from an illness without medical treatment, as long as they have extra money.

Seeing that the girl's face was purple from the cold, Huang Que instinctively clutched his little cloak tighter.

The weather was fairly warm today, and of the group of people who went out together, he was the only one with a small cape, which his sister had just bought for him, and he had no intention of giving it away.

But that girl was so pitiful, he couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at Feng Ran.

Feng Ran smiled and encouraged, "Do what you think is right."

Feng Ran didn't object, and Duan Jingchuan naturally agreed. Huang Que was reluctant to take off his little cloak, which he hadn't even warmed up yet, and clumsily covered the girl with it.

The young woman looked at Huang Que gratefully, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Thank you, young master."

Huang Que blushed and whispered, "You're welcome." She turned and rushed into Duan Jingchuan's arms. This was the first time he had done a good deed, and she was a little shy.

The young woman followed the yellow bird's footsteps and saw Duan Jingchuan's face. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she stood up like a willow in the wind. The cold wind made her figure appear even more graceful and slender. Whether it was from embarrassment or fever, she blushed and bowed gracefully to Duan Jingchuan, "Thank you for saving me, young master."

Feng Ran said sinisterly from the side, "Don't let me hear any nonsense about offering yourself in marriage, or I'll send you to the Ten Courts of Hell."

Seeing the girl's eyes, Feng Ran immediately felt alarmed. The scene looked so familiar; someone was trying to steal her husband!

Haha, is it because her fists aren't hard enough?

The girl seemed like a startled rabbit, staggering slightly before needing the old woman's support to regain her balance. "How could you think of me like that, madam? I only wanted to thank you for your clothes, young master."

People around started whispering again, "This young lady has quite a temper. The girl was just expressing her gratitude, why is she acting like a demon?"

"That's right, this grandmother and granddaughter are so pitiful. If I weren't short of money, I would definitely buy them a couple more pieces of clothing to cover their bodies."

Of course, most of those who gossip like this are bachelors or homeless people. Anyone with a wife by their side would not dare to say such things; at most, they would just think about it in their hearts.

At first, the grandmother and grandson naturally won everyone's sympathy, but after this series of actions, anyone with a brain could see that they were trying to get close to the young man because he was handsome and rich.

Unfortunately, the young man's wife is not someone to be trifled with. Didn't you see that after she finished making those harsh remarks, the young man's expression didn't change at all; in fact, he seemed even more pleased.

Huang Que was already furious. The little girl stretched out her arms to block Duan Jingchuan, looking fiercely cute, "My cloak! Why are you thanking my brother-in-law? Give me back my cloak!"

It turned out to be her brother-in-law. The young woman rubbed her eyes and said aggrievedly, "I'll return the cloak to the young master right now." She then tried to pull off the cloak that only reached her waist.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the exposed neck couldn't withstand the onslaught of the wind, shivering uncontrollably. The hem of her chest seemed about to burst out, but the girl still returned the cloak that had been covering her to Huang Que.

It's all dirty! The yellow sparrow felt extremely wronged and turned its head away, refusing to take it.

The scene remained frozen for a moment, then the old woman suddenly knelt down and pleaded, "Kind-hearted young master, please have mercy and help us, my granddaughter and her grandson. I am old and it doesn't matter if I am buried, but Xi'er is still so young. She is so sick now, I don't know how many days she has left. Please, young master, have mercy on us."

After saying that, she turned to Feng Ran and kowtowed, "Madam, Xi'er did not mean to offend you. This old woman dares not ask for more. I just hope that Xi'er can live as a cleaning maid in the future. Please."

Regardless of what this old woman had done before, her love for her granddaughter was genuine. Among the onlookers, only a handful were able to lend a helping hand, and this family was the best off.

Seeing Feng Ran clenching her fists like a big steamed bun and Huang Que about to explode like a little steamed bun, Duan Jingchuan remained indifferent, not even glancing at the expectant girl. His voice was cool, "Don't take yourself too seriously. It doesn't matter much to me if a few hundred more die."

The cries and whispers abruptly ceased; no one expected the noble-looking young master to utter such harsh words in the street.

Perhaps it was because Duan Jingchuan's tone was too calm that people did not doubt the truthfulness of his words, as if he really had a cold heart hidden under his handsome appearance.

The grandmother and grandson were at a loss for what to do. Just then, the young master who had stood up for them earlier appeared again. "If they won't help you, I will! Let's go!"

After saying that, he helped the old woman away.

Duan Jingchuan and his group remained motionless for a long time until Huang Que, with tears in her eyes, came to her senses and all looked down at him.

"Wow...they're liars! That girl can walk by herself! My cape!" Huang Que cried, gasping for breath, her face covered in tears and snot.

Feng Ran was somewhat disgusted, and Duan Jingchuan was also somewhat disgusted. The two of them each contributed one hand and pushed Huang Que into Fang Yuan's arms.

Fang Yuan felt extremely distressed and comforted him, "Young master, it's commendable that you were able to discover they were liars on your own. Everyone around you noticed, and even that young master was fooled by them."

Huang Que seemed to realize he had lost his composure and quickly wiped away his tears. "That young master is with them. I saw that old woman wink at him." Otherwise, he would definitely have stopped the real sucker.

Seeing that Huang Que's face was clean, Feng Ran pinched her chubby little face and said, "Then what's there to cry about? You know the truth and you weren't fooled."

"My cloak was bought for me by my sister, but I gave it away so casually. My sister definitely won't buy me another one." Huang Que deeply regretted her impulsive decision.

His sister warned him when she bought it that it was non-refundable, non-exchangeable, and non-updated. She told him to choose carefully. This is the first piece of clothing his sister has bought for him, and he plans to wear it only once today and then hide it away.

Ignoring Huang Que's minor regret, Feng Ran said to Duan Jingchuan with a displeased expression, "Husband, she's after you, she wants to steal you away!"

Is this a case of the smaller ones not finishing their commotion before the bigger ones seamlessly take over?

It's still different. Even if the small flood were to overflow Jinshan Temple, he wouldn't feel bad. But if the big one just said a couple of words in a pretentious manner, he would be afraid that there was even one ten-thousandth of truth in them.

"I didn't look at her, not even once," Duan Jingchuan quickly stated, afraid that even a moment's delay would cause his wife to misunderstand.

"That stinky thing dares to covet my beautiful husband." Feng Ran knew that her husband couldn't be taken away, but she was still indignant.

Duan Jingchuan was a little worried about Feng Ran's nose. As she would meet more and more people in the future, wouldn't she have to endure smelling all sorts of odors?

The lady said she liked him the most. What if one day someone appeared who was more handsome and had a better scent than him?

He was clearly trying to appease Feng Ran, but Duan Jingchuan himself fell into a vicious cycle, becoming increasingly gloomy.

Feng Ran was still waiting for her gentle husband's tender and caring promises when she looked up and found that Duan Jingchuan seemed to be lost in thought and in a bad mood. Not understanding why, Feng Ran immediately put away her aggrieved look and thought she had done it perfectly, but in reality, she was clumsy and tried to change the subject to distract Duan Jingchuan.

"Husband, why didn't you stop me when I spoke such harsh words? Even Little Sparrow's pupils dilated, but you didn't react at all."