Chapter Sixteen: Deep Brotherhood
Xiaoyao Lang woke up groggily; it was almost noon. Touching his stomach, he realized he was starving. He thought, "I spent all my money at the inn last night; it's unlikely I'll get anything to eat now. I'd better go find him!"
Xiaoyao Lang rode his white horse leisurely to the Maqian Gang. At the gang's gate stood four burly men, looking imposing and imposing. One of them, seeing Xiaoyao Lang, said happily, "Young Master Xiaoyao, you haven't been to our Maqian Gang for a month or two, have you?"
Xiaoyao Lang laughed and said, "Yes, are the gang leader and young master inside?"
The burly man replied, "You've come at the wrong time. Chief Ma just returned to the manor, and the young master went horse racing in Beisha a month ago!" Xiaoyao then turned his horse around and prepared to go find Chief Ma!
The burly man said, "Hey! Young Master Xiaoyao, you're leaving so soon? Why don't you go in and have a couple of rounds with the brothers!"
Without turning around, Xiaoyao Lang waved his right hand and said, "No money, no mood!"
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xiaoyao Lang arrived at Ma Family Manor. The gatekeeper, seeing it was Xiaoyao Lang, hurriedly opened the gate and exchanged a few words with him. Xiaoyao Lang entered the manor and went straight to the main hall. Upon reaching the hall, he saw a large, fat man, about six feet tall, holding a jade pendant and examining it. His fleshy face was full of smiles. This man was none other than Ma Kaitai, the gang leader.
As Xiaoyao Lang entered, Ma Kaitai noticed someone was there. Looking up and seeing it was Xiaoyao Lang, his face immediately darkened. He coldly said, "Xiaoyao Lang, it's been two months. What are you doing here? Pingchuan went to the northern desert for business and hasn't returned." This meant he wanted Xiaoyao Lang to leave.
Xiaoyao ignored him, went inside, plopped down in a chair, looked at Ma Kaitai, and said boldly, "Uncle Ma, why are you so nervous? Is there something wrong with the jade in your hand?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Kaitai put the jade in his pocket and said calmly, "What's wrong with my jade? I think you're the one with the problem! The sun didn't rise in the west today, so you should just call me old man! If you're out of money, go find Steward Ma. Don't bother me. Seeing you makes me feel uncomfortable all over!" After saying that, he didn't bother with Xiaoyao Lang anymore.
Xiaoyao Lang said calmly, "I am indeed penniless, and I am very hungry."
Upon hearing this, Ma Kaitai slowly turned around, walked to his side, and scrutinized him from left to right for a long time before saying, "You've changed! You're not the carefree young master you used to be. The carefree young master of the past would have already ordered the cook to prepare food." He then added, "Someone, quickly tell the cook to prepare some food for Young Master Xiaoyao!"
Looking at Xiaoyao Lang, he said seriously, "I've never seen you like this before, so lost and disoriented. What happened? Tell me, and Uncle Ma will help you out."
Xiaoyao Lang shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm just in a bad mood and want to talk to Pingchuan!"
Seeing Xiaoyao Lang's dejected expression, Ma Kaitai said earnestly, "To be honest, you and Pingchuan have been good friends since childhood, and Pingchuan has always considered you a good brother. I didn't like you much before because you idled away your days doing nothing, and I was worried that Pingchuan would be led astray by you. But over time, I've discovered that you're a decent person, which is why I didn't stop Pingchuan from associating with you. You're not young anymore, so why don't you run horses with Pingchuan? When the time is right, I'll act as a matchmaker for you, help you find a wife, get married, and have children. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang's eyes welled up with tears, and he said, "Uncle Ma, thank you for your help over the years. Ever since I met Pingchuan when I was twelve, I've been spending your money. You may seem to dislike me on the surface, but you just hope that I can achieve something. I know all of this."
Ma Kaitai sat down with his sleeves rolled up and said with a smile, "How much money can you spend? Our family has plenty of money. You should think about your future. Getting married and starting a career are the most important things! When Pingchuan came back this time, I planned to let him settle down first before he went out to do business."
Xiaoyao Lang: "Uncle Ma, this matter can't be rushed. Pingchuan appears gentle on the outside but is arrogant on the inside. If you don't let him see the girl first, you probably won't see him again for the next six months!"
At this moment, a servant called out, "Young Master Xiaoyao, the meal is ready."
Xiaoyao Lang: "Uncle Ma, want to eat together?"
Ma Kaitai waved his hand and said, "I've eaten several meals a day, you should go now!"
Xiaoyao Lang laughed, "Then I'm off! I'm starving!" Xiaoyao Lang hurried over, and a moment later, Butler Ma excitedly ran into the main hall, calling out repeatedly, "Master! Master! The young master is back!"
Ma Kaitai excitedly shouted, "My son is back!?"
Steward Ma: "Yes, and they brought back dozens of tall, fine horses!" Just then, a young man of about six feet tall, dressed in brown hemp clothing, with a dignified appearance and composed demeanor, walked in from outside. The young man called out as he entered the hall, "Father! I'm back!"
Ma Kaitai was overjoyed and grasped Ma Pingchuan's arms, saying, "Pingchuan! You've been gone for more than two months this time. Your father has been thinking of you a lot while he was away!"
Ma Pingchuan laughed and said, "I miss my father while I'm away!" Then he said to the steward beside him, "Steward Ma, I'm a little hungry. Tell the cook to prepare some wine and dishes for me. Also, the dozen or so brothers down there haven't eaten yet. Please make arrangements for them!"
Butler Ma: "Yes, young master! I'll take care of it right away! You and the master talk for a while!"
Ma Kaitai said to Steward Ma, "Go and make arrangements for those dozen or so brothers. Xiaoyao just went over to eat!"
Ma Pingchuan shouted, "Xiaoyao Lang! He's eating!?"
Ma Kaitai: "Yes, he just arrived today. He said he needed to talk to you. He should be having dinner in the side room now." Just as he finished speaking, Ma Pingchuan walked towards the door, then returned and said, "Father! I'll go have dinner with Xiaoyao first, and I'll come back to keep you company tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Kaitai happily said, "Go ahead, you must be starving!"
Ma Pingchuan went to the side room and saw Xiaoyao Lang wolfing down his food with a bowl in his hand. He quietly walked up behind him, intending to pat him on the shoulders to give him a fright! But when he got closer and saw the food on the table, he immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Help!" Xiaoyao Lang was startled and quickly turned around. With food still in his mouth, he hurriedly said, "Pingchuan! You just got back?!"
Ma Pingchuan: "Yes, eat slowly, don't choke!" Just then, a servant came in. "Young master, what can I do for you?"
Ma Pingchuan angrily said, "Go and call the cook!"
Xiaoyao laughed and said, "What's wrong? You haven't eaten either? Let's eat together, I haven't finished my first bowl yet!"
Ma Pingchuan glanced at him and said, "What are you eating? I haven't eaten well for the past two months, and you're giving me this to eat when I get back?" Ma Pingchuan was furious when he saw the dishes on the table: a plate of bamboo shoots, a plate of cabbage, and a dish of chili sauce.
At this moment, the cook hurriedly ran up to Ma Pingchuan and smiled, "Young master, what can I do for you?"
Ma Pingchuan pointed at the vegetables and said, "You're feeding Xiaoyao this stuff while I'm not home?"
Cook: "Young master, I..." Before he could finish speaking...
Ma Pingchuan angrily retorted, "At least cook one or two meat dishes! This is outrageous!"
The cook hurriedly replied, "It's not that I don't want to cook, it's that there's no meat in the kitchen!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Pingchuan was furious and shouted, "So what use are you? If there's no food at home, just send someone to buy some! I haven't eaten either, are you planning to give me bamboo shoots and vegetables too!"
Upon hearing this, the cook was so anxious that he couldn't speak: "This...this...I'll send someone to buy it right away and make it for the young master immediately!"
Ma Pingchuan said coldly, "No need. By the time you buy and cook it, I'll be starving! As for these dishes, you can keep them for yourself!"
After Ma Pingchuan finished speaking, he pulled Xiaoyao Lang and said, "Xiaoyao, let's go out to eat. I haven't eaten the family's dishes for two months!"
Xiaoyao Lang: "Alright! I wanted to eat a chicken too!" After saying that, the two of them left side by side.
Not long after the two left, Ma Kaitai arrived and asked the cook, "What's going on? Why did the young master leave without eating?" Only then did Ma Kaitai notice the dishes on the table and shouted, "Who told you to cook these dishes?" The cook didn't know what to say, so he simply shut up and didn't reply.
At this moment, Butler Ma arrived. Butler Ma: "Master, what's wrong?"
Ma Kaitai pointed to the dishes on the table and said, "Did you order the chef to cook these dishes for Xiaoyao Lang?"
The butler asked with a puzzled look, "Young Master Xiaoyao's food? I haven't seen Xiaoyao Lang here!"
Ma Kaitai pointed at the cook and said, "You tell me!"
The cook looked aggrieved and said in a low voice, "Master, you've been eating out these past few days, and we've run out of meat at home. This is all we've been eating; we really don't have any good dishes to cook!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Kaitai became anxious: "Oh dear, what can I say to you? That Xiaoyao Lang, he's our young master! You fed him this, and now my precious son has seen it, he'll definitely think it was my order! You!" He kept pointing at the cook and berating him.
Suddenly, she turned to the butler and said sternly, "And you! I always knew you were the most frugal, but you can't be frugal when you should be! You still need to eat what you need to eat! Pingchuan is home now, and all the food has been prepared for me, especially the chicken! Buy plenty of chicken!" With that, she stormed off, leaving the butler and the cook looking at each other, both feeling wronged.
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