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"Boss Lin, after you," said Ma Junying politely, oblivious to Lin Yuan’s gaze. Although it was customary for shopkeepers to greet customers, Ma Junying still courteously let Lin Yuan enter the door first.

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, quite impressed with him.

There were already a few women in the shop picking out pastries, and when they saw a man enter, they simultaneously looked over. With just one look, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

It must be said, Ma Junying lived up to his name, handsome and spirited, and perhaps because of his studies in school, he added a gentle, jade-like scholarly aura to his presence.

Such a man, who was not abrupt in his approach and spoke in a mild and elegant manner, truly touched the heartstrings of many women.

Lin Yuan saw the looks in the eyes of the women in her shop, and couldn’t help but feel some expectation towards this Young Master Ma.

Perhaps she should take the opportunity to get him to linger in her shop for a while longer, she was certain that it wouldn’t take more than half an hour for more women to come to her shop to buy pastries.

Thinking that relying on a beautiful man was a great idea to earn more silver without any cost, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud happily.

Across from her, Ma Junying was admiring the decor and arrangements of the shop, and when he heard the laughter from the woman behind him, he saw her bright, calculating eyes. What more was there to understand?

"If Boss Lin wants me to help attract customers, you’d have to pay me in silver, you know!" said Ma Junying with a teasing look in his eyes.

Lin Yuan was somewhat taken aback, her little scheme seen through as if she had been caught doing something bad. Her face flushed, and she gave a couple of strategic coughs to cover her discomfort.

But who was Lin Yuan? She had only thought about it, she hadn’t actually done it. She blinked and shamelessly asked, "Whatever do you mean by that, Young Master Ma?"

Ma Junying’s handsome eyebrows rose slightly, gaining a deeper understanding of this stubborn and clever woman. He didn’t believe for a second that someone as astute as her wouldn’t understand the meaning behind his words.

However, it was clear Ma Junying didn’t take Lin Yuan’s brazenness to heart, nor showed any signs of discontent. Shrugging his shoulders, he comforted her as though she were his little sister, "It’s nothing. I just feel happy seeing Boss Lin so cheerful, that’s all."

As he spoke, without waiting for Lin Yuan to continue the topic, Ma Junying changed the subject, "Indeed, Boss Lin is a clever woman."

"Indeed?" Lin Yuan was more curious about this well-mannered, composed man.

"Yes. On the way here, Xiaonan kept talking about Boss Lin."

Lin Yuan grew interested in Ma Junying’s words too, noting the seemingly casual female customers who wandered over and Ma Junying’s subtle avoidance whenever he brushed past them, her appreciation for his integrity grew.

"Miss Ma must have been talking not about me, but my shop’s pastries, I presume," Lin Yuan guessed.

Ma Junying chuckled, his eyes curving as he looked at Lin Yuan, full of admiration, "That’s why I said, Boss Lin is indeed very smart."

Lin Yuan was amused by his not-so-jocular joke.

Meanwhile, Ma Xiaonan had Liuzi weigh her a pound of spicy strips and quickly had Meng Liangdong wrap them up while her elder brother wasn’t looking.

There was no helping it; her elder brother wouldn’t let her eat too much spicy food, but she just couldn’t resist, having devoured a packet of spicy strips at noon in no time at all.

After the spicy strips were wrapped and the maid hurried to hide them on the carriage, Ma Xiaonan sat down with Meng Liangdong and started discussing in detail the wedding pastries needed for Xiaoqian’s marriage.