The Reincarnated CEO and His Little Flower

chapter 7

COMMENT LIKE AND VOTE!!

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Oh damn. Chen Fan hurried after Li Qian, and they both reached the woman and her cart at the same time.

"Hello, young masters! It's a surprise to see such handsome young men in our little village." The woman smiled genuinely at their approach.

"You are here for..." She hesitated as her eyes were drawn to the tall, handsome young man with the phoenix eyes. He seemed to be in a bit of a daze, taking in her face for much longer than she was used to.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she turned to the other young man. "Is your friend... ok?" She lowered her voice a little so as not to offend.

Chen Fan startled, then stuck an elbow into Li Qian's side. "Eh? Oh, my friend, yes, of course he's okay! Right, Li Qian?"

'Excellent job not calling him Young Master, Chen Fan,' he congratulated himself. Hopefully, the boss wouldn't take his head off for doing so. Chen Fan did a double-take when Li Qian didn't respond. Well, another elbow in the ribs might do.

"Ugh, ow! Chen Fan, you!" Li Qian finally snapped out of his daze and glared coldly at his secretary.

Chen Fan's heart froze at the boss's look. He widened his eyes at Li Qian and subtly nudged his head at the woman waiting for them to respond.

Chen Fan hated iron for not becoming steel. Telepathy would be really helpful right now; he'd yell, 'Stop being weird and talk to your future mother-in-law!'

The telepathy must have worked because Li Qian cleared his throat. "Auntie, I'm sorry for staring. You remind me of someone very dear to me." Li Qian smiled gently, his racing heart finally easing into a manageable tempo.

The woman waved her hand, "Ah, it's nothing. Please feel free to look around. Are you interested in ceramics?"

Chen Fan stepped forward to look at the graceful lines and flowing curves of the items on display. "Wei, Auntie, do you make these yourself?" Chen Fan hunched down in amazement to look at the intricate designs.

She nodded and picked up a narrow-necked vase. "I do make all the ceramics, but my daughter paints some of them. See, here? She painted this one quite recently." The love she had for her daughter was evident in her doting tone.

She handed the delicate vase over to Li Qian. He took in each detailed brushstroke, clearly made with a careful and steady hand. He couldn't help but run his fingers down the cool glaze, knowing her fingers had touched this very same place.

Gently unfurling across the belly of the vase, the lotus flowers she'd painted gleamed in the sunlight. Soft strokes of porcelain white blended with a whisper of blushing pink to create a captivating scene.

Hiding amidst the verdant leaves behind the flowers, Li Qian could make out the shape of something. He lifted the vase closer to his face, only to hear the woman behind the cart laughing lightly.

"Ah, you've caught it, haven't you?"

He squinted his eyes and looked closer. Is that... "Doraemon?"

"I know, I know," the woman laughed. "She loves to paint these ones for the families that come through the village. It's kind of a fun game for the kids and gets them interested in these traditional arts."

Li Qian chuckled along with her and pointed out the chubby character to Chen Fan, who was leaning over his arm to take a peek. Noted, the boss's little darling liked a good joke.

"Young master," the woman started.

"No, please, Auntie, call me Li Qian." He held out his name card to her. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier. Ah, and this is Chen Fan, my secretary."

She slid the card into her apron and replied, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jing Mei."

"And your daughter?" Li Qian queried. "I must know who the trickster is that paints these little characters."

Jing Mei smiled and turned her head back towards the corner of the square. "My daughter is Jing Jiao. She's busy with school for the next few months but tries to help her old mother out when she has the time."

Li Qian stroked the vase's surface and replied, "She's clearly very talented. She must do well in her studies also?"

"Ah," Jing Mei tutted, "These students have such a tough time in small villages like ours. Although she's so smart, getting ahead is difficult when our resources aren't as good as other places. She's currently ranked first in her school, and she's working hard to try and get a scholarship."

Both Li Qian and Chen Fan felt relieved at this information. It seems like she's not so young, although Li Qian was willing to wait as long as he needed to.

Chen Fan stepped in at Li Qian's subtle nudge. "Er, Madam Jing. Your daughter must be..." he politely inquired. Chen Fan was practically taking notes at this point.

"Oh, she's seventeen, currently finishing Year 2. The district just announced that Huadian Elite Academy in Shanghai is offering up one scholarship for a student next year." Jing Mei laughed, "My Jiao Jiao has decided she has to go, so..."

As Jing Mei tittered on to the attentive Chen Fan, Li Qian turned away with racing thoughts. Getting her to Shanghai just got a lot easier than he ever expected.