"What nonsense are you talking about?" Dai Xiyan stood up.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Fang Tiangang laughed, "To tell the truth, you really aren’t as pretty as that village girl."
"You..."
"However, if you really want to get together with Tianze, I do have a way..." Fang Tiangang smiled faintly, "I guarantee he will agree to the marriage."
"What way?" Dai Xiyan’s eyes lit up, but then she frowned again, "Why... why would you help me?"
"Because..." Fang Tiangang stepped forward, lifting his hand to gently brush a strand of hair by Dai Xiyan’s ear, "Because I like you..."
"Don’t dream..." Dai Xiyan immediately stepped back.
"I know it’s a dream, so I don’t want to see you upset." Fang Tiangang sighed softly, "I’m willing to help you, willing to do anything for you..."
Dai Xiyan immediately felt a surge of pride, then glanced sideways at Fang Tiangang: "I don’t have anything to repay you with."
"As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters..." Fang Tiangang’s eyes were so tender they seemed to drip with water, "As long as you give me a glance now and then, that’s enough..."
"What way?" Dai Xiyan smiled, though she didn’t like this man, he was still good-looking and a scholar. Being adored by such a person naturally satisfied her vanity.
Fang Tiangang looked around, then leaned in close to Dai Xiyan’s ear and whispered a few words.
"This..."
"As long as the raw rice gets cooked..." Fang Tiangang said while passing a small bottle, "There’s no antidote for this thing beside a woman..."
"Let me think about it..." Dai Xiyan was somewhat frightened and did not take it.
Fang Tiangang smiled, put the bottle on a nearby rock, then turned and walked away, a coldness in his eyes.
Dai Xiyan looked at the bottle, her heart torn with indecision, longing to reach out but not daring to, unwilling to leave it yet unable to resolve herself to grab it.
"Miss..." At this moment, footsteps approached, and the voice of a maid followed.
Startled, Dai Xiyan hurriedly grasped the bottle in her hand and tucked it into her sleeve, answering in a fluster: "I’m here."
The two maids then breathed a sigh of relief.
The Fang Family’s birthday banquet was held in the front hall, which faced the garden, with corridors leading to the Dongnuan Pavilion and the Xinuan Pavilion on each side, the men were in the Dongnuan Pavilion and women in the Xinuan Pavilion, with flowers and trees in the middle, creating a space that wasn’t too isolated but also didn’t intrude on each other.
The doors of the hall were open, and the interior was decorated lavishly, with some guests arriving to give their birthday wishes. Fang Dehua and Yuan Mengzhu were separately attending to the male and female guests.
Fang Tianze had Liu Guang inform his father, then he took Yang Ruxin straight to see Yuan Mengzhu.
"Mother, Sister Ruxin is here." Fang Tianze was very excited, "There’s Dabao and Xiaofeng... Aunt Hui, Xuexue, and Mengmeng are all in the Dingxiang Academy..."
Yuan Mengzhu gave her son a reproachful look: "Look how excited you are..."
Fang Tianze playfully stuck out his tongue.
But Yuan Mengzhu didn’t look at her son again; instead, she turned towards Yang Ruxin: "Miss Yang." She even bowed slightly, and though no superfluous words were spoken, her gratitude was clear and beyond words.
"I have seen Madam Fang." Yang Ruxin felt indifferent towards this Madam Fang, but she still showed great respect because she was Fang Tianze’s mother.
"Who is this?" At this moment, a few madams crowded around, "She looks so striking, yet she seems so unfamiliar..."