My Lord, my wife said she doesn't have time to talk to you.

After hearing these words, Huaying felt at ease and happy.

It was as if she returned to Taohua Town just to confirm her inner speculation. She knew very well that Fu Shiyan was gifted and talented, and was definitely not an ordinary person.

She lowered her head and pinched the corner of Fu Shiyan's clothes. "I will talk to my father and brother in private and ask them to help you. With your talent and your father's help, you will definitely be able to pass the exam to the capital next year."

Fu Shiyan hugged Huaying gently and stroked her hair. He wanted to act according to the plan. His elder brother would be reunited with the eldest prince in the capital soon. If he could enter the capital next year, he would be able to lend a helping hand to his elder brother.

While Fu Shiyan felt the warmth and tenderness brought to him by the person in his arms, he tried hard to suppress the complicated and depressing emotions in his heart.

His eyes became deeper and deeper, and he looked at the old tree outside the window, only to see that the leaves of the old tree had gradually withered...

He stroked the hair of the person in his arms and pondered for a moment. "Right now, Wu State is in need of talents. If we can persuade Emperor Wu to change the imperial examination from being held every three years to being held once a year, it will not only inject new power into the court, but also encourage those diligent and studious students to study harder. In this way, Wu State will surely prosper!"

Hearing his words, Huaying raised her eyes and nodded slightly, already having a plan in mind.

At this moment, there was another knock on the door. Zhang Bo stood outside the door and whispered softly, "Boss, the chili sauce is ready according to the secret recipe. Please go downstairs and taste it to see if there is anything else that needs to be adjusted."

Fu Shiyan turned his gaze to Huaying's shy and blushing face, then lowered his voice and responded to the door: "Okay, I'll be down in a moment."

When Zhang Bo heard his master's happy tone, he understood and turned away.

As she walked, she put her hands together and silently prayed to the master and mistress in her heart: "Master, please bless Miss Huaying to marry into our family! This girl will bring good luck to our second son!"

At this moment, Hua Ying in the room sorted out her chaotic thoughts and smiled at Fu Shiyan: "Let's put it this way. The profits from the chili sauce will still be split 50-50. You like me, but it has nothing to do with money."

Fu Shiyan couldn't help laughing at her words. He chuckled and sat back at the desk, teasing, "You little money-grubber, don't worry, your money won't be reduced by a penny."

Huaying raised her eyebrows and prepared to go downstairs. She walked a few steps and then stopped to ask him, "Do you want to go downstairs with me to taste the chili sauce?"

With a faint smile on his face, Fu Shiyan stood up and followed Huaying to the kitchen downstairs.

Uncle Zhang brought out the prepared chili sauce. Huaying dipped her chopsticks into the red sauce and tasted it. "Uncle Zhang, did you add sugar to it? It tastes better than last time."

Seeing Zhang Bo nodding repeatedly, "Make a large batch of sauce according to this method and try selling it in our store first. If the response is good, you can consider opening a store like this."

Shopkeeper Liu, who was standing by, looked at Huaying, as if he was about to say something, but after a while he finally mustered up the courage to say, "Boss, can we... bring them back to the village to sell, and then get a small... share of the profits?"

Hua Ying and Fu Shiyan looked at each other and smiled in tacit understanding. They understood each other's thoughts instantly and said readily, "Okay, each bottle is priced at five cents. If you sell two bottles, you can get a commission of one cent. How about that?"

Shopkeeper Liu did some calculations in his mind, and suddenly he smiled happily. He hurriedly thanked Huaying on behalf of all the employees.

"But let me be frank with you. You can't delay the work at hand." Huaying looked at everyone who was eager to get started and reminded them. Manager Liu agreed.

In the following period, Huaying and Zhang Bo kept trying to make new dishes. In their free time, they packaged chili sauce with the guys in the store. Their days were fulfilling and happy.

Until the evening of that day, when the sun set in the west, the afterglow fell on the flower tree at the back door of Zui Jiang Yue, giving the tree a hazy halo.

Fu Shiyan knocked gently on Huaying's door. Huaying opened the door and saw him standing at the door in a new suit.

Huaying looked at him in surprise, and heard him say, "I'll take you to the stone bridge later. I'll go downstairs and wait for you. Do you want to pack up?"

Seeing that his eyes looked a little unnatural and his ears were slightly red, Huaying couldn't help but feel amused. This cold-faced handsome guy also had a tender side, and the date made him hint so obviously...

Huaying nodded and watched Fu Shiyan go downstairs. She closed the door gently, leaned against the door, covering her hot face with her hands, and a surge of anticipation surged in her heart. Whether in modern times or ancient times, this was the first date in her life.

She walked to the closet and picked out a light pink dress to put on. Then, she combed her beautiful braids again, put on some makeup, looked at her beautiful face in the mirror carefully, nodded with satisfaction, and then walked out the door.

When she arrived at the lobby on the first floor, she saw Fu Shiyan standing at Zui Jiangyue's door waiting for her. Compared with the passers-by, his figure looked particularly tall and straight.

Fu Shiyan seemed to feel her gaze and turned around to smile at her. Huaying walked up to him and strolled on the street with him, feeling the tranquility and beauty of the night.

The two walked side by side, through the busy and noisy streets, and came to the stone bridge.

Fu Shiyan gently took Huaying's hand, looked at her with a smile, and said, "Close your eyes."

Huaying raised the corners of her mouth slightly and closed her eyes obediently, secretly wondering what kind of surprise this dull scholar would bring her.

Is it a love letter? After all, love letters are the most romantic way of expression for scholars.

After a moment, Fu Shiyan's voice sounded again: "Okay, open your eyes."

Huaying opened her eyes. Even though she was mentally prepared, the scene before her still surprised her - the originally empty river surface was now rippling with countless colorful lanterns!

They are like a group of twinkling elves, swaying lightly on the water, emitting a soft and warm light, and floating leisurely past Huaying's eyes.

Passersby on the shore were also attracted by this sudden beautiful scenery. They stopped to watch and exclaimed in amazement.

"Where did all these lanterns come from?"

"It's so beautiful, even more spectacular than the Chinese Valentine's Day!"

"Is today a special day? Why are there so many lanterns?"

"Haha, it's really beautiful! Look at that one, it's exactly the same as the one I put on Valentine's Day..."

Huaying gazed quietly at the beautiful lanterns, feeling moved.

"You haven't made a wish on the lantern I prepared for you last time. It's not too late to make one now." Fu Shiyan's gentle and low voice entered Huaying's ears, bringing her wandering thoughts back.

Turning around, she saw Fu Shiyan handing her an exquisite pink lantern.

She took the lantern, squatted down, and gently placed it on the river.

Looking at the lantern that was gradually drifting away, the figures of Gu Ling, Jingjing and others emerged in Huaying's mind.

I closed my eyes silently, put my hands together, and prayed devoutly in my heart: "Buddha bless me, I hope my friends and I can be happy."

When she opened her eyes again, she found Fu Shiyan staring at her with a complicated look that she couldn't understand.

He smiled slightly, handed her an exquisite brocade box, and whispered, "Open it after you get back."

After saying that, Fu Shiyan took Huaying's hand and walked towards the stone bridge.