Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

For some reason, looking into Fang Xin's eyes, Xiao Lanzhi felt a little scared and quickly shook his head: "Second Miss Fang's cooking skills are indeed well-deserved."

Fang Xin then turned and left, satisfied.

"Cough cough!..."

Xiao Lanzhi immediately coughed, his eyes glistening with tears. He then tasted the other dishes.

It was either too salty, too sour, or too bitter. He took another sip of soup, and if he hadn't been mentally prepared, he definitely would have spat it out.

Xiao Jingqi gently curled the corners of his lips and teasedly reminded him, "Zixi should make good use of Miss Fang's kindness."

Just as Xiao Lanzhi was about to refuse, Fang Yu's leisurely voice interjected, "If Xin'er knew that Lord Xiao was so careless with food, would he still want to try her cooking again next time..."

Fang Yu didn't say anything more, but shook his head instead. He placed the last piece with his fingertips and smiled, "I won again."

Looking at the few unpalatable dishes in front of him, Xiao Lanzhi gritted his teeth, turned around and called out towards the door, "Thirteen!"

Mo Shisan had been swallowing hard for a while. He hurriedly came in, his eyes fixed on the dishes on the table, and replied, "My lord, I am here."

Xiao Lanzhi glanced at the dishes on the table: "These are all the hard work of Miss Fang Er, not a single drop should be wasted."

Mo Shisan was excited upon hearing this: "Thank you, sir."

Xiao Lanzhi pinched her thigh, forcing herself not to laugh, and watched Mo Shisan eat the food, then covered her mouth as if to spit it out.

Xiao Lanzhi commanded sternly, "No vomiting, or if Miss Fang finds out, you'll never get to eat her food again..."

Xiao Lanzhi didn't say anything more, instead shaking his head.

"..." Mo Shisan was like a mute eating bitter herbs, he ate the dishes on the table with a pained expression.

Firecrackers echoed throughout Xishan Village. Under the arrangement of Li Shi and Fang Xin, everyone was seated and the food was prepared and served.

The village chief is also helping with the arrangements, making sure that no one who comes to offer their congratulations is left out.

The last table of dishes was brought to the inner room; it was Li Shi and Fang Xinlai who served the food.

Knowing that the official was in the inner room, the other women were all trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice, and did not dare to step into the inner room to serve the dishes.

Finally, when the last dish was served, Madam Li nervously rubbed her hands together, unsure of what to do. She then gently pulled Fang Yu aside and whispered, "Yu'er, I'm entrusting these two gentlemen to your care!"

After Li finished speaking, she turned around and respectfully curtsied to Xiao Jingqi and Xiao Lan, saying apologetically:

"With so many guests at home today, there may have been some oversights, and I'm afraid our hospitality may not have been adequate. These are just some simple meals; please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality!"

At this moment, Xiao Jingqi slowly stood up, a gentle and humble smile on his face, responding with the proper demeanor of a junior:

"Madam Fang, you are too kind. We have come uninvited and have already caused a lot of trouble! How could we dare to have the slightest dissatisfaction with your hospitality? Besides, Miss Fang's exquisite cooking skills are famous far and wide, so we certainly wouldn't find them lacking."

Hearing Xiao Jingqi's understanding words, Madam Li nodded slightly in agreement.

She smiled and said, "In that case, please have your meal first, gentlemen. If you need anything, please feel free to ask."

Just then, Fang Xin's shouts came from outside, so Li hurriedly went out of the room to check the situation.

Before leaving, she gave Fang Yu a meaningful look, implying that she must treat these two Lord Xiaos well and not be negligent in the slightest.

Over here, Xiao Jingqi suddenly turned to look at Fang Yu. In his deep, pool-like eyes, there seemed to be a hint of unspeakable grievance.

Because Li always seemed very awkward and showed an undisguised fear whenever she saw him.

Fang Yu picked up the warmed wine and poured it for him and Xiao Lanzhi: "Lord Xiao, please don't stand on ceremony, let's eat first."

This meal was clearly prepared by Fang Xin, and it looked delicious and appetizing. However, after the previous meal, Xiao Lanzhi really wanted to eat, but he didn't dare to touch his chopsticks first.

Fang Yu smiled and picked up a piece of meat for Xiao Jingqi: "The ingredients are all fresh, Lord Xiao, please try it."

Xiao Jingqi ate it, his expression unpredictable, and only then did Xiao Lanzhi dare to try it again. When the taste was right, he dared to eat as much as he wanted.

Fang Yu stood up: "Please excuse me for a moment, Lords Xiao, please make yourselves at home."

Fang Xin helped Yun Xiao out to sit down. The people in the courtyard were chatting, making it quite lively.

This was Yun Xiao's first time at such an event. Although she didn't know anyone there, she felt very comfortable looking at the kind smiles on the faces of the people.

As soon as Fang Yu came out, the village chief called her over: "Sister Yu, why don't you say a few words to everyone?"

Fang Yu cleared his throat and said two sentences: "The new house was able to be built so quickly thanks to everyone's help. Today, everyone should eat and drink well, and there will be plenty of alcohol."

"Great!..." Everyone applauded and cheered in unison.

Fang Yu said to the village chief, "Don't bother with all that, sit down and eat."

The villagers were so supportive, not only because Fang Yu's family was becoming more and more prosperous, but mainly because of Xiao Jingqi's arrival.

Those were officials; they came in person and brought so many gifts. Who would dare to look down on Fang Yu's family now?

Fang Yu went back to the inner room. Her steps were very light. When she reached the door and saw the scene inside, she was dumbfounded.

Xiao Lanzhi's chopsticks, which were about to pick up some food, were stopped in mid-air by Xiao Jingqi: "Wait a little longer, she'll be back soon."

Xiao Lanzhi swallowed hard, a little angry: "Zizhao, we grew up together for over twenty years, and only now do I see your true character—you value romance over friendship!"

When the word "lust" came up, Xiao Lanzhi almost bit his teeth off, and he pushed his chopsticks down hard: "Can't I even have a taste?"

Xiao Jingqi did not back down an inch, his slightly narrowed eyes warning him.

Xiao Lanzhi's eyelids drooped halfway down as he ground his back teeth: "Xiao Zizhao, don't you listen to your brother anymore?"

Xiao Jingqi's lips twitched noticeably, and he retorted with a dark face, "Xiao Zixi, you've only been burning incense for half a stick longer than me, how dare you act as your elder brother?"

Why are you embarrassed?

The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down, which was incredibly childish.

"Ahem." Fang Yu coughed twice on purpose before going inside.

Xiao Jingqi immediately put away his chopsticks and smiled, "Miss Fang, please sit down, the food is getting cold."

Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Lanzhi finally managed to pick up the dish she wanted to eat and quickly stuffed it into her mouth, afraid that Xiao Jingqi would snatch it away if she was too late.

Xiao Jingqi: ...

Fang Yu suppressed a laugh, picked up the wine pot, and intended to refill the two empty wine glasses, but Xiao Jingqi seemed to have the same idea as her, and their hands reached out at the same time.

Fingertips collided on the body of the teapot, and a burst of heat radiated from the point of impact. Neither of them moved away, and their eyes suddenly met.

Seeing that the two of them were staring at each other without moving, Xiao Lanzhi frowned, slapped Xiao Jingqi's hand away, picked up the wine pot and poured wine, while deliberately saying, "Even if Miss Fang is a beauty of unparalleled grace, you can't keep staring at her like that, can you?"

"Cough cough!" Xiao Jingqi choked on his deliberately teasing words and then withdrew his hand.

"A beauty of unparalleled grace," Xiao Jingqi thought to himself. From the first time he saw Fang Yu until now, he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that Fang Yu was becoming more and more beautiful every day, radiant and splendid.

Fang Yu's expression was natural as she withdrew her hand and picked up a piece of meat to eat.