“Extend one’s life? Are you sure? I bet it’ll drastically shorten it!”
Chen Yan laughed mockingly. She was as happy as she could be.
‘This kid is a total idiot! How could he bring that as a birthday present?’
The faces of the Qin family members became more unpleasant.
Qin Gang noticed that the situation was not looking good and urgently said, “Grandpa, Lil Tang is a highly talented Chinese physician. I don’t doubt that his medicines are amazing.”
“Grandpa, you can trust in Lil Tang’s talents,” Qin Xiangyi added.
The Qin family members’ expressions calmed down a little.
“So, he studies Chinese medicine! But since he’s so young, he should still be a disciple! I don’t believe that his concoctions are of any benefit at all!” Master Qin said.
Old Master Qin’s expression calmed down a little. “Is that so! It’s good to be studying Chinese medicine, but you’re too young and you still have a lot to learn. You shouldn’t be concocting medicines, much less giving them as birthday presents.
“Since the medicine is your present to me, I’m obliged to take it!”
He turned to gesture at Master Qin as he spoke.
Master Qin took the jade bottle from Tang Hao’s hands.
Tang Hao raised an eyebrow.
Old Master Qin’s implied meaning was obvious. He accepted the jade bottle so that no one would be embarrassed, but he did not sound like he would take the pill.
Tang Hao was helpless. The medicine inside was an alchemical pill! The pill would strengthen one’s vital foundation and extend one’s life. The Old Master would be able to live healthily for another ten years after taking the pill.
“Ignorant people!” Tang Hao muttered but did not argue.
Those people did not know the amazing effects of alchemical pills and would not believe him.
‘Whatever. At least I’ve given him something!’ Tang Hao thought.
Chen Yan was even happier when she saw how Old Master Qin treated Tang Hao. She could see that the Old Master was not fond of the kid.
Very soon, the present-giving came to an end.
The people went to their seats and the banquet started.
The attendees of the celebration ate and drank merrily. It was a lively scene.
Tang Hao sat at a table next to the wall. Other than occasionally chatting with Qin Xiangyi, he lowered his head and ate silently. Everyone was envious when they saw how close he was to Qin Xiangyi. Their eyes were almost spewing fire.
Soon, the banquet was about to come to an end.
Suddenly, Tang Hao’s phone rang.
He took it out to see it was from Old Master Luo.
He excused himself to pick up the call. Seven or eight minutes later, he returned with a curious look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Xiangyi asked when she saw his expression.
“Nothing. There’ll be some interesting drama soon!” Tang Hao said with a smile.
A while later, Chen Yan, who was sitting opposite him, stood up and went to the next table to talk to Old Master Qin. “It’s your eightieth birthday today, Old Master Qin. What an auspicious occasion! Do you want more good news?”
“Oh?” Old Master Qin was piqued.
Everyone went silent and looked toward Chen Yan.
“Old Master, our Zheng family has been generational friends with your Qin family. Our social statuses are the same, and we should be joined together by marriage. I’d like to propose a marriage today.”
Everyone became excited when they heard that. They knew what Chen Yan was trying to propose.
She wanted the Old Master to give his word so that Xiangyi would have to marry Zheng Haoyu!
Next to Tang Hao, Qin Xiangyi’s face darkened. She seemed embarrassed and frustrated.
Old Master Qin furrowed his brows. He never wanted to interfere in the relationships of the younger generation. Times were different, and he believed that the youngsters should marry whomever they loved.
However, he was not too happy with Qin Xiangyi’s young boyfriend, though he said nothing to outright reject him.
“Old Master Qin, our Haoyu is an outstanding man!” Chen Yan continued, “Look at him, he looks handsome, and he has a master’s degree from a prestigious university. Also, our families have matching social statuses.”
Old Master Qin nodded as he listened to that.
He was quite satisfied with Zheng Haoyu.
“As for that kid though… First of all, he’s too young. He’s only eighteen years old. When he reaches the legal age for marriage, Xiangyi would have been too old. If he decides to dump her, then Xiangyi’s youth would have been wasted. [1]
“Also, he comes from Tang Village. That’s a poor mountain village. He didn’t even graduate high school!
“How can he match a good girl like Xiangyi?”
Everyone showed approval when they heard that.
“That’s right, Xiangyi is already twenty-three. It’s the prime age to be married. She’ll be too old in a few years.”
“Tang Village? I’ve heard of it. It’s very different from our Greenwillow Village. They’re very poor.”
Everyone discussed among themselves while stealing glances at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao remained calm, though Qin Xiangyi’s face darkened little by little.
“Think about it, Old Master, what did he give you as a birthday present? You should know that he’s not dependable or mature. He’s no match for my Haoyu.
“My Haoyu is mature and dependable, not to mention that he’s loyal. He has liked Xiangyi for many years, and he’ll definitely treat her well if they’re married,” Chen Yan continued.
Old Master Qin was beginning to be convinced.
“Old Master, Jiahui has already agreed to this proposal. If you agree to it, then we’ll see it happen. It’s alright if they don’t love each other. They can slowly develop their feelings for each other! I’m doing this for the good of Xiangyi!” Chen Yan continued persuading the Old Master.
“Well…” Old Master Qin hesitated, even though he had silently agreed to it.
Qin Xiangyi could not take it anymore. She slammed the table and stood up, her face flush with anger.
“Auntie Chen, I haven’t talked back because I respect you as my elder, and it’s also my grandfather’s birthday celebration today. However, don’t even dream that I’ll marry your son in this life.
“It’s entirely my prerogative to marry whomever I like. No one else can make up my mind for me!
“You keep saying that it’s for my good, but I’m sorry to say that I don’t need your kindness. Also, when I marry is none of your business, you don’t have to worry about that.
“I like Tang Hao, and that is final. It’s nothing if I have to wait for a few more years!”
As she spoke, she held Tang Hao’s hand tightly.
Her hand was smooth and soft, as though it did not have any bones.
Tang Hao felt warmth in his heart as he held her hand.
The entire courtyard fell silent after her little speech. Even Old Master Qin did not have a reply.
He knew that his granddaughter was a headstrong one. She might not listen to his advice.
“How can you say that, Xiangyi?” Lin Jiahui chided her with a sullen face.
“You don’t have to convince me, Mom! I’m not compromising, no matter what,” Qin Xiangyi said coldly.
“Ah, Xiangyi, you’re so silly! Your mother and I are doing this for your good. Why can’t my Haoyu compare to that kid? Isn’t Haoyu a hundred, no, a thousand times better than him?
“You don’t think so because you’ve fallen deep into his trap. In the future, you’ll understand who is the better man.” Chen Yan tried to convince her.
Qin Xiangyi straightened her brows and was about to say something.
Tang Hao gently pulled her arm and said, “You can sit down. Leave the rest to me!”
Qin Xiangyi was taken aback. She looked at him, confused.
She had her doubts, but she sat down anyway.
Tang Hao coughed lightly, then confidently stood up. He regarded Chen Yan and Zheng Haoyu curiously as he scanned across the courtyard.
“Hey, Granny Chen, I’ve been tolerating you since we arrived at Stonegate Town. Do you think that I’m a pushover?”
“You…” Chen Yan was immediately furious. “You’re calling me ‘Granny’?”
Tang Hao laughed coldly. “You’re already so old. Aren’t you a granny? Am I wrong? You’re so old, yet you wear thick makeup. Don’t think that you’re young anymore, Granny Chen!”
Everyone felt awkward when they heard that.
Now that he mentioned it, they noticed that Chen Yan’s make up was quite thick.
The corners of Chen Yan’s eyes twitched, and she looked scary.
“What did you say again earlier?” Tang Hao said confidently, “Oh, right! You said that your son was mature, dependable, and loyal, right?”
“Of course! He’s a million times better than a loser like you!”
“Alright! We’ll see how mature, dependable, and loyal he is then!”
Tang Hao smiled curiously, then bent over and took out a stack of documents from under the table. He distributed it to everyone.
Everyone was confused about what was going on. When they received the documents, their expressions changed and they exclaimed in surprise.
“What’s this? I can’t believe that Haoyu is actually like this!”
“Oh my god, this is revolting! You can’t tell that he’s such a person from his facade!”
Everyone exclaimed in surprise while looking at Chen Yan and Zheng Haoyu in disgust.
“What’s going on?” Zheng Haoyu was getting flustered.
“Let me see!” He snatched a set of documents and read it. Soon, he looked as though he was struck by lightning and all color drained from his face.
His knees went limp and he fell on his chair.
On the document was the record of his motel reservations over the past few years.
[1] The legal age for marriage in China is 22.
