Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

The town has many shops, including tea shops, noodle shops, and taverns...

The four of them agreed on a time and place to meet, and then went their separate ways.

Tian Guang drove to his son-in-law's house to visit him.

Xia Lanyue and Dai You didn't want to disturb them and wanted to stay at the market to play. Xiao Axiang was only thinking about the candy and clung to Xia Lanyue, refusing to let go. So the three of them went to the market together.

Xia Lanyue is more like a child than A Xiang; everything is new and interesting to her.

Xia Lanyue spotted the calligraphy brush stall at a glance and pulled A Xiang over, saying, "There are calligraphy brushes for sale here, A Xiang, come quick!"

Xia Lanyue remembered that A Xiang had made a wish to her, wanting a calligraphy brush. How could she not grant this small wish?

"Choose whichever one you want."

After Xia Lanyue finished speaking, A Xiang happily started choosing, and finally picked one he liked and handed it to Xia Lanyue.

Xia Lanyue didn't know anything about calligraphy brushes; today, she just paid the money. She glanced at A Xiang, then turned to the stall owner and asked, "How much is this?"

"Oh my, young lady, you have such good taste! This is my best brush, a Xuan brush, worth thirty coins."

"So expensive?!" Ah Xiang exclaimed, then grabbed Xia Lanyue's arm, his eyes filled with hesitation.

"It's too expensive, make it cheaper," Xia Lanyue was an expert at bargaining.

"How much do you want, young lady?" The stall owner looked them up and down.

"Ten coins".

"What? How can you haggle like that? Girl, look carefully, this is a good item. If you don't know its value, don't buy it." The stall owner snatched the pen from her hand, put it back on the stall, and put on a disdainful expression.

“The craftsmanship of Xuan brushes is exquisite, and they are worth a fortune. Your brush is really cheap,” Dai You behind him couldn’t help but say.

"What's wrong? You can't even afford thirty coins, yet you want Xuan brushes?!" the stall owner said, tilting his head back.

"So you're saying this isn't a Xuan brush? Then why is it so expensive?!" Xia Lanyue said.

"All the pens I use come from Xuanzhou, they're called Xuan pens, so what?!" The stall owner, unable to argue his way out, saw that they had no intention of buying, and started to chase them away, "If you're not going to buy, don't block my business."

Xia Lanyue got angry and tried to leave with A Xiang, but A Xiang wanted the pen so badly that he let go of Xia Lanyue's hand and stood there staring longingly, refusing to move.

Xia Lanyue looked at A Xiang's longing eyes, sighed, and continued to negotiate with the vendor, "Would you sell it for ten coins?"

"Not for sale."

"How much do you want?"...

After going back and forth like this, the deal was finally struck at fifteen coins.

Xia Lanyue took out the silver notes from her bosom, randomly picked one out, and handed it to the stall owner.

The stall owner held the silver note, examining it from all angles for a long time, and asked Xia Lanyue, completely bewildered, "What did you give me?"

"It's a silver note, isn't it written on it?" Xia Lanyue said irritably.

What are silver notes?

Xia Lanyue was also stunned by the stall owner's question, and she turned to look at Dai You.

Dai You didn't explain. He took out copper coins from his pocket, counted out fifteen and gave them to the stall owner. Then he took the silver note back from the stall owner and stuffed it into Xia Lanyue's hand.

"Which pen does A-Xiang want? Take it yourself," Dai You said.

Upon hearing this, A Xiang picked up the pen he had just chosen from the stall in front of him, waved it in front of the stall owner, and then stood up and took Xia Lanyue's hand.

The stall owner finished counting the coins and nodded.

Xia Lanyue glared at the stall owner, then pulled A Xiang away.

After walking a few steps, Xia Lanyue couldn't help but ask Dai You, "What's the deal with these silver notes?"

“Miss, these silver notes haven’t been around for very long and haven’t circulated widely. They’re only used in the capital and a few nearby states, so it’s not surprising that many people don’t recognize them.”

Oh, thank goodness, it's not fake. Xia Lanyue breathed a sigh of relief.

"But..." Wait a minute, what will she do with the money during this time? She still wants to build a house for Uncle Tian, ​​buy a nine-linked ring for A Xiang, buy wine for Tian Guang, and clothes for Aunt Wang... What should she do? "Why didn't you tell me sooner that this can't be used?"

"I didn't know the young lady was going to use it," Dai You said innocently.

Xia Lanyue sighed, standing there blankly, her initial energy gone.

"This noodle shop is so delicious, Aunt Yue, can you take me there?" A-Xiang pointed to a bustling noodle shop and looked at Xia Lanyue with longing eyes.

At this moment, Xia Lanyue had no mind for having fun; she didn't even hear what A Xiang said.

"Young Miss, would you like some noodles?" Dai You asked again.

"Huh? I'm not hungry," Xia Lanyue said, her stomach rumbling.

Xia Lanyue looked down at her stomach and rubbed it.

“It’s alright, Miss, I brought money,” Dai You seemed to have seen through Xia Lanyue’s thoughts.

Upon hearing this, A Xiang happily pulled Xia Lanyue into the shop, found an empty table, and the three of them each ordered a bowl of noodles.

The noodles were served quickly.

"There's still meat inside!" Ah Xiang happily picked up some minced meat to show Xia Lanyue, then put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully, completely ignoring Xia Lanyue's expression.

Xia Lanyue didn't speak, but her feelings were written all over her face. She began to worry about the future. Would she have to work here to save up for her trip home?! This was terrible! The rich young lady she had imagined wasn't like this at all. She thought that with money in hand, she would have nothing to worry about, but she never expected this…

She took out the silver notes from her bosom and couldn't help but sigh. This was just like the pie in the sky that the boss had painted for her—she could see it, but she couldn't get enough to eat.

"Would you like another pancake?" Dai You asked.

Upon hearing this, Xia Lanyue glared at him, but unfortunately, Dai You had his head down and didn't know.

"No, thank you," Ah Xiang replied.

She sighed softly. Oh well, Dai You still has money. Let's eat his food first, and if it doesn't work out, we can always pay him back double when we get back. If Dai Xiyue can afford to hire someone like Dai You, her family must be quite wealthy.

She still had to eat, so Xia Lanyue put away the silver notes, mixed the noodles, and started eating.

This taste... I feel like I've had it somewhere before... but where? She couldn't remember for a moment.

After Dai You finished eating, he waited quietly for them.

"Ah, I'm done eating," A-Xiang said, still staring at the bowl with lingering satisfaction after finishing the last bite. "Was it delicious, Aunt Yue?"

Xia Lanyue nodded.

After the three of them finished eating, Dai You got up to pay the bill.

Fortunately, Dai You still had some money. At this moment, Xia Lanyue only hoped that Dai Xiyue had not mistreated Dai You before, and that Dai You's money could last until she returned home.

Xia Lanyue and A Xiang walked out of the noodle shop first and waited for Dai You outside. The two looked around, and Xia Lanyue secretly regretted that she could only look but not buy.

“We’ve come to town today to get medicine,” Dai You reminded him.

Xia Lanyue rolled her eyes inwardly; this guy was really a killjoy.

"Ah Xiang, go with Aunt Yue to get the medicine." Although Xia Lanyue was reluctant, she still went.

"Ok".