Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

As soon as Xia Lanyue stepped into the inn, the waiter recognized her and immediately came forward to greet her, "Miss, you're here again? The person you mentioned hasn't been here."

"No, waiter, I'm here to stay. Do you have any cheaper rooms? I'd like to stay here," Xia Lanyue said to the waiter.

The waiter glanced at the bundle on Xia Lanyue's shoulder and said, "Yes, there are smaller rooms on the second floor, but they don't have windows. It's sixty coins a day. Is that alright?"

"Take me to see the room," Xia Lanyue said.

"Alright, this way please, miss. Let me show you around."

Xia Lanyue followed the waiter to the second floor. Just as she turned the corner, she saw Chen Xiang walking towards her.

Xia Lanyue spoke first, "Greetings, Lord Chen."

"Hey, what brings you here? You still haven't found the person?" Chen Xiang asked, looking puzzled.

"Ah, I'll stay here for a few days," Xia Lanyue said.

"I know, you had a fight, right?" Chen Xiang smiled.

"Hmm...yes," Xia Lanyue said, too lazy to explain, and just went along with it.

"I'm about to go eat, do you want to come with me?"

Xia Lanyue didn't expect Chen Xiang to say that, but she just took it as a polite remark and replied, "I won't keep you from having dinner."

"Oh, okay, you go ahead and do your work," Chen Xiang said, and went downstairs.

Xia Lanyue asked the waiter curiously, "Does this Lord Chen live here?"

"He's a street official. He comes here to rest during the day and then leaves," the waiter said.

"Oh, oh," Xia Lanyue nodded as if she understood.

Xia Lanyue didn't have much money in her pocket and couldn't afford an expensive place, so she decided to stay in this guest room until she found a place to rent.

She put down her baggage, went out to eat a bowl of food, and then went to the pharmacy.

Doctor Zhang was out on house calls and wasn't at the pharmacy. She could only ask the shop assistant about Dai You's whereabouts, but to no avail; he hadn't come for several days.

Xia Lanyue's heart sank. She then went to Wang Xiang's shop, hoping to greet Jiang Di, who might be well-informed and know something.

Xia Lanyue walked into the shop with a glimmer of hope.

"Sister Dai, why are you here at this time?" Abei saw Xia Lanyue at the door and rushed over first.

"I heard you wanted to eat rice cakes, so I came," Xia Lanyue said with a forced smile.

"Huh? When did I..." Abei scratched his head, then seemed to understand something and said, "Yes, the shopkeeper told you, right?"

"Hmm, it's too late today, I'll make it for you tomorrow," Xia Lanyue said, glancing around the hall. "Is Jiang Di here?"

“He’s not here, but I can go and get him. Can you wait a moment?” Abei said.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” Xia Lanyue replied.

Ah Bei ran out like lightning.

Not long after, he came running back, breathless.

Seeing that no one was behind him, Xia Lanyue asked, "He's not coming, is he?"

"No... he... he's talking about something and will be here soon. He asked me to come back and tell you first. Wait for him a bit," Abei said breathlessly.

Xia Lanyue nodded and went upstairs to wait for him.

Having not rested well for several days, she felt very tired, so she found a comfortable spot and lay down on the table.

Before long, Jiang Di arrived in a hurry. However, Xia Lanyue was already asleep.

Jiang Di couldn't bear to wake her, so she gently sat on the stool next to her and waited for her.

She didn't know how much time had passed when Xia Lanyue was awakened by a commotion. She looked up, rubbed her eyes, and found Jiang Di sitting right across from her, which startled her.

"I didn't hear you arrive. Why didn't you wake me up?" Xia Lanyue said.

"I just arrived. Why are you so late? It's almost dark," Jiang Di said.

Xia Lanyue looked out the window in surprise. It was already dark. It seemed that she had slept for an hour! She then looked at Jiang Di and quickly said the purpose of her visit, "I came to ask you about Dai You."

“Actually, you didn’t need to come all this way. I’ll come find you when I have news,” Jiang Di said, handing Xia Lanyue a bowl of tea.

Xia Lanyue understood what he meant, and her last glimmer of hope vanished.

She took the bowl of tea, looked out the window, and pretended to drink it nonchalantly. But inside, she was already experiencing a turbulent sadness.

"Shall I take you out to eat?"

Xia Lanyue turned around. "I've already eaten. Did I interrupt your conversation?" She remembered what Abei had said; he had come all this way specifically for this.

"No, it's nothing. Let me take you home. It's still an hour's drive, and it's too late to see the road clearly," Jiang Di said.

“I… am currently staying at Yunji Inn in town,” Xia Lanyue said.

"Huh?! When did you..." Jiang Di looked puzzled.

"I came here today to tell you not to look for me in Hegu Village anymore. I'm not staying at the Xia family's house anymore."

"Huh?!" Jiang Di's face lit up with a happy smile. "Why?"

"It didn't go well, huh?" Xia Lanyue shrugged sheepishly.

"You should have moved out a long time ago. Only you could put up with them for so long." Jiang Di pouted. "By the way, you can't keep staying in dorms forever. Have you thought about where you're going to live?"

“I need your help with this again. Do you know where I can rent a room? I want to rent a room, but guesthouses are too expensive and my wallet can’t afford it,” Xia Lanyue said.

“If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place. If you do mind, I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Jiang Di said casually.

Xia Lanyue felt awkward about refusing his kindness, but she couldn't agree either. She was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond.

Jiang Di noticed her predicament and said, "Then I'll keep an eye out for you. Come on, I'll take you back."

"Ok".

Xia Lanyue went downstairs with Jiang Di and learned that the noise earlier was from the shop assistants finishing work and leaving through the back door.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and the shops on the street were all busy closing up shop.

Xia Lanyue saw that the tavern by the roadside was still open, so she ran inside.

She asked Jiang Di, "Do you like to drink?"

Jiang Di shook her head. "What's so great about alcohol?"

Xia Lanyue smiled and said to the waiter, "Get me a small jar of the strongest liquor."

Under Jiang Di's surprised gaze, Xia Lanyue paid the bill and walked out of the tavern with him.

"I didn't know you liked drinking, especially strong liquor," Jiang Di said in surprise.

Xia Lanyue smiled and nodded.

He escorted Xia Lanyue to the inn and then left.

Xia Lanyue returned to her room, locked the door, poured herself a glass of wine, and stared blankly at the glass.

She felt a little dejected, realizing that she really needed to prepare herself for the possibility of losing Dai You.

She went through all the good things Dai You had done for her in her mind again. People often don't cherish what they have until they lose it. That's how she felt now; she felt she had never missed Dai You so much.

Gradually, the effects of the alcohol took hold, and Xia Lanyue lay down on the bed, waiting to fall asleep. She wondered what kind of Dai You she would dream about tonight, and what kind of past she would experience.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Xia Lanyue was suddenly jolted awake by a banging sound coming from the wall. She looked blankly at the wall, the loud crash startling her.

She stared intently at the wall, as if afraid something might break through it.

Then the sound disappeared, but soon it reappeared!

She was wide awake, straining her ears to listen carefully to the sounds. It sounded as if something was rubbing against the wall next door, or something was knocking on the wall. After a long time, she heard a woman's soft moans.

Xia Lanyue understood, and instantly blushed with embarrassment.

As the sounds of impact grew louder, the woman's voice also grew louder.

She finally lost her temper, picked up her shoe from the ground, and smashed it against the wall.

For a moment, silence fell behind the wall.