Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

The night was still and quiet, with a cool breeze blowing.

The two stood side by side by the river.

The river flowed gently beneath their feet, making a soft, murmuring sound.

Xia Yao glanced at Zhou Yuan beside him. "What is it? Speak."

“Brother Xia, my brother took the stolen goods to the black market to sell, and he was targeted,” Zhou Yuan said.

"who?"

"They seem to be government officials," Zhou Yuan said anxiously.

Xia Yao frowned. "This is troublesome. Let him hide. The government is cracking down on bandits, and those caught will be severely punished. Let him hide for a while before we talk about it."

"But what if, I mean what if, they follow the trail and try to sneak over here? What should we say then, brothers?"

"You're so smart, how could you not know how to say it?!"

Zhou Yuan didn't continue, but Xia Yao understood what he meant, but he didn't want to point it out.

“Then I’ll tell my brother to be careful,” Zhou Yuan said, glancing at Xia Yao’s expression. “If something really happens, Brother Xia will have to bail us out.”

Xia Yao turned his head and looked at Zhou Yuan with a cold gaze. "Brother Zhou, how can I, a schoolteacher, bail you out? You should give your brothers some pointers and prevent them from making mistakes at this critical juncture. That's more important than anything else."

Just then, a heavy thud came from the reeds behind them.

Both of them were startled and turned around to look in the direction from which the sound came.

At the bend in the reeds, a piece of wood on the ground was quietly moved aside and disappeared around the bend.

Seeing this, Xia Yao, who was originally nervous, seemed to have thought of something, and he secretly glanced at Zhou Yuan beside him.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan was also looking at him, Xia Yao gestured for Zhou Yuan to be quiet, then waved his hand. The two of them turned around together and faced the riverbank, as if nothing had happened.

"Brother Xia, it seems we're being watched," Zhou Yuan said nervously.

Xia Yao nodded. "It seems so. Do as I say. Leave quickly and don't let him see your face. Also, let's not meet unless it's absolutely necessary. Make sure you explain things to your brother as soon as possible to avoid getting into trouble."

"Okay, I understand. Then, who is this person?"

"I'll go after them and see. Don't worry about me, just go quickly," Xia Yao said, then turned and walked towards the reeds.

Xia Yao followed the path out of the reeds. He saw Xia Lanyue on the path, leaning on her crutches, struggling to walk home. Her stumbling and awkward movements made Xia Yao want to laugh.

Xia Yao hid in the reeds until he could no longer see Xia Lanyue, then he emerged from the reeds and headed home.

In the courtyard, Ah Cheng's snoring could still be heard.

He looked towards Xia Lanyue's room, then walked to her window and asked softly, "Is A-Yue asleep?"

There was no response from inside.

Xia Yao gently pushed open the door and stood in the doorway. He saw that Xia Lanyue was still in the same position as before, as if she were asleep.

His gaze swept across the room and he saw her wooden cane standing by the door. Xia Yao gently squatted down, touched the bottom part of her cane, and then gently rubbed it between his fingers. It was damp soil, similar to that by the river.

Clearly, that was her, no doubt about it.

Xia Yao smiled, quietly left the room, and closed the door.

Only after Xia Yao left did Xia Lanyue dare to look up at the door. She secretly rejoiced that she had returned in time, otherwise she would have been discovered.

For two consecutive days, Xia Lanyue guarded against Xia Yao's "ambush" during the day and waited at night to find "handle" against Xia Yao.

Xia Yao reads until late every night, and Xia Lanyue always waits until Xia Yao turns off the lights before going to sleep.

After two days, she couldn't help but admire Xia Yao's perseverance in studying.

For some reason, Xia Yao hasn't sneaked out at night these past few days, which has disappointed Xia Lanyue.

Because of staying up late, she started waking up later and later in the morning.

That morning, Xia Lanyue was sound asleep when she was woken up by a noise outside the door. She got up and went out to check.

Xia Huifang was hanging clothes out to dry in the yard. The sound just now was the clothesline falling to the ground and making a clattering noise.

Xia Lanyue walked over and helped Xia Huifang set up the rack. Then she watched as Xia Huifang opened bags of clothes and hung them on the pole. The clothes were colorful and, to be honest, quite pretty.

"Aunt Xia, is there anything I can do for you?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"Oh, you're awake! Quick, take your clothes out and air them out," Xia Huifang opened another bag of Xia Yao's clothes and started hanging them out to dry. One of them was the purple robe she had given him! He had actually put it away.

“These clothes…” Xia Lanyue looked at the clothes, hesitating to speak.

Xia Huifang looked at the clothes on the rack. "These are the clothes I bought for him."

Xia Lanyue was taken aback, but instead of exposing her, she changed the subject, "What day is it today, Aunt Xia?"

"Has A-Yue forgotten? Today is June 6th, Aunt's Day."

Aunt's Day? What kind of festival is that? Xia Lanyue was a little confused. She didn't seem to have heard of this festival before, and she had no idea what to do on this day.

Seeing Xia Lanyue standing there with a blank expression, Xia Huifang said, "Today everyone will be drying clothes and books, the girls will gather in the river in town to wash their hair, and some will go to the temple to burn incense and pray for peace."

Hearing her say that, Xia Lanyue noticed that the doors and windows of the west room were open, and Xia Yao and Acheng were busy spreading out the books one by one and drying them on the table. They must be airing the books.

Xia Lanyue was a little absent-minded. "The town must be very lively."

“Yes, Pangao, Acheng, and I are going to town in a bit,” Xia Huifang said happily. Suddenly remembering that Xia Lanyue couldn’t go yet, she stopped smiling and said to her, “You shouldn’t go. It’s too far, and your legs aren’t good. There’s also the Lotus Festival in a few days. It’s lively there. Pangao will take you there, and you can have a good time.”

Xia Lanyue smiled. She wasn't interested in the Lotus Festival; she just wanted Xia Yao to take her to see Dai You.

Xia Lanyue walked to the door of the west room and saw that the table, chairs and tatami mats were filled with books.

Xia Lanyue looked at Xia Yao and asked, "Xia Yao, can you take me to see Dai You today?"

“I’m afraid that won’t work. Village Chief Zhao and his wife will be on the mountain praying for the villagers. They won’t be at the official residence, so we can’t get in,” Xia Yao said as he arranged the books.

"So, if no one is in the official residence today, what will happen to Xia Yao? What will he eat?" Xia Lanyue was worried when she thought about how he was all alone.

“This is not something we should worry about. Even if he misses a meal, he won’t starve. So don’t worry about it,” Xia Yao said to A-Cheng after putting down the books. “Alright, let’s go eat.”

After finishing their meal, the three of them set off together to participate in an event in town.

Xia Lanyue was the only one left in the courtyard.

Xia Lanyue looked at the empty courtyard, her mind filled with thoughts of Dai You. If it weren't for Dai You, she would have run away long ago; why would she be staying here?!

At noon, the weather was already very hot. Xia Lanyue was getting impatient and felt stuffy, so she got up and went to the kitchen to get herself a bowl of water.

She can walk fine now, but she can't sit down. Sitting down causes her buttocks to feel like they're being pricked with needles. However, Xia Lanyue is already very satisfied with her recovery speed.

She thought that if Xia Yao continued to make excuses not to take her to see Dai You in a few days, she would leave immediately and find another way.

As soon as Xia Lanyue stepped out of the kitchen, she heard someone calling her from outside the courtyard gate, "Dai Xiyue?"

Xia Lanyue was stunned. That voice... it was Jiang Di! He's here?!