Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Lanyue stood in the courtyard, glanced at the familiar courtyard, a place filled with memories of her and Xia Yao, and felt a sudden pang of reluctance as she thought about leaving.

Xia Lanyue went back to the house and lay down on the bed.

Watching the shadow cast by the oil lamp on the roof, I gradually drifted off to sleep.

That night, she had a long dream, in which Dai You, Xia Yao, and Jiang Di were present.

She seemed to replay all her experiences here in her mind. She dreamed of River Valley Village again, and of Jiang Di kneeling in front of her, wanting to take her away. This time, she chose to lean on his back...

Xia Lanyue slowly opened her eyes, not knowing how long she had slept.

What she saw was an unfamiliar scene: a strange room with two girls standing there, staring at her.

Upon seeing her wake up, a girl happily ran out of the house, while another walked towards her.

She recognized the girl; she was Dai Xiyue's maid!

"Young Miss, you're finally awake!" The maid knelt down beside Xia Lanyue, sobbing, and took her hand. "Cuihong thought she would never see you again. It's good that you're alright."

Xia Lanyue was a little confused, unable to distinguish between reality and a dream.

To be honest, she remembers sleeping in the house, so how did she end up here?

If it was a dream, she could clearly feel Cuihong's warm, moist hands, and the feeling was so real.

"Young Miss, what's wrong? Are you angry with me? Why are you ignoring me?" Cuihong's eyes were red.

"No, no, I'm just still sleepy," Xia Lanyue didn't know what else to say.

"Why don't you rest a little longer? Once you're rested, we can have the housekeeper come over," Cuihong said.

Xia Lanyue was even more confused, "Butler?"

“Yes, the housekeeper is here too. There are more than a dozen people from the house who came specifically to find you,” Cuihong said.

Xia Lanyue seemed to suddenly realize something, "Did my father send you?"

"Yes, Master said that you must be brought back."

Xia Lanyue was even more confused. Did Master Dai send so many people because he valued this daughter? The information she gathered suggested this daughter wasn't well-liked. Could it be that Dai You was lying to her?! Did he not want her to come home?! But her memories didn't lie: the stern Master Dai, the demanding stepmother, and the affectionate Dai You…

"Young Miss, are you alright? I'd better go and fetch a doctor," Cuihong stood up and was about to leave.

"Wait!" Xia Lanyue called out to Cuihong in time. She couldn't let the doctor come; she was afraid they would find out about her pregnancy.

"I'm fine, I'm just still sleepy. By the way, how did I get here? Why don't I remember anything?" Xia Lanyue said, covering her head.

Cuihong hesitated before revealing the truth: the servants had put a hypnotic drug in the oil lamp to bring her out. They did this to prevent Xia Lanyue from struggling and causing trouble for the neighbors, so they resorted to this drastic measure.

“Miss, this is the butler’s idea, it’s not my fault. I didn’t want to use such underhanded methods, but you know, my words don’t carry any weight,” Cuihong complained, pouting. “But now that you’re back, Cuihong isn’t afraid of him anymore.”

Xia Lanyue smiled awkwardly; given her situation, she couldn't even take care of herself.

Xia Lanyue glanced at the sky; it was almost dusk. She asked, "I've been out all day!"

Cuihong smiled awkwardly and did not answer.

Xia Lanyue felt a pang of sadness. She had vanished, and it seemed no one would notice. Neither Xia Yao nor Dai You would.

Thinking of Dai You, Xia Lanyue suddenly felt a little worried. If they could find her, would they also be able to find Dai You? Would they make things difficult for Dai You?

Seeing that Xia Lanyue hadn't spoken for a long time and her expression wasn't good, Cuihong asked with concern, "Miss, if there's anything you need me to do, please let me know and I'll take care of it."

Xia Lanyue shook her head. "By the way, have you found Dai You?"

"No, I heard he's not in town. The housekeeper said it was most important to take you back, so he didn't look for him anymore. It's best if you can't find him. Don't worry about him. You should worry about yourself instead," Cuihong sighed.

"What's wrong with me?" Xia Lanyue asked, puzzled.

Cuihong cautiously glanced towards the door, then leaned close to Xia Lanyue's ear and said, "Miss, the child in your belly is Dai You's, isn't it?"

Xia Lanyue was startled and looked at Cuihong. She already knew that she was pregnant, so it seemed that they knew quite a bit.

Cuihong didn't seem to think it was anything unexpected, and wasn't surprised at all; she just looked at her with some curiosity.

Xia Lanyue composed herself. "What are you saying?! It's not his."

Cuihong pouted, "I don't need to hide it from you. I know you're saying this to protect Dai You."

“It really isn’t his,” Xia Lanyue explained.

"No?! Could it be that this child is Xia Yao's?" Cuihong's disbelief was practically written all over her face.

Seeing her expression, Xia Lanyue quickly explained, "You're right, this child really is Xia Yao's."

Cuihong initially didn't believe it, but seeing Xia Lanyue's determined expression, she seemed to realize that what she said might be true. Her mouth gaped open in surprise, "So, you and Xia Yao are really together?"

Xia Lanyue nodded.

"So, your amnesia is real, and you're not faking it?!"

Xia Lanyue nodded again.

Immediately, Cuihong looked incredulous and tentatively asked, "Did Dai You say anything to you? Do you know what your relationship with him is?"

Xia Lanyue looked embarrassed and then looked away.

Seeing that she clearly didn't want to talk about it, Cuihong didn't press her further. "This is such a mess," she said. Then, remembering something, Cuihong suddenly looked up, her face full of grievance. "So you don't remember me either?"

“I remember, you’re Cuihong,” Xia Lanyue said with a smile.

Hearing Xia Lanyue say this, Cuihong laughed happily and then said, "Miss, you've turned misfortune into blessing."

Xia Lanyue remained silent, pondering the meaning behind her words.

Seeing her silence, Cuihong thought she had said something wrong and quickly explained, "What I mean is that Xia Yao is also an excellent young master. Although he can't compare to the young masters in the capital, his knowledge and conversation are quite good. He has visited our residence before, so we can be considered half acquaintances. Master likes scholars the most. If he is our son-in-law, I don't think Master will object. It will also shut up those gossiping mouths outside."

Hearing that familiar name, Xia Lanyue felt another pang of pain in her heart. Sadly, her marriage to Xia Yao ultimately could not take place.

"Miss, are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat," Cuihong said, only then remembering to care about Xia Lanyue's health.

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, but once it was brought up, Xia Lanyue really felt hungry, a hunger she had never felt before. She nodded at Cuihong.

Cuihong walked out of the house, but was stopped by the servants and led to the next room.

At that moment, Butler Zhang was drinking tea. When he saw her arrive, he invited her over and said, "Sit here."

Cuihong responded and went over to sit at the table.

Butler Zhang handed Cuihong a cup of tea. "How was it? Did you succeed in persuading her?"

Cuihong said excitedly, "Butler Zhang, we misunderstood. Miss really is going to marry Xia Yao, and the child is Xia Yao's, not Dai You's. Miss has amnesia and doesn't remember Dai You anymore."

Butler Zhang remained calm, seemingly unconcerned. "Oh? She's your mistress, it's normal for you to trust her."

Cuihong panicked, "I'm telling the truth."

"Whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter," Butler Zhang said, glancing at Cuihong.

Cuihong seemed to understand what Butler Zhang meant, "What do you want to do?"

"Act according to the master's wishes."

Cuihong jumped up from the stool. "No, we can't touch this child."

Butler Zhang remained silent.

Cuihong, still uneasy, went to Steward Zhang's side and advised, "Steward Zhang, why don't we wait until we get back to the manor and let Master make the decision? If Master is pleased and agrees to make Xia Yao his son-in-law, then the matter will be resolved perfectly. Xia Yao has visited the manor before; Master has met him..."

“Cuihong, you know what being pregnant out of wedlock means? With the master’s status and position, would he even be interested in Xia Yao? We servants are supposed to share our master’s burdens. Since the master has made his decision, he will naturally bear the consequences. If the young lady has any complaints, she should blame her father,” Butler Zhang said with a cold expression.

Seeing that her persuasion was ineffective, Cuihong grew anxious. "But..."

"No buts, just do what you're supposed to do."

"Then Cuihong went to prepare food for Miss."

"Wait," Butler Zhang called out to Cuihong, "Cuihong, you are still young and don't understand many things. Don't let Miss be willful and ruin her future."

Cuihong said in a slightly trembling voice, "I understand."