Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Butler Zhang stood in the middle of the room, first glancing at the broken pieces on the ground, then at Cuihong, and with a fake smile, said to Xia Lanyue, "Miss, are you alright?"

Xia Lanyue snorted coldly, ignored him, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Housekeeper Zhang was somewhat embarrassed, then turned to Cuihong and said fiercely, "You can even spill medicine when you're just serving it, what use are you?!"

“She didn’t do it, I fell. I’m perfectly fine, I don’t need to take medicine,” Xia Lanyue said.

When Butler Zhang faced Xia Lanyue, his attitude immediately changed. He smiled and said to her, "Miss, this was all arranged by the Master. He told us to take good care of you."

"Take good care of her? Are you sure?" Xia Lanyue asked rhetorically.

"Of course, you haven't been here these days, so you may not know, but the master has found a young master for you in the capital. He's just waiting for you to recover so you can go back and get married," said Steward Zhang.

"Hmph," Xia Lanyue sneered. She didn't know if Butler Zhang was lying to her, but she just found it ridiculous.

Seeing Xia Lanyue's disdainful look, Butler Zhang said, "No matter what, the master cares about you."

After saying that, Steward Zhang waved his hand, and a maid carrying a bowl of medicine walked out from the crowd and went straight to her.

Seeing this, Cuihong stepped forward and blocked Xia Lanyue's way.

Xia Lanyue panicked and shouted at Butler Zhang, "What are you doing?"

"Take your medicine, Miss," Butler Zhang said kindly.

"I won't drink it, the medicine... is too bitter," Xia Lanyue couldn't think of an excuse.

"Young Miss, don't be stubborn. Drink it; it'll be good for everyone," Butler Zhang advised.

"I said I won't drink, and that means I won't drink," Xia Lanyue firmly refused. But seeing so many people, she began to feel afraid. What if they rushed to drink it? Would she be unable to cope? "I don't believe what you're saying. I want to see Father and hear what he has to say."

"We will see him, of course, but we can still take the medicine," said Steward Zhang.

"What? You want to force me to drink medicine? Have you forgotten that you're a servant? Believe me or not, when I go back, I'll make you regret it!" Xia Lanyue shouted.

These words might frighten the young servants, but Steward Zhang wasn't afraid at all. He calmly said, "If things aren't done well, we'll still be blamed by the master. Miss, I'm sorry."

Steward Zhang simply stopped pretending and gave a wink to the people around him. Two young and strong servants received the signal and immediately came over to hold down Xia Lanyue's arms, making her unable to move.

Cuihong quickly stepped forward to pry open the servants, but she was, after all, a young woman and not strong enough.

Butler Zhang looked annoyed. "Cuihong, stop making trouble and go away." With that, he grabbed Cuihong's arm and yanked her to the ground.

Cuihong lay on the ground, and immediately a maid came over and held her down, making her unable to move.

Seeing that Cuihong couldn't help, and the maid who was bringing the medicine came to her again, Xia Lanyue had a sudden inspiration and kicked the maid to the ground.

The medicine in the maid's hand spilled all over the floor.

When Steward Zhang saw this, he ordered the maid to fetch another bowl of medicine, and then called two more maids to come forward and hold down Xia Lanyue's legs.

Xia Lanyue was completely bound and unable to move.

She began to lose control of her emotions and kept shouting for help.

“Young Miss, please stop shouting. This is all for your own good. You may not understand now, but you will understand in the future,” Butler Zhang advised.

Soon, the maid brought in another bowl of medicine.

As Xia Lanyue watched the medicine get closer and closer, despair crept into her heart.

Wang Xiang rode his horse hastily, trying to reach Jiang Di's courtyard before nightfall.

Jiang Di looked surprised to see Wang Xiang. "Why are you here in broad daylight? Is something urgent?"

"I heard some news today that's making me uneasy, so I came to tell you," Wang Xiang said breathlessly as soon as she saw Jiang Di. "Is Dai You here?"

Jiang Di gestured towards the house with her chin, "It's inside."

"Quick, come inside with me," Wang Xiang said, stepping into the house before Jiang Di could lead her.

At this moment, Dai You was drinking tea at the table. When he saw Wang Xiang arrive, he stood up to greet her, saying, "You've come."

“Brother Dai, I’ve heard something and I want to tell you,” Wang Xiang said, walking quickly to Dai You. “I heard from the shop assistant that Miss Dai has gone missing.”

Dai You frowned. "Where did you get that idea?"

“It’s that Abei. He lives very close to Xia Yao’s house. I saw that the girl was all alone, so I asked Abei to visit her often. But he told me that he hadn’t seen Miss Dai for three days and didn’t know where she had gone.”

Dai You's expression tightened. "Could it be that he went out with Xia Yao, or they had a fight and he's staying at an inn?"

“Abei asked her, and she wasn’t at the guesthouse, but Xia Yao was staying there,” Wang Xiang said. “I inquired, and they did have a fight. I heard from the neighbors that they argued very loudly for a few days, and they even said…”

"What did you say?" Dai You asked anxiously.

"They were talking about the kids," Wang Xiang said cautiously, glancing at Dai You's expression. "They even mentioned you."

Dai You frowned even more deeply as he lowered his head, pondering the meaning of those words.

Jiang Di seemed quite pleased to hear this, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

Wang Xiang glanced at him, then said hesitantly, "Brother Dai, I also inquired about something else. Recently, some outsiders have come to the town. It is said that they have inquired about Miss Dai and your whereabouts."

Dai You seemed to realize something and rushed out the door.

He took two steps and saw the horse parked at the door. He jumped up and said, "Young Master Wang, may I borrow your horse?"

Before Wang Xiang could even agree, Dai You had already ridden off on his horse.

"Hey, wait for me..." Jiang Di shouted and ran towards the door, but Wang Xiang stopped her.

"You are not allowed to go," Wang Xiang commanded.

“I’m afraid he won’t be able to handle it alone,” Jiang Di said.

“Then you can’t go. This is their family matter. Why are you getting involved?” Wang Xiang said.

Jiang Di was taken aback. "Family matters? Do you know where those people come from?"

Wang Xiang shook her head. "I'm not sure. I guess the Dai family has come looking for us. Think about it, a wealthy family like theirs would come looking for two people who have gone missing. It's just a matter of time."

"So, Dai Xiyue went home?" Jiang Di was very sad. "She left without saying goodbye? I guess I'll never see her again."

Wang Xiang looked at his spineless appearance and sighed, "That's her destiny. I told you long ago, you two are not meant to be together. I told you to settle down as soon as possible."

Jiang Di looked listless. "That's what I say, but I still feel bad. The Dai family took Dai Xiyue away, but why didn't they take Dai You?"

Wang Xiang thought for a moment, "They probably won't find them. After all, even the soldiers couldn't find them here, so how could they possibly find them?"

Jiang Di's feelings were written all over her face. Wang Xiang shook her head helplessly, but couldn't utter a single word of advice.