Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

“We encountered robbers on the road, and I fought with them for a long time before I managed to escape. These are the things left behind at that time,” Dai You said.

Xia Lanyue stared into Dai You's eyes. Seeing that his gaze did not waver when he spoke, and that his explanation was reasonable, she decided to believe him for the time being.

As Dai You said, the mountains are indeed fraught with danger. It seems that she can only rely on Dai You to get out of here now.

The rustling sound coming from the reeds nearby interrupted Xia Lanyue's thoughts.

The reeds, taller than a person, spread along the riverbank, forming a dense yellow barrier that blocked most of the view. Even if wild animals were hiding inside, they would be very difficult to spot.

Xia Lanyue felt a little scared.

"It's getting dark, let's go home first. Help me up," Xia Lanyue said as she slowly stood up with Dai You's help, then asked, "Where is home?"

“We’ve been out for more than ten days, and now we’re closer to your aunt’s house,” Dai You said, pointing to the river. “If we had a boat, we could go downstream in about two days, and then take a horse-drawn carriage for another day to get there.”

Three days! And that's with transportation available! Xia Lanyue was stunned.

Looking at the increasingly dark sky and unfamiliar surroundings, Xia Lanyue was at a loss for what to do.

A cold wind swept over her, and with her empty stomach, Xia Lanyue couldn't help but shiver.

To be honest, Dai You was quite perceptive. He noticed that Xia Lanyue was cold and bent down to take off his own clothes. "Miss, if you're cold, wear my clothes."

Seeing this, Xia Lanyue hurriedly stopped her, "Wait, I'm not cold at all."

"But you..."

"I'm hungry," Xia Lanyue said stubbornly.

Dai You lowered his head in self-reproach, then patted his body with both hands, as if looking for something to eat.

"Miss, I'm going to catch fish in the river. Wait for me." After saying that, without waiting for Xia Lanyue to stop him, Dai You took off his boots and jumped into the river.

"Shh... shh..." The sound came from the reeds again, as if something was moving.

Xia Lanyue remembered that the uncle had said before he left that there were wild animals here, and thinking of this, she trembled even more violently.

"Dai You, Dai You," Xia Lanyue called out as she moved toward the riverbank, observing the situation among the reeds.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past Xia Lanyue's eyes. She cried out in surprise, fell to the ground, and covered her head with her hands.

Then, a voice rang out from above, "Young Miss, what's wrong?"

Dai You has returned, and Xia Lanyue's anxious heart can finally be put at ease.

She looked up and saw Dai You's face full of confusion.

Xia Lanyue hurriedly looked around. There was no one, no wild animals, only a fish thrashing on the ground not far away.

That was the dark shadow just now.

Dai You helped Xia Lanyue up from the ground, then turned around and went to grill fish.

Xia Lanyue and Dai You sat by the fire, one grilling fish and the other lost in thought.

"Dai You, where do I live?"

“Miss, your family is from the capital, and your family is a well-known and prominent family in the capital.”

That must mean he's very rich. Xia Lanyue was quite satisfied with this identity.

"Why are we going to Aunt's house?" Xia Lanyue turned to look at Dai You.

"...because you were angry with your mistress."

"Huh? Stepmother?" Xia Lanyue didn't understand. Was "stepmother" a stepmother? "Why?"

“…I don’t know…I’m just a guard,” Dai You said, falling silent.

Xia Lanyue sighed softly. Dai Xiyue had a perfectly good life in the mansion, but she insisted on running away, causing Xia Lanyue to suffer as well.

She shook her head, deciding not to think about it anymore. The biggest problem right now was how to get out of here.

Thinking of this, Xia Lanyue secretly glanced at Dai You. Her only consolation at this moment was that she had a relatively reliable bodyguard; otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have been able to survive in the wilderness...

Dai You seemed to sense Xia Lanyue's gaze and turned his head to look at her.

Xia Lanyue hurriedly looked away.

"It'll be ready soon, just wait a little longer."

"Ah."

The aroma of grilled fish wafted out, and Xia Lanyue swallowed hard. Weak as she was, she was just waiting for this piece of meat to save her life.

She sat curled up with her legs drawn up, watching Dai You keep flipping the fish over.

Unbeknownst to her, Xia Lanyue fell asleep. She had a long dream in which she found all the money she had lost, and her boss even rewarded her with a stack of silver notes. In her dream, she also had a boyfriend. Although she couldn't see his face clearly, he was very considerate and even fed her canned yellow peaches.

"Come on, open your mouth."

"Ah...cough cough cough" Xia Lanyue choked again.

"Be careful! She just choked on water, and now she's choked on medicine. When will she ever fully recover?!"

A sharp, unfamiliar woman's voice reached Xia Lanyue's ears.

She opened her eyes and saw two people standing beside her.

Nearby was Dai You, holding a bowl of medicine and a spoon, bending over to look at her. When he saw her wake up, the panicked expression on his face hadn't yet faded.

Standing behind him was a middle-aged woman, about forty years old, with sharp eyes; the voice he had just heard must have come from her.

Seeing Xia Lanyue wake up, the aunt said, "Oh, girl, you're awake! Now that you're awake, quickly drink your medicine; medicine will help you recover faster."

Then the aunt nudged Dai You and urged, "Hand it to your sister."

How did she become the younger sister?

Xia Lanyue propped herself up and sat up. Seeing this, Dai You quickly took one hand and helped her sit up steadily.

Once she was seated, Dai You scooped up a spoonful of medicine and brought it to her lips.

Xia Lanyue glanced down at the unknown dark soup in the spoon, then at Dai You, but didn't rush to drink it.

She quickly glanced around. It was a thatched hut, and the interior was very simply furnished. Apart from a bed, there was only a cabinet. It was clear that the owner was not wealthy; they were probably a nearby farmhouse.

Seeing that she hesitated to drink it, the woman said, "Don't worry, young lady, this medicine was prescribed by Doctor Zhang, it's not poisonous."

Feeling a little embarrassed that the aunt had guessed her thoughts, Xia Lanyue made up an excuse, "Sister is joking, I'm just afraid of bitterness."

"Hahaha," the auntie's eyes crinkled with laughter when she heard her called "sister." "Sister, my son is as big as you now, so call me Aunt Wang."

"Aunt Wang looks so young."

"Oh, what a sweet talker you are, little girl. Are you hungry? I'll go make you some fish porridge."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Wang. You are beautiful inside and out," Xia Lanyue continued to praise.

"Haha, you little rascal, just you wait," Aunt Wang said with a laugh, then turned and left the house.

Only she and Dai You remained in the room. Dai You remained still, holding the spoon and waiting for her.

Xia Lanyue looked at the medicine in the spoon with suspicion, hesitating whether to drink it or not.

If she drinks it, she's worried; if she doesn't, it seems like she doesn't trust Dai You, since she'll still be counting on him to get her out of here.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Dai You drank the medicine from the spoon and said, "It's not bitter."

Xia Lanyue stared at his actions in surprise. Was he testing the drug on her?!

Given the situation, she had no reason to worry. She took the bowl from his hand, gulped down the medicine in one go, and then gave him an awkward smile.

The medicine was really bitter, and Xia Lanyue gagged.

Dai You took the empty bowl from her hand and tried to help Xia Lanyue lie down, but Xia Lanyue raised her hand to stop him.

"Where are we? Brother...?" Xia Lanyue asked.

Dai You pursed his lips. "We're in Hegu Village now. You had a fever and fell into a coma yesterday, so I had to take you to ask the locals for help. Luckily, we ran into the uncle who saved you yesterday. This is his house, and they've taken us in for a while. This lady is his wife. The uncle's name is Tian Guang, and the aunt's name is Wang Cui." Dai You continued, "The village doctor came to examine you this morning. He said you had water in your lungs and a fever. You need to take medicine and rest for a few days to get better. He told you to rest well during this time."

Xia Lanyue nodded. She did indeed feel very weak and uncomfortable.

"What time is it now?"

"Shen Shi" (3-5 PM).

Xia Lanyue counted on her fingers, it was from three to five in the afternoon. She was a little surprised; she had slept for almost a whole day.

She turned to look at Dai You and noticed that he had changed into coarse cloth clothes instead of black. The clothes were too small for his size, making him look a bit comical. "Are these Uncle Tian's clothes?"

Dai You looked down and said, "Yes, my old clothes were no longer suitable to wear, so Uncle Tian gave me these clothes."

Even though they don't fit, having something to wear is better than nothing. I just don't know if I can buy them in this village. "Are there any clothing stores in the village?"

Dai You shook his head. "I've inquired. For some daily necessities, you have to go to town to buy them."

So it sounds like you have money but can't spend it?!

"So, there probably isn't any wine in the village..." Xia Lanyue wanted to say "hotel," but realizing that the term might be inappropriate, she didn't continue, though Dai You still overheard part of it.

“Young lady, you can’t drink anymore. Doctor Li said that your body is not suitable for drinking alcohol.”

"Ah, I was just saying, I'm not drinking anymore, I'm not drinking anymore." Xia Lanyue forced a sheepish smile.

"Young Miss, why don't you rest a little longer? I'll call you when the fish porridge is ready."

"Go and rest, you don't need to take care of me anymore," Xia Lanyue noticed earlier that Dai You's complexion wasn't very good. He looked haggard, like he hadn't slept for several days and nights. Plus, food was limited, and he had been looking for Dai Xiyue, so he was probably exhausted.

Dai You nodded, and after Xia Lanyue lay down, he turned to leave, but Xia Lanyue called him back.

"Wait, Dai You, could you ask around for me how far the town is? Which way do we go?" Xia Lanyue thought about how Uncle Tian had saved her life, and now that they had met again, she was determined to repay him. Giving Uncle Tian some things was a way of showing her gratitude.

“It takes an hour to walk northeast from here to Gujing Town.”

"Okay, I understand. You can go and rest now."

Dai You is quite thoughtful; he's already thought of that.

Seeing that Xia Lanyue didn't say anything more, Dai You left.

Not long after Dai You left, Xia Lanyue suddenly remembered something and quickly touched her clothes.