Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Lanyue didn't want to continue the awkward conversation, so she found an excuse to leave the Xia family home and headed towards the Tian family home alone.

She felt somewhat lost and confused. She felt that there was no point in staying here.

Should they go back to the capital? Xia Lanyue didn't want to. She decided to just go to her aunt's house as planned.

When she was a few steps away from the Tian family's house, she saw a mule cart coming from the village entrance.

Xia Lanyue stood at the entrance of the Tian family's house, watching the mule cart slow down and stop in front of her. She assumed they wanted to ask for directions, so she waited expectantly until they asked, then told them that she had just arrived and didn't know either.

"Are you Miss Yue?" the woman on the carriage asked.

Xia Lanyue was startled. How did this person know her? Who was this person? Then she thought about it. Wang Cui had already spread the news about her and her sworn brother throughout the village. Given her unfamiliar appearance, it was possible that she was the one in question.

"Yes, I am," Xia Lanyue asked the woman, "Which sister are you?"

“I am Tian Yu, the eldest daughter of the Tian family,” Tian Yu said, jumping out of the car and pointing to the man driving the car. “This is my husband’s family, Ma Ruisheng.”

It turned out she was Uncle Tian's daughter; she did look a bit like Tian Guang. Xia Lanyue remembered that a few days ago when she went to town, Tian Guang had visited his daughter. "You live in town, right?"

"Yes, Dad mentioned you last time, it's a pity you didn't come to visit when you were just passing by."

Xia Lanyue smiled and said, "I was afraid of disturbing you."

"You're too kind, young lady. Next time you come to town, you must visit my home."

"it is good."

Tian Yu peeked into the yard but didn't see anyone. "Did Mom and Dad go to the fields?"

"Yes, Uncle Tian said it's time to harvest the wheat in the next few days."

"Let's go inside and wait," Tian Yu winked at Ma Ruisheng, who then jumped off the cart and led the mule toward the gate of the courtyard.

Seeing this, Xia Lanyue quickly took two steps and opened the courtyard gate.

Tian Yu stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking around. It seemed that she hadn't been back for a long time.

"This room is being used as a kitchen?" Tian Yu pushed open the half-closed door of the kitchen. She walked inside, looked around, and noticed a mattress in the corner, but remained silent.

“Yes, it’s the kitchen now,” Xia Lanyue answered her question, then turned to look at Ma Ruisheng. The man was staring at her in a daze. Their eyes met, and Ma Ruisheng hurriedly looked away.

Tian Yu didn't notice what was happening in the courtyard. She walked into the courtyard and pointed to the house opposite, "Miss Yue, is this the room you're staying in?"

"Yes."

"Can I go in and take a look?" Tian Yu asked her.

“Sure,” Xia Lanyue said, walking over and opening the door. She and Tian Yu went inside one after the other.

Tian Yu's gaze wandered around the room, a faint sadness showing on her face, as if these familiar objects evoked painful memories for her.

“These are my brothers’ rooms,” Tian Yu said slowly.

Xia Lanyue nodded upon hearing this, but suddenly her body stiffened. She remembered that Tian Guang had lost a son, and this room used to be his. So…

Fear instantly enveloped Xia Lanyue; she felt every pore on her body open.

Tian Yu turned and went out, and Xia Lanyue hurriedly followed her outside and closed the door.

"Take the things off the cart," Tian Yu said, pointing to the items on the mule cart.

"Where should I put it?" Ma Ruisheng asked, carrying a basket and a bag of pork.

Tian Yu pointed to the kitchen, then walked over, picked up the bundle from the cart, and went to the main house.

Xia Lanyue stood in the courtyard, still not recovered. "Sister Tian, ​​you guys are busy, I'll go pick up Axiang." She remembered that Axiang was still at Xia Yao's house, so after hearing Tian Yu's reply, she ran all the way to Xia's house.

On the way back, she deliberately lingered with A-Xiang as they walked home. What Tian Yu had said earlier had frightened her, and she hadn't yet adjusted her mindset.

They were picking wildflowers by the roadside, having a great time, when they heard someone calling them from behind. Xia Lanyue turned around and saw Tian Guang and his wife standing on the road, waving at them.

"Grandfather!" Ah Xiang ran over.

Xia Lanyue followed.

Now, she had no choice but to go back, but fortunately there were many people around, which made Xia Lanyue feel much better.

When they got home, Wang Cui ran over and hugged Tian Yu. Tian Yu nestled in Wang Cui's arms like a child, confiding her troubles. Ma Ruisheng and Uncle Tian chatted in front of the vegetable garden.

The family reunion touched Xia Lanyue's heart; she missed her mother too. She wondered if she still existed in her original world, and if her mother was still weeping for her. As Xia Lanyue thought about this, she felt her tears welling up and she turned and ran out.

Unbeknownst to her, Xia Lanyue had walked into the bamboo forest. The forest was tranquil during the day, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and dappling the path. Everything seemed harmonious and beautiful, and her sadness gradually subsided, her emotions soothing.

After composing herself, she turned to walk back. In the blink of an eye, she seemed to see bamboo shoots, so she quickly went to take a look. After parting a shrub's leaves, she was both surprised and delighted to see many bamboo shoots already sprouting.

Stir-fried bamboo shoots were one of her favorite dishes, and Xia Lanyue's mouth watered just looking at them. After selecting a bamboo shoot that was about a foot tall, she decided to dig it out by hand. The damp soil mixed with gravel made it difficult to dig, and she accidentally cut her finger on a stone hidden in the soil. She cried out "Ouch!" and quickly wiped away the dirt and squeezed out the blood from her fingertip to avoid infection.

Xia Lanyue realized this approach wouldn't work. She looked up at the sky and knew she couldn't waste any more time, so she had to give up.

When they arrived at the Tian family's courtyard, Wang Cui was busy in the kitchen with Tian Yulin and Xiu, while Tian Guang, Tian Kuan, Ma Ruisheng, and A Xiang were playing chess. After greeting them, Xia Lanyue also went into the kitchen.

Wang Cui's original intention was not to let her do anything, but Xia Lanyue insisted on helping, so Tian Yu suggested that she start a fire.

Xia Lanyue didn't want to miss this great opportunity to hear gossip.

Tian Yu stir-fried vegetables, Wang Cui chopped vegetables, Lin Xiu washed vegetables, and Xia Lanyue tended the fire; each of the four was busy with their own tasks.

The three of them chatted as they worked, and quite a bit of information came out in no time. Tian Yu's mother-in-law was pressuring her to have a third child again, subtly pressuring her to have a boy; Tian Guangda's brother, Tian Feng, wanted to sell his mentally challenged daughter for some grain, but Song Shi threatened to kill her to keep her; recently, the grain in the fields has been constantly being stolen, and Tian Kuan's stakeouts haven't been able to catch the thieves; this year, Pangao and Ma Ruisheng went to take the imperial examination together, and if Ma Ruisheng failed again, they wouldn't let him take it anymore, as the family really couldn't afford it, so they would let him follow Xia Pangao's example and run a private school in town so that all the books he had read over the years wouldn't be wasted.

Tian Yu lifted the pot lid to sprinkle salt into the dish, and seeing that the salt container was almost empty, she said, "We're almost out of salt."

Wang Cui sighed, "Put less salt in. They've been cracking down on smuggled salt lately. That kid Jiang Di next door is hiding everywhere. You can't find him to buy salt."

“I still have salt at home. I’ll have Tian Kuan bring it over for you when we’re done,” Lin Xiu said.

"Ah," Wang Cui responded with a forced smile.

"Turn the fire down, Miss Yue," the pot in front of Tian Yu sizzled.

"Ah, how do I turn the fire down?" Xia Lanyue didn't know.

"Stop fanning, no need to add more firewood," Lin Xiu said, seeing Xia Lanyue's bewildered expression, offering her some guidance.

Tian Yu seemed to remember something, "Oh dear, I forgot, Miss Yue has never done these things before, I'm sorry to trouble you."

Xia Lanyue didn't mind; this little task wasn't tiring. Her main concern was that if she weren't here, these people would gossip about her too. However, her plan backfired. Even here, they still asked questions out of curiosity.

"I heard that Miss Yue's family is in the capital. When do you plan to go back?" Tian Yu asked with a smile.

"She hasn't recovered yet, and her sister-in-law is already kicking her out?" Lin Xiu said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask her what she thought. I didn't know she could only go back after she recovered," Tian Yu explained.

"I knew it! My sister-in-law couldn't have meant that. But the way you're saying it makes me think you don't want her to stay here anymore." Lin Xiu turned to Xia Lanyue and said, "We're already very happy that Yue doesn't look down on us, a small family like ours. You should just stay here and focus on getting better."

Wang Cui rolled her eyes at Lin Xiu, "A-Yue is staying here with me, you don't need to worry about her."

Xia Lanyue nodded without responding, and just watched the group sing in unison.