Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Thankfully, they're still there! Xia Lanyue took out the silver notes from her bosom, counted them, and only felt relieved to find that not a single one was missing.

Looking at the banknotes in her hand, she could barely recognize a few words, let alone know how much money they represented.

Xia Lanyue thought, "Perhaps I'll find out if I go to the market."

She divided the banknotes into two parts, putting one in her bosom and hesitating for a long time before stuffing the other into her sock.

Then he touched his still-feverish forehead and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She couldn't fall asleep even lying down. She hadn't realized she was in a deep sleep earlier. The bed was hard and cold, which was very uncomfortable.

A short while later, a fragrant aroma wafted in, indicating that the food was ready.

Although she didn't feel hungry after having a fever, she would feel weak if she didn't eat, so she had to conserve her strength! With that thought, she threw off the thin blanket, got up, put on her shoes, and went out.

Stepping out of the house, Xia Lanyue finally got a clear look at the layout of the courtyard.

The courtyard was enclosed by a wooden fence, with the main house in the center and a small thatched hut on each side. She lived in one of the huts, while the other was the kitchen.

At this moment, Dai You was sitting behind the stove, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, with his eyes closed, his arm draped over his leg, and his head resting on his arm, as if he were asleep.

Some vegetables were planted between the kitchen and the gate of the yard. Cucumbers were hanging on the plants, and there were scallions and some vegetable seedlings that she didn't recognize on the ground.

In the corner of her room, near the fence, there was a shed with two chickens in a cage next to it, and a foul smell wafted from inside.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a little boy of about five or six years old ran in with a bamboo pole, stopped two meters away from her, and looked Xia Lanyue up and down.

Xia Lanyue also turned around and looked at the little boy. The boy had a pair of big, watery eyes that were very endearing. His dark and red face looked like he had been running around outside all day.

"Who are you?" Xia Lanyue asked him.

The little boy looked at her for a while before replying "Ah Xiang," and then skipped and hopped around her once.

"Do you live here?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"Hmm," A Xiang nodded, stopping in front of Xia Lanyue. "Where are you from?" A Xiang asked, fiddling with the bamboo pole in his hand as he looked up.

"I come from the capital..." Xia Lanyue started to say, but then regretted it. She remembered the knife wound on Dai You's clothes when they first met, and wondered if saying this would cause her trouble. Luckily, A Xiang was just a child and would probably forget about it soon.

"This child runs really fast!" Aunt Wang pushed open the courtyard gate and came in. Seeing Xia Lanyue, she said, "Why are you up, young lady? Are you feeling better?"

Xia Lanyue stood up. "I feel much better. Thank you for taking care of me, Aunt Wang."

Wang Cui walked over with a smile, "Don't be shy, don't think about anything these days, just stay here and rest."

Xia Lanyue nodded in response.

Ah Xiang happily ran over and hugged Wang Cui, calling her "Grandma".

Wang Cui took A Xiang's hand, pinched his cheek, turned to look at Xia Lanyue, and asked A Xiang, "Have you greeted your aunt?" Then, suddenly remembering that she didn't know how to address her, she asked Xia Lanyue, "Miss, how should I address you?"

Xia Lanyue quickly replied, "Just call me Ayue."

Wang Cui nodded and said to A Xiang, "Call her Aunt Yue."

Ah Xiang straightened up and bowed to Xia Lanyue, saying, "Greetings, Aunt Yue."

Xia Lanyue was amused by his serious expression and walked over to pat A Xiang's head.

Wang Cui continued, "Now that you've come here, the whole village knows. Everyone knows that a beautiful concubine has come to my house, and this boy insisted on coming to see her."

The whole village knows her?! That's some serious gossip!

A beautiful concubine?! Xia Lanyue realized that she didn't seem to know what she looked like, or more accurately, what Dai Xiyue looked like.

Xia Lanyue smiled shyly.

Seeing Xia Lanyue's weak appearance, Wang Cui felt that the meal was almost ready. "Miss must be hungry. I'll go check if the fish porridge is ready."

"I'll go see him, Auntie, you take A-Xiang out to play," Xia Lanyue wanted to ask Dai You some questions.

"Look, you're being so polite with me. You're a patient, go back to your room," Wang Cui waved to Xia Lanyue, turned and went to the kitchen. When she entered, she saw Dai You dozing off, and her loud voice came over, "Oh dear, how come you're asleep? Luckily the porridge isn't burnt. You're really unreliable when it comes to getting things done."

Xia Lanyue stood motionless in the courtyard, watching Dai You's flustered and helpless appearance after waking up, and felt a little...heartache!

Xia Lanyue quickly shook her head to clear her mind. This feeling was completely inexplicable and absurd.

Dai You also saw Xia Lanyue at this moment, and hurriedly came out of the courtyard to help her back to the house, "Da... the porridge is almost ready, let me help you go back first."

Dai You wasn't usually one for delicate work, and his grip was so strong that Xia Lanyue's arm ached.

"Oh dear," Xia Lanyue frowned.

Knowing he had done something wrong again, Dai You quickly let go of her arm and didn't dare to touch her again. He simply followed Xia Lanyue into the house.

After Xia Lanyue closed the door, she asked him, "I forgot to ask earlier, how did you introduce us to Uncle Tian and his wife?"

“I told you that I was going to visit my family when the boat sank and I fell into the water and drifted here. I said that we would leave once you recovered. I also said that we were siblings.”

"Didn't they say we encountered robbers?"

"No, it's too complicated to explain."

Xia Lanyue nodded. It's necessary to keep a low profile when you're out and about. "Since you said we're siblings, then when you call me A-Yue, be natural and don't let them know."

"I understand, Da...A-Yue."

"Tsk tsk, look, come on, call out 'Ah Yue' again and let me hear it."

Dai You hesitated.

Xia Lanyue tilted her head and looked at him, but he didn't speak for a long time.

Dai You felt uncomfortable being stared at, so he looked away and silently lowered his head.

"Quack... quack..." came the sound of ducks in the yard, followed by Tian Guang's voice, "I'm back."

Wang Cui responded, "You're back just in time. The food is ready. Let's eat, Ayou, Ayue, time to eat."

"Great!" Xia Lanyue was feeling weak and needed to eat, so she responded to Wang Cui with the loudest voice she could manage, "Coming!"

She walked past Dai You to leave the house, but Dai You stopped her, saying, "I'll go get some porridge and bring it to you."

Xia Lanyue waved her hand, "No need for that trouble, I'll eat with you."

"But you're still sick."

"it does not matter."

Xia Lanyue ignored Dai You's advice and insisted on having dinner together.

Dai You couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to stretch out his arm and let Xia Lanyue use it as a handrail so that she could put her hand on it to make it easier to walk.

"Pfft—" Xia Lanyue couldn't help but laugh, which made her feel like she was the Empress Dowager.

In the courtyard was Tian Guang, who had just returned from herding ducks.

Upon seeing Tian Guang, Xia Lanyue greeted him happily, "Hello, Uncle Tian."

Tian Guang patted the mud off his hands and clothes and replied with a smile, "Are you feeling better, young lady?"

"I feel much better. Thank you so much, Uncle Tian. You saved me again. I don't know how to repay you," Xia Lanyue said.

"It's nothing," Tian Guang waved his hand, "Don't worry about it."

Tian Guang seemed like a down-to-earth person with no ulterior motives, while Wang Cui was the opposite; she seemed shrewd, capable, and also quite feisty.

The two also look very different; Wang Cui looks about ten years younger than Tian Guangneng.

Ah Xiang's big eyes are just like Wang Cui's, only children are innocent and their eyes are much purer.

"Don't just stand there, let's eat," Wang Cui called to everyone from the kitchen. Ah Xiang was already eating a cucumber by the door.

Tian Guang invited the "brother and sister" to sit at the dinner table, and the group happily began to eat dinner.

Over the course of the meal, Wang Cui asked Dai You many questions about them, and Xia Lanyue listened in, also gaining a lot of information. For example, Dai Xiyue's family runs a small business, and she has one older brother and six younger sisters. She is the eldest sister, and at twenty years old, her family elders are very anxious because she has never married. This time, she was arranged to meet her aunt's family for a blind date, but unexpectedly, an accident occurred on the way.

After the meal, Wang Cui went out to see A Xiang home.

Tian Guang went to the river to wash the dishes.

Dai You went out to fetch water.

Only Xia Lanyue stood in the center of the courtyard.