Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Dai You's arms were grabbed by the two men, but he forcefully shook them off and asked, "Village Chief Zhao, where are you going to lock us up?"

"Naturally, in jail."

"How long will you be locked up?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"We'll wait until the truth comes out," said Village Chief Zhao.

"How long will it take for the truth to come out?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"It's hard to say. We need to verify your identities first. You said you came from the capital. Even at the fastest speed, it would take about eight days to get there from here. The round trip would take at least ten days. If it's slower, it's uncertain," said Village Chief Zhao.

Xia Lanyue felt uncertain. What if this person didn't do their job, or just forced them to accept a false accusation? Nobody knew they were there, and nobody would come to their rescue. They had to save themselves. "Village Chief Zhao, you said what everyone lost was wheat, right? Then I'll provide money as collateral, and you can return the money after the matter is investigated. Is that alright?"

"Oh?" Village Chief Zhao looked at Xia Lanyue and thought for a moment.

The people around were in an uproar when they heard this; they were clearly very happy.

"How much money do you have?" the square-faced man mocked.

This time, Xia Yao glared at him, signaling him to shut up.

Xia Lanyue took out a silver note from her bosom and handed it to Village Chief Zhao, saying, "Here, the amount on this is much more than the money for the wheat."

The crowd swarmed around, craning their necks to see what it was behind Zhao, the village chief. From their puzzled looks, it was clear they didn't recognize it, and they began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"what is this?"

How much is this worth?

Village Chief Zhao examined the silver note in his hand carefully, as if he were silently calculating something, probably the amount on it.

“The villagers don’t recognize this thing, but Village Chief Zhao definitely does,” Xia Lanyue bet that he definitely did.

Village Chief Zhao looked up at Xia Lanyue but didn't respond. He flipped through the silver note a few times. "I've heard of this stuff, but I've never used it. How do I know if it's real or fake?"

“It has an official seal on it, who would dare to forge it?” Xia Lanyue said.

“That’s hard to say. Even Village Chief Zhao doesn’t know. What if you’re trying to escape and made a fake one?” said the tall, thin man next to him.

Xia Lanyue was speechless. They didn't even trust the official seal. Were they really ignorant, or did they want to embezzle the money?

"Let me see," Xia Yao said.

He picked up the black clothes from the ground without anyone noticing, then handed them to his square-faced cousin and took the silver notes.

“Yes, yes, let Mr. Xia see him. He has been to the capital and is very knowledgeable,” said Song Mei.

Xia Lanyue then noticed that Tian Feng's family had also arrived, but they were hiding behind the crowd.

Xia Yao took it and, by the light of the torch, looked at both sides. "This silver note is genuine, it has fifty strings of cash."

This caused an uproar among the crowd, and Lin Xiu stared at Xia Lanyue with her mouth agape.

"Oh dear, hurry up and divide it up for us," said a woman in a blue dress.

"How do we divide it? We don't even know how to use this paper," the tall, thin man said again.

Hearing what everyone was saying, Xia Lanyue felt that these people had misunderstood her.

"Listen up, everyone," Xia Lanyue said loudly, and everyone around her immediately fell silent and looked at her. "First of all, I must declare that we are not thieves. The real thieves are someone else, and we will not take the blame for them. Of course, this needs to be investigated by Village Chief Zhao, and I believe in him. He will definitely be able to clear our names. Second, this money is just something I'm temporarily holding with Village Chief Zhao to prove my innocence. When the truth comes out, this money will be returned to me." Then she looked at Village Chief Zhao and said, "That's all."

Upon hearing her words, the villagers exchanged glances, understanding Xia Lanyue's meaning, and fell silent.

After thinking for a moment, Village Chief Zhao folded the silver note and said, "I will naturally investigate the matter. At present, there is no direct evidence to prove that you are thieves or accomplices, but you are suspects. It will take time to find out the truth, so please cooperate with the investigation during this period and do not leave River Valley Village."

Village Chief Zhao turned to Tian Guang and said, "Tian Guang, since they are staying at your house, are you willing to act as their guarantor?"

“Wait, we just took them in and we don’t know their identities. Isn’t it a bit too hasty to make a guarantee like this?” Wang Cui said hurriedly.

Xia Lanyue sneered. She hadn't even convicted her, yet Wang Cui was already eager to distance herself. That's just human nature.

"Then who can?" Village Chief Zhao looked at Tian Kuan and his wife again, and Lin Xiu hurriedly lowered her head.

People quieted down.

Suddenly a voice rang out, "I'll vouch for them."

It was Xia Yao.

"What are you doing?!" The square-faced man hurriedly pulled Xia Yao's hand away.

Xia Yao glanced at him and raised his hand even higher.

Xia Lanyue stared at him wide-eyed in astonishment; this was something she had never expected.

“I’ve examined these clothes. Although they’re black, they’re a finely woven robe. If someone can afford to wear such clothes, why would they be a thief? I’m more inclined to believe that this brother was injured by a thief, so I’m willing to vouch for them.”

After thinking about his words for a moment, Zhao, the village chief, realized they made some sense. He didn't press the matter further and simply asked, "Is Mr. Xia's foot alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, village chief. It's nothing," Xia Yao said.

“Alright, then Xia Yao will be in charge of keeping watch over the two of them. During my investigation, I will summon them at any time to cooperate with the investigation. If they fail to appear for a long time or escape, they will be considered fugitives, and Xia Yao will bear joint responsibility,” Zhao, the village chief, said, putting the silver notes into his pocket.

"What will happen to our food if we can't catch the thieves?" the woman in the blue dress asked.

“If we can’t catch the thieves, and these two aren’t accomplices, I will write to the higher authorities to explain the situation and reduce everyone’s taxes so we can get through this difficult time,” said Village Chief Zhao.

“That’s fine,” the woman in the blue dress nodded and said.

"Alright, everyone disperse. Go back and check how much you've lost. Tomorrow, Li Chuan will go to each household to tally the losses," said Village Chief Zhao.

The man who had just been holding the hairpin was about to hand it over to Village Chief Zhao when Xia Lanyue saw him and stopped him, saying, "Wait a minute, this hairpin is mine. Shouldn't you return it to me?"

Village Chief Zhao turned around, glanced at the hairpin, nodded, and then instructed the man, "Take this black outfit with you."

Xia Lanyue took the hairpin back and put it in her hair.

As everyone left with Village Chief Zhao, the courtyard returned to silence.

With that, Xia Lanyue finally felt relieved. She secretly glanced at Dai You, feeling ashamed of her earlier suspicion. Recalling the details of their time together, Dai You's sincerity towards her was undeniable; even the silver notes were given to her by him—how could he be a thief! Fortunately, Dai You hadn't discovered anything.

But because of this commotion, they had no choice but to stay here.

At this moment, only she, Dai You, Wang Cui, Lin Xiu, Xia Yao, and her square-faced cousin remained in the courtyard.