Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Yao threw off the covers and was about to get out of bed when Xia Lanyue stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Mr. Xia, you shouldn't get your feet up."

"It's okay, I can manage," Xia Yao said, ignoring advice and standing up anyway.

Xia Lanyue was afraid he might lose his balance, and was about to support him when Dai You pulled her back. "Mr. Xia said he can do it."

Xia Yao glanced at Dai You, picked up the cane beside him, and said to Xia Lanyue, "Come, let me show you your house."

Xia Yao led them to the next room and pushed open the door.

Xia Lanyue couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" when she saw it.

The interior is cozy. Facing the door is a standing cabinet with a large bed next to it. Opposite the bed is a table with a mirror for grooming, and next to the table is a shelf for a washbasin.

Xia Lanyue was very satisfied; this was much better than the floor mats at the Tian family's house. However, the thought of Dai You sleeping on the floor made Xia Lanyue put away her smile. "Thank you for the arrangement, Mr. Xia. I would like to see what my brother's room looks like."

Hearing her say that, Xia Yao glanced at the door and then raised his hand, "Come on, let me show you around."

They followed Xia Yao to the west room. Upon opening the door, Xia Lanyue's mouth dropped open in surprise. She hadn't expected such meticulous attention to detail in the arrangement of this private school room. Neatly arranged tables and chairs lined the room, and bookshelves overflowing with books stood nearby. At the very back of the room was a large couch, presumably for the students to rest on. It could comfortably accommodate not only Dai You, but five or six of them.

Seeing this, Xia Lanyue felt relieved. "This place is quite nice."

“Ah Yue cares so much about her brother, it’s truly enviable,” Xia Yao said.

Xia Lanyue smiled shyly.

“Acheng and Aniu will be resting here for the next few days,” Xia Yao said, glancing at Dai You. “But they’ll be going back in a few days, so you can make do here for a few nights.”

Dai You wasn't one to fuss over these things, so he nodded.

Xia Lanyue didn't say anything when she saw that Dai You was satisfied, but she couldn't help feeling unhappy when she heard the name Acheng again. "Mr. Xia and Acheng have a very good relationship."

Xia Yao didn't answer her question immediately, but looked into her eyes as if he was thinking about something. "He's my cousin, so we're naturally closer."

Xia Lanyue nodded. "So, Mr. Xia will believe whatever he says?"

Xia Yao thought for a moment, "A-Yue is talking about yesterday's events, right? I already scolded him when he came back yesterday. I don't believe what he said, but I don't know the whole story, so I can't say anything."

Xia Lanyue smiled. "Mr. Xia is a reasonable person. But yesterday, did you really not see them, or were you intentionally showing favoritism?"

Xia Yao shook his head. "After taking my medicine yesterday, I was very sleepy and fell asleep. I didn't see them, but I'm not sure if they didn't come to the house. Is A-Yue suspecting me too?"

“I didn’t say anything about you, sir; I only said what I saw.”

Xia Yao nodded.

The air suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere became a little awkward. None of the three seemed to have anything to say, so they simply went about their own business.

Xia Yao lay back on the bed, while Dai You chopped firewood in the yard, and Xia Lanyue watched him chop wood.

"Do you believe what Xia Yao said?" Dai You asked in a low voice.

“I don’t think Mr. Xia is lying. Yesterday I saw that Acheng closed the gate to the yard himself. Xia Yao probably really didn’t know they had been here.”

“I don’t believe him, nor do I believe he’s a good person. Especially since he invited you so enthusiastically, he might have some bad intentions. Be careful of him and don’t be alone with him,” Dai You said, chopping wood with even more force.

Xia Lanyue nodded, then looked at Dai You.

Dai You didn't hear Xia Lanyue's reply, so he looked up at her.

"Why didn't you get rid of those ruined clothes? They were already unwearable, but they became evidence that increased our suspicions," Xia Lanyue knew this wasn't the right time to talk about this, but she couldn't help asking anyway.

Dai You stopped what he was doing, stared at the piece of wood in front of him for a long time, and thought, "I can't bear to throw it away."

"Does this outfit have any special meaning?"

Dai You nodded. "You gave it to me."

Xia Lanyue was stunned. She remembered his eyes at dusk that day and didn't dare to ask any more questions. After thinking for a moment, she said, "It's okay. When my sister earns money, I'll buy you some clothes."

Dai You smiled, lowered his head, and said, "Okay."

Xia Lanyue breathed a sigh of relief, and with a flick of her wrist, she released the bamboo dragonfly.

“I miss A-Xiang,” Xia Lanyue said, looking at the bamboo dragonfly on the ground.

“Let’s go to the fields; we can find out more about the situation there,” Dai You suggested.

“Okay, I’ll go tell Mr. Xia,” Xia Lanyue stood up and patted the dirt off her bottom.

“Hey, just say you’re going to visit A-Xiang,” Dai You instructed.

Xia Lanyue understood what he meant, nodded, and then knocked on the door and went into Xia Yao's room.

“Mr. Xia, let’s go take a look at the Tian family’s fields. Will you be alright staying at home by yourself?” Xia Lanyue said.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Xia Yao asked.

Xia Lanyue did not understand what he meant.

“Everyone is tallying up the losses today, and they must be very angry. You are suspects. If you walk around in front of them right now, aren’t you afraid of upsetting them? If one of them gets impulsive and beats you up, you’ll have nowhere to seek justice,” Xia Yao analyzed to her.

Xia Lanyue thought about it and felt that what he said made sense. The people here were very obedient and couldn't distinguish right from wrong. There were also many shameless people like Acheng. It wasn't worth provoking them at this critical moment.

"Why don't you stay home and chat with me?" Xia Yao said with a smile.

Xia Lanyue was taken aback, not expecting him to change the subject so quickly. However, this guy, though young, always had a slightly greasy air about him, which clashed sharply with his clean-cut image. "What are you talking about?"

"For example, did you really lose your memory?" Xia Yao asked, staring into her eyes.

"Of course...you heard it yesterday too," Xia Lanyue said firmly, but her heart was pounding with anxiety. What was Xia Yao suspecting?

Xia Yao seemed to be trying to discern the truthfulness of her words from her eyes, but seeing Xia Lanyue's resolute expression, he revealed a hint of disappointment, and then seemed to be pondering something.

"Why aren't you out yet?" Dai You pushed the door open and came in.

"Let's not go. Let's rest today," Xia Lanyue said to Dai You.

Dai You looked at Xia Lanyue with a puzzled expression, then at Xia Yao, somewhat displeased. He lowered his head and said to Xia Lanyue, "Then let's go out," and then turned and walked out.

"Brother Dai, remember to knock next time," Xia Yao reminded him.

Dai You tilted his head slightly without answering, but judging from the loud noise he made when he closed the door, he must have heard Xia Yao's words.

Dai You continued chopping wood, his strength was great, making a loud clanging sound.

Xia Lanyue suddenly remembered something, "Brother, how much is one shi (a unit of dry measure) of wheat?"

Dai You stood up, pushed open the door to the kitchen, and pointed to a large vat inside, saying, "This can hold two bushels of wheat."

Xia Lanyue was surprised; it was quite large, probably weighing over two hundred jin. "Brother, how far can you carry two shi of wheat?"

Dai You shook his head directly, "I can't lift two stones. I can probably walk twenty feet with one stone."

Xia Lanyue thought for a moment, "They transported so much grain in such a short time, they must have left traces. I think Village Chief Zhao will find them soon."

Dai You smiled but didn't say anything; he seemed to be deep in thought.