Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Xia Lanyue got up, having developed a habit of waking up early over the past few days.

She quickly tidied her hair, pushed open the door and entered the yard. Seeing Xia Huifang already busy in the kitchen, she went over to her.

"Good morning, Aunt Xia. Let me start the fire."

"Ah Yue is up too. Don't bother with this, I've already finished."

Xia Lanyue looked at the porridge that had been cooked in the pot and then set out the chopsticks.

"When did A-Yue lose her memory?" Xia Huifang asked.

"I hit my head when I was drowning, and I don't remember much when I woke up."

"Do you remember nothing about the past, or do you remember a little?"

“I remember a little bit,” Xia Lanyue said.

Hearing her words, Xia Huifang hesitated for a while before asking, "I'm a little curious, why does your brother seem to have a bit of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him?"

Xia Lanyue was taken aback upon hearing this. "Jianghu air"? Did they mean he resembled a thief? Was this a suspicion? "How could that be? My brother...he..."

"In my early years, I followed my father out to make a living for many years. It was all hard work," Dai You said as he carried water into the kitchen.

"Brother, you're up so early," Xia Lanyue said, helping Dai You put down the carrying pole.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I just think it's rare to see someone as wealthy as you who is also so hardworking and observant. You were the one who tidied up the pile of wheat straw in the corner yesterday, weren't you?" Xia Huifang said with a smile.

"You're all busy, but I had some time, so I tidied it up."

Xia Huifang said, "You did a really good job, you're a very efficient person," and then turned around to serve the porridge.

After pouring the water into the water tank, Dai You called Xia Yao over for dinner.

"Did you rest well last night, Yue? Was the room comfortable?" Xia Yao asked.

Xia Lanyue's mind was still on Xia Huifang's question from earlier. When she heard Xia Yao speak, she snapped out of her reverie and said, "It's fine."

“Dai Yao is going to town today. Is there anything A Yue needs? Dai You can bring it back with her,” Xia Yao said.

Xia Lanyue looked up at Dai You and saw him glare at Xia Yao. She pretended not to see it and said, "It's nothing. My brother has already brought me some candy."

"Ah Yue likes to eat candy? What a coincidence! I have a bag of chewy candy in my room. You can take it and eat it in a bit."

"Ah, okay, thank you, Mr. Xia."

"From now on, just call me Xia Yao, or you can call me Pan Gao."

"Yes, Xia Yao," Xia Lanyue said, then quickly lowered her head to eat.

Xia Yao smiled and didn't say anything more.

After the meal, Xia Huifang went to the fields first and left the house. Xia Yao went back inside to lie down.

While clearing away the dishes, Dai You said, "Why don't you come to town with me? I'm worried about leaving you and Xia Yao at home alone."

Xia Lanyue couldn't help but laugh, "What's there to worry about? He's still limping, he can barely stand, what can he do?"

Dai You thought about it and realized it made sense, so he didn't insist.

After Dai You finished packing, he told the others to "ignore him" and then went out to town.

After watching Dai You's figure disappear at the end of the village, Xia Lanyue turned around and ran back to the house.

She came up with a money-making idea yesterday—popcorn. If it works, she can make money.

The materials needed for this are very simple: sand and rice. Sand can be found in the river, and rice can be found at home.

Thinking about going to the river to collect sand, Xia Lanyue took out the silver notes hidden in her socks. As soon as she got them, a sour smell wafted over. "Ugh~" Xia Lanyue disgustedly moved the silver notes away, fanned them a few times, and only after feeling that the smell had dissipated did she bring them closer, open them, and check. The silver notes were not damaged, so she was relieved.

Holding the silver note, she looked around the house and, finding nowhere to hide it, went into the kitchen and hid it under the woodpile. After making sure no trace was left, she left the kitchen with peace of mind.

Then, Xia Lanyue knocked on Xia Yao's door and went inside.

"Xia Xian... Xia Yao, can I use some rice? Hmm... I can pay for it myself, you can name a price."

Xia Yao looked at Xia Lanyue with confusion, "Do you need a lot? What does A-Yue need rice for?"

"Not much, I just wanted to cook something."

"Oh, is that so? Yue, feel free to use it, you don't need to tell me," Xia Yao said, then picked up a paper package from the bedside table and handed it to Xia Lanyue, "Take this candy and eat it."

Xia Lanyue accepted the gift without ceremony, thanked her, and left the house.

She picked up a bucket and hurried to the riverbank.

Xia Lanyue found a section of the river where the water was relatively calm and shallow, dug up half a bucket of fine sand, washed it clean, and then carried the half bucket of sand towards the Xia family home.

Upon reaching the courtyard gate, she pushed it, but it wouldn't open. Xia Lanyue couldn't help but wonder, was it bolted? Before she left, only Xia Yao was home, so she had only bumped into the door. Why was she in such a hurry to lock it? Was she afraid of losing things again?

She tried pushing the door again, but it wouldn't open; she was sure the bolt was caught on the inside.

“Xia Yao…Xia Yao…”

"They're here," Xia Yao's voice came from the courtyard, followed by the sound of his slow footsteps.

The door opened, and Xia Yao took a few steps back. "When A-Yue goes out again, we don't need to lock it anymore."

Xia Lanyue was surprised. Wasn't he the one who locked the door from the inside?!

Xia Yao turned around and slowly walked into the house.

Xia Lanyue stood there, looking around. There was no one else in the yard. If he hadn't hung the gate, then who had?!

Xia Lanyue shrugged. Seeing that it was getting late and there was no time to waste, she went to the kitchen to start making popcorn.

Xia Lanyue had seen this method before coming here, and thought it was interesting, so she wrote it down. She never expected to use it today. She was just unsure if it would work, but decided to give it a try.

She first took out the silver notes from under the firewood pile and put them in her bosom, then placed the candy in her bosom by the stove.

The first step is to start a fire. While waiting for the fire to burn, place a wooden basin next to the stove and put a winnowing basket on top of it. This will be used to filter sand later.

With everything prepared and the fire blazing, she poured in the washed sand and stirred it continuously until all the moisture was gone. Then, she grabbed a handful of rice, threw it into the pot, and continued to stir it with the sand. One grain puffed up, then two grains... until they all puffed up.

Xia Lanyue was a little excited and reached out to grab one to try. "Ouch, it's burning hot!"

She quickly pinched her ears.

Xia Lanyue felt it was time, so she quickly scooped them out, put them in a winnowing basket, and then shook it to sift the sand. After finishing, she couldn't wait to pinch off a grain and taste it.

"This is the taste!" Xia Lanyue was a little excited; she had succeeded.

While the pot was still hot, Xia Lanyue sprinkled in a handful of corn, creating another pile of popcorn.

"I think this will be popular," Xia Lanyue thought. She scooped a bowl of popcorn and went into Xia Yao's room.