Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Lanyue explained to Dai You for a long time before he believed that she only had this one fragment of memory.

Although Dai You was somewhat disappointed, he felt that recovering even a little was a gain, and he looked much more energetic.

At Xia Lanyue's repeated urging, Dai You went into the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Xia Lanyue sighed, sat back down on the stool, and continued to stare blankly.

Not long after, the sounds of fighting coming from the kitchen interrupted Xia Lanyue's thoughts, and she hurriedly ran in to check the situation.

Acheng shielded Xia Yao behind him, holding up a stool, while Dai You confronted Acheng with a piece of firewood.

"What's wrong?" Xia Lanyue asked timidly.

"Don't be afraid, Yue, we're just having a chat," Xia Yao said calmly.

"You don't need to lift a chair to chat, do you?!" Xia Lanyue said.

"Your older brother is pretty tough, he's about to hit someone!" Acheng said.

Hearing this, Xia Lanyue thought it was Dai You who had struck first, but knowing Dai You as she did, that was impossible.

“This is a misunderstanding,” Xia Lanyue explained.

"Hmph, he's your older brother, of course you'll speak up for him. You have no idea how fierce he was just now," A-Cheng said sarcastically.

"No matter what, just give me some face. Ah, my face doesn't work, but give Aunt Xia some face. Her kitchen has been messed up by you all, she must be heartbroken. Put down what you're carrying and let's talk this out," Xia Lanyue walked between the two of them, took the stools and firewood from their hands, put them aside, and then went to right up the overturned table.

"Hmph," Dai You said angrily as he walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the west room, with Xia Lanyue quickly following after him.

"what happened?"

"That Xia Yao has a silver tongue," Dai You said, quite annoyed.

"Talk about it."

Dai You shook his head and remained silent. Xia Lanyue persisted, coaxing and cajoling him for a long time until Dai You finally spoke and recounted what had happened. Essentially, Dai You first mentioned that his arm was sore, and Xia Yao then said that he had a bump on his head, implying that he had hit him. A-Cheng got angry when he heard this, and Dai You's explanations were ineffective. The conversation escalated, and none of them would back down, so the atmosphere became tense. Dai You felt that this was a fight they had deliberately provoked, so he might as well give Xia Yao a bump to settle things and make their accusation against him worthwhile.

After hearing this, Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You with shame, opening her mouth several times and then closing it again, without saying a word.

"When are we leaving here?" Dai You asked.

"We'll leave as soon as we get the silver notes back. We won't stay an hour longer; we'll leave immediately."

Dai You closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. He seemed genuinely furious.

"Cousin, I'm going to the fields. Don't be afraid at home. I'll stand up for you if anything happens," A-Cheng shouted in the yard, his voice so loud that the neighbors could probably hear him.

Xia Lanyue couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I'll go to town tomorrow and find some work to earn enough for the trip, then we'll leave," Dai You said.

"Hmm...it's all a misunderstanding, don't get agitated," Xia Lanyue thought of what she had gotten from Acheng yesterday and immediately shared it with Dai You. "Yesterday I got some information from Acheng, and he mentioned a name, Wei Yuanwai. This person seems to be quite famous in the area, and the grain issue might be related to him."

"So, Acheng knew who stole the grain, but didn't stop them?"

Xia Lanyue nodded. "That seems to be the case. He didn't say much yesterday. Shall we go and inquire about this wealthy man?"

"it is good."

As the two came out of the west room, Xia Lanyue suddenly stopped. "No, I still have to wait for Jiang Di. I forgot to make an appointment with him yesterday. I don't know when he will come. What should I do?"

“Then I’ll go and find out. You can wait for him at home,” Dai You said.

"Okay, then be careful," Xia Lanyue instructed.

Dai You wasted no time and immediately went outside.

After Dai You left, Xia Lanyue sat alone in the west room, flipping through books to pass the time. Unfortunately, she didn't recognize some of the characters, so she couldn't read the books smoothly.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Xia Yao walked in. Seeing her reading a book, he asked, "What kind of books does A-Yue like to read?"

Xia Lanyue pondered, "Hmm...hmm..."

Xia Yao saw his troubled look and said, "I don't think I have any of the cookbooks that A-Yue likes."

"I'll just take a look."

Xia Yao nodded, "A-Yue, do as you please." He walked to the bookshelf behind Xia Lanyue, his back to her, and said, "A-Cheng didn't mean to make things difficult for Brother Dai just now. He has a quick temper and sometimes doesn't understand what others are saying, so his behavior was a little excessive. Don't mind him."

Xia Lanyue recalled what Dai You had just told her and said, "Acheng is immature, but Xia Yao, you understand. He trusts you so much, so you need to give him more guidance. Don't wait until he loses his temper before you try to stop him."

"It sounds like this is my fault," Xia Yao shook his head helplessly.

Xia Lanyue recalled some of the things she said while drunk yesterday and said, "Since we're all old acquaintances, let's speak openly about any misunderstandings. Why target him? Is there some past grudge?"

Xia Yao turned around in surprise, "An old acquaintance? You remember all of this?"

"Hmm," Xia Lanyue said, her voice lacking confidence.

Xia Yao stared into Xia Lanyue's eyes for a while, "That's true. If A-Yue can remember the books she's read before, how could she not remember the people from before? Saying she doesn't remember is just a way of playing with us."

Xia Lanyue was taken aback and quickly explained, "You misunderstood. I didn't mean to play a trick on you. I just remembered some things... and people."

Seeing her flustered explanation, Xia Yao smiled and said, "I'm glad that A-Yue remembers me."

Xia Lanyue was taken aback again, then smiled and lowered her head.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xia Yao asked, "Since A-Yue has some memories, can you answer a question for me? Is Dai You really your sworn brother?"

"Hmm," Xia Lanyue nodded, feeling even more uneasy.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Xia Yao said, "That's good. I was worried that A-Yue had been deceived."

"Why do you say that?"

Xia Yao looked at Xia Lanyue and said, "I have met your biological brother, Dai Jingyuan, but I have never heard of you having a sworn brother."

Xia Lanyue offered no explanation.

"Now that you've recovered, what are your plans for the future?" Xia Yao asked.

"I have not decided yet."

"If A-Yue doesn't have anything urgent, why don't you stay here for a while? Just make yourself at home and don't be shy," Xia Yao said with a smile.

"Can you be a little nicer to Dai You? I'm in a difficult position because of how you treat him."

“I didn’t do anything to him, as long as he doesn’t cause me trouble,” Xia Yao glanced at Xia Lanyue and noticed that her expression wasn’t too good. He continued, “But since A-Yue said so, I’ll try to be friendly to him.”

Xia Lanyue nodded.

At that moment, a voice appeared outside the gate, "Dai Xiyue... Dai Xiyue..."

Xia Lanyue recognized Jiang Di's voice and subconsciously glanced at Xia Yao.

Xia Yao looked at her calmly.

Xia Lanyue said, "Someone is looking for me, I'll go out and see," then put down the book in her hand and ran to the door.

Jiang Di was outside the gate.

Originally standing with her back to the door, Jiang Di turned around after Xia Lanyue came out. "So your name is Dai Xiyue."

"Hmm, but is that how you address Dai Xiyue? Call her Sister Yue."

Jiang Di turned her head away, indicating that she didn't mean to address her that way.

Seeing his expression, Xia Lanyue didn't insist. "Would you like to come inside and sit for a while?"

Jiang Di glanced around the courtyard, shook her head, and handed the basket in her hand to Xia Lanyue. "There are eight catties of salt and five catties of sugar inside."

Xia Lanyue happily took the basket and looked at it, but quickly, her smile faded. She had noticed Jiang Di's tired expression earlier and wondered if he had some unspeakable trouble. Xia Lanyue asked hesitantly, "Preparing these things, are you... having a hard time?"

"It's not difficult at all, why do you say that?" Jiang Di asked, puzzled.

"That's good," Xia Lanyue said, relieved to hear him say that. Then she slapped her forehead, "Oh dear, Dai You went out, the money is with him." Xia Lanyue suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask him to leave the money, and then looked at Jiang Di apologetically.

Jiang Di seemed to have expected this, her face remaining completely calm. "Sigh, alright. I've already paid for the candy, so consider this what you owe me. Pay me back when you earn the money."

"Okay, you're the most righteous one."

Jiang Di smiled and said, "I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now." Then she waved and turned to leave.

"Wait, what will I do if I want to find you later? Where will I go to find you?" Xia Lanyue asked Jiang Di.

“There’s a candied fruit shop in town. You can ask the shopkeeper for me. But Shopkeeper Wang is usually only available on even-numbered days. If you’re going to give me money, don’t let him take it with you. Give it to me when we meet,” Jiang Di said.

"okay, I get it."

Jiang Di nodded, then turned and left.