Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Wang Cui pushed open the courtyard gate angrily, said nothing, only rolled her eyes at Tian Guang as she passed by, and then went straight into the main house.

Tian Guang, not knowing what he had done wrong, stood there blankly, then looked awkwardly at Xia Lanyue before following her into the house.

Xia Lanyue tactfully pulled A Xiang to play with pebbles in the yard, but her mind was completely on the sound of Wang Cui and the others arguing.

This thatched hut wasn't very soundproof to begin with, and since Wang Cui had a loud voice, she could make out the gist of their conversation.

The gist of the story is that Ah Xiang's great-aunt, Song, came to borrow grain again. "Borrow" sounds better than "ask," but she's definitely not going to pay it back. Giving the grain to others to eat would be fine, but she ended up feeding it all to the chickens. This person can't even afford to eat, yet he dreams of striking it rich and living a life of luxury.

Next, she complained that Tian Guang's relatives were useless and had such an unlucky husband.

"Why feed the chickens so well when they're all starving?" Xia Lanyue asked, puzzled.

“My uncle’s chickens are different, they’re so big,” A-Xiang gestured with his hands, “and they’re especially fierce, they can compete.”

At this point, Xia Lanyue seemed to understand that the chickens were going to participate in competitions, and if they won, they could make a lot of money. So people would neglect their own meals and bet their entire fortune on these chickens, hoping to make a name for themselves.

"Did your uncle ever make any money?" Xia Lanyue asked curiously.

"I don't know," A-Xiang shook his head.

That's true. He's still so young, how could he understand these things? Besides, how could he easily reveal someone else's family matters?

The room fell silent.

Wang Cui opened the door and came out, her face still flushed with anger. When she saw Xia Lanyue, she forced an awkward smile. "I heard from A-Kuan's father that Doctor Zhang came at noon and said that your illness is recovering quite well, so don't worry."

Xia Lanyue nodded, "Yes, Aunt Wang, it seems I'm almost out of medicine. I'd like to go to town to get some tomorrow."

Wang Cui was taken aback when she heard this. "The town is far away. I'll have A-Kuan's father go to town to get the medicine tomorrow."

"No need to trouble Uncle Tian, ​​Dai You and I will go," Xia Lanyue said.

When A Xiang heard Xia Lanyue say that, he quickly tugged at her sleeve, wanting to speak, but Xia Lanyue stopped him with a look.

“You’re not fully recovered yet, and it’s a long way to town. Ah Kuan’s father knows the way well, and besides, he has to get medicine for Mr. Xia, so let him go.” Wang Cui’s temper flared up again when Tian Guang was mentioned, and she even glared back at the main house.

Seeing this, Xia Lanyue didn't know what to say. But, was her plan to go to town just going to fall through like this?! She was unwilling to accept it.

"Let Aunt Yue go. She can also help the master get medicine. She's going to marry Xia Xian anyway..."

Xia Lanyue quickly covered A Xiang's mouth to stop him from continuing, but it was too late.

"What? What does this mean?!" Wang Cui's voice suddenly rose.

Tian Guang also came out of the house and looked at them.

Xia Lanyue smiled and quickly explained, "Axiang was just joking, don't take it seriously."

Ah Xiang pulled Xia Lanyue's hand away, "Aunt Yue lost the bet, she has to marry..."

Xia Lanyue covered his mouth again, saying, "Just kidding."

Wang Cui glanced at Xia Lanyue, then at A Xiang, and said, seemingly casually, "Mr. Xia is a well-known person in our surrounding villages for his scholarship, upright character, and handsome appearance."

Wang Cui opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but ultimately didn't say anything.

This left Xia Lanyue bewildered. What did this mean? Did they think she wasn't good enough for him? Xia Lanyue felt a little unconvinced. She resolved to find an opportunity to meet this Mr. Xia and see what kind of person everyone praised.

Wang Cui stopped talking and turned around to see Tian Guang standing at the door. She asked in an annoyed tone, "Have you taken the things out yet? Why are you dawdling?"

"Ah ah," Tian Guang hurriedly went back into the house, carried out a bed frame, and moved it to the kitchen.

“We need to set up a bed for Dai You. Sleeping on the floor every day isn’t a good idea. It gets damp at night, and that could harm his health.” Wang Cui’s expression changed as she explained to Xia Lanyue.

"Aunt Wang is so thoughtful. I've caused you so much trouble these past few days."

“It’s alright, I treat you like family. Don’t be so polite with me. I’ll give you another blanket; it gets chilly at night,” Wang Cui said, then turned and went to the main room to get her things.

Xia Lanyue didn't refuse this time; she desperately needed the mattress.

Wang Cui carried a mattress into her room and laid it out for her. As she did so, she said, “This room is usually empty. Your arrival was rather sudden, and I didn’t have time to prepare it, so I just let you stay here temporarily. Now that I have time, I have to prepare it for you. I can’t let you suffer.”

"Look at what Aunt Wang said, I wasn't wronged at all. I should thank you, Uncle and Aunt, for helping us a lot. If there's anything we need in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cui's face lit up with joy, as if she had been waiting for these words for a long time. "Oh, young lady, you really know how to talk. People from the capital are so particular."

Xia Lanyue smiled and said, "Acheng is such a big mouth."

As Wang Cui spoke, she secretly sized up Xia Lanyue, "But speaking of which, you're not delicate at all."

“I’ve been helping with chores at home since I was little. My parents run a small business outside, so they don’t have time to take care of me. I’ve always taken care of myself.” Xia Lanyue smiled, almost letting slip the truth.

“Look at the girl’s hands, they don’t look like that at all. They’re so delicate and white, it’s hard to believe she’s ever done manual labor,” Wang Cui said with a hint of doubt in her voice.

Xia Lanyue was taken aback, thinking, "Oh no, where has Dai Xiyue ever done this kind of work before?" "Life at home is better now, so I don't have to do any work."

"So, the young lady comes from a wealthy family?" Wang Cui asked, her eyes shining.

"Small and humble family".

Xia Lanyue then understood why Wang Cui had changed her attitude from yesterday morning, becoming so overly enthusiastic. Seeing Wang Cui's ingratiating demeanor, Xia Lanyue couldn't help but feel uneasy, wondering what Wang Cui's motives were in inquiring about these things. Although this family had saved her, and she shouldn't think that way, Wang Cui seemed like someone who wouldn't do anything without a reason, and Xia Lanyue couldn't simply assume it was out of kindness. However, Wang Cui's excessive attentiveness made Xia Lanyue feel uncomfortable.

So, Xia Lanyue tried to change the subject, "Aunt Wang's cooking is delicious, could you teach me sometime?"

"Oh, what's so great about pickled vegetables? They can't compare to what you usually eat. By the way, is this older brother visiting relatives with you?"

Xia Lanyue nodded, "Yes, we're going to my aunt's house."

“Your brother treats you very well. Neither of you siblings is arrogant,” Wang Cui said with a smile.

Wang Cui brought the topic back, but fortunately Tian Guang outside spoke up in time, "A-Kuan's mother, come out for a moment, take a look at this and see how to do it..."

Wang Cui originally wanted to say something to Xia Lanyue, but Tian Guang's interruption made her look a little annoyed.

"Auntie, go and see, Uncle Tian is looking for you." Xia Lanyue urged her to go out quickly.

"Oh, I'll go check on him. He's so clumsy. This family can't function without me!" With that, Wang Cui turned and left.

Xia Lanyue watched Wang Cui leave and breathed a sigh of relief. Touching the bed, she found it was indeed much softer and warmer. Lying down on it, Xia Lanyue nodded in satisfaction.

As she stepped out of the house, she overheard Wang Cui asking A Xiang, "What characters did you learn from Aunt Yue today?"

Axiang pointed to the pebbles on the ground without saying anything. Wang Cui glanced at the pebbles, then at Axiang, then at the haphazardly arranged squares on the ground, and frowned.

For the entire lunch break, Xia Lanyue didn't teach Axiang anything, just played around as she pleased for a while. Now that Wang Cui was asking about it, it felt like a parent suddenly checking homework. Xia Lanyue seemed like a hired tutor who took the money but was shirking her duties. At this moment, she felt a little guilty.

Wang Cui turned around and happened to meet Xia Lanyue's eyes. Xia Lanyue smiled awkwardly.

Wang Cui smiled but didn't say anything. She turned to scold Tian Guang, "After all that effort, you still can't do it right? Let me see what you've done... This board needs to be placed like this... It needs to be secured here..."

Aunt Wang Cui's voice rose and fell, her tone filled with emotion, sounding like a thunderclap that could explode at any moment. Everyone was too afraid to speak loudly.

"I should make dinner now, you can do it yourself." Wang Cui lost her patience, turned around, put on an apron, and went to cook.

"Let me help with the cooking," Xia Lanyue said, shrewdly entering the kitchen, intending to help with something. As expected, she was chased out of the kitchen by Wang Cui.

And so, no one dared to utter a sound until the meal was ready.

"Why hasn't Uncle Dai come back yet?" A Xiang asked Xia Lanyue.

"Yeah, why hasn't he come back yet?" Xia Lanyue calculated that he had been gone for nearly three and a half hours, six hours in total. What happened?