Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Just before dinner time, Acheng and Aniu returned.

Xia Huifang grabbed A Niu and told him about the matchmaking she had arranged for him.

Upon hearing this, Ah Niu, who was already tongue-tied, quickly turned bright red. Whether from embarrassment or anxiety, he could only say, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Oh, what am I talking to you about? You know Fan He, don't you?" Xia Huifang said.

Ah Niu seemed a little reluctant, "Aunt, but she is two years older than me. I want to find someone younger than me."

"You think you can just find someone like that? Don't you know your family situation?" Xia Huifang said anxiously. "Let me tell you, if the girl agrees, you have to agree too!"

"But why didn't you tell A-Cheng?" A-Niu asked, head down.

“If it weren’t for this grain loss, you wouldn’t have had the chance to be the matchmaker,” Xia Huifang said. “That Fan He is the girl I’ve taken a liking to…” Xia Huifang suddenly stopped, glanced at Xia Lanyue’s face, and seeing that she didn’t react, continued, “She’s a good catch, she owns land, and has no sons. So many people are eyeing her. If it weren’t for the fact that you have to get married before me, would you have had this opportunity?”

After hearing Xia Huifang's words, Xia Lanyue couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aunt Xia, why does she insist on getting married before her sister?"

"Huh?!" Xia Huifang didn't expect Xia Lanyue to ask that, but she still explained to her, "We have a saying here that if the younger sister gets married before the older sister, then the older sister will never be able to get married! That's why she's anxious."

Upon hearing this, Xia Lanyue understood why Fan He was anxious. However, she also thought of something else.

She glanced at the sky and guessed that Dai You should be back by now, since she had something to ask him.

Not long after, Dai You pushed open the courtyard gate and just as A Niu was going out to deliver rice cakes to Fan He.

"Why did Ah Niu leave in such a hurry?" Dai You asked Xia Lanyue.

“He went to curry favor with her,” Xia Lanyue said with a smile.

Seeing Dai You's confusion, Xia Lanyue explained, "A Niu went on a blind date today, to Fan He, whom you met yesterday. He's bringing her some things to win her favor, hehe."

"I see, then congratulations to him," Dai You said, putting down the basket.

Xia Lanyue tiptoed and whispered in Dai You's ear, "Aunt Wang planned to arrange a marriage for you, but I refused on the spot. I said that my brother is very loyal and once he has chosen a girl, he will never change his mind easily. Aunt Wang had no choice but to propose to A Niu instead."

Dai You looked at Xia Lanyue with a smile, and Xia Lanyue raised an eyebrow at him. "So, I understand you, right?!"

“Hmm,” Dai You laughed.

"Hehe, what's this?" Xia Lanyue pulled a jar out of Dai You's basket.

"Honey."

"And this one? Ah, I recognize this, it's a walnut!" Xia Lanyue said, looking at Dai You. "It's good for the brain?!"

Dai You avoided Xia Lanyue's gaze and carried the basket into the kitchen.

Xia Lanyue pouted, then walked to the kitchen door, waved to Dai You, and whispered, "Come out."

Dai You followed Xia Lanyue into the courtyard, where Xia Lanyue asked, "I have something to ask you."

Dai You nodded, waiting for Xia Lanyue to ask.

But Xia Lanyue hesitated for a moment, or rather, she didn't know how to bring it up. She thought for a moment, "Do you know that in families with sisters, the older sister has to get married first before the younger sister gets married?"

Dai You was stunned, not expecting Xia Lanyue to say this.

"I'm not married, but are my sisters married?" Xia Lanyue asked.

Dai You hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"How old is my eldest sister?" Xia Lanyue asked again.

"sixteen."

"My younger sister is of marriageable age, so shouldn't I be urging her to get married? Right?"

Dai You looked at her but did not answer.

Xia Lanyue looked at him and continued to ask, "Have they arranged a marriage for me?"

Dai You nodded.

"Then why aren't you married yet?"

Dai You looked into her eyes, his expression troubled, but ultimately he didn't say anything.

"Why do you stop talking when it comes to crucial questions?!" Xia Lanyue was getting a little anxious.

“I… don’t know how to answer you,” Dai You said, looking down.

Answer exactly what you think.

Dai You turned to leave, saying, "You'd better not ask."

"Why?" Xia Lanyue grabbed Dai You.

Seeing his expression, Xia Lanyue became even more curious. She thought she had to find out something from him today, so she patiently said to Dai You, "Let's keep it simple. I'll ask you, and you can just say yes or no."

"Do you really want to know?" Dai You asked.

Xia Lanyue nodded vigorously.

“Then ask away,” Dai You said readily.

"Did I run away to escape an arranged marriage?"

Dai You's pupils dilated for a moment, then quickly returned to calm. "Yes."

"I do have someone I like, right?" Xia Lanyue pressed.

"Yes".

Dai You waited for Xia Lanyue's next question, but Xia Lanyue remained silent.

She chickened out; she was afraid that if she got a positive answer to the next question from Dai You, she wouldn't know how to react.

Xia Lanyue didn't turn her head and plunged into her room.

When it was just getting dark, Ah Niu returned.

Ah Niu knocked on Xia Lanyue's door, and Xia Lanyue came out of the house.

"Here you go," Ah Niu said, handing Xia Lanyue ten copper coins.

Xia Lanyue was stunned when she saw him, and quickly asked, "Who gave this to you?"

“Fan He gave it to me, and she even asked if it was enough. If not, she’ll send more tomorrow,” A Niu said calmly.

Just then, Xia Huifang seemed to hear the noise outside. She opened the door and came out. Seeing A Niu return, she walked over and asked, "How is it? Is Fan He happy? What did you talk about with her?"

“She’s quite happy,” Ah Niu replied.

Xia Lanyue held up the copper coin and showed it to Xia Huifang, "What should we do? Aunt Xia, Fan He gave us ten coins."

Xia Huifang's smile froze on her face as she looked at A Niu. "You brought this money back?! Who told you to take money from someone?! You idiot!" "I didn't want it, she offered to give it to me," A Niu argued.

Xia Huifang frowned, then sighed and shook her head.

Seeing this, Xia Lanyue quickly comforted her, "Don't be angry, Aunt Xia. It's all my fault for not explaining to A Niu clearly that the rice cakes are free."

“That’s right, if you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have accepted it,” Ah Niu said.

Upon hearing his words, Xia Huifang raised her leg to kick him, but A Niu dodged it with a quick movement.

"You're still hiding? You're quite something," Xia Huifang grabbed A Niu as soon as she stepped forward. "Tell me quickly, what did that girl Fan He say?"

"She didn't say anything, just that it was time to eat and told me to come back early so I wouldn't go hungry," Ah Niu said.

"You didn't have to talk for so long, did you?! What else did you say?" Xia Huifang asked anxiously.

“She said she was hungry and needed to go back to cook,” A Niu said, looking at Xia Huifang. “I told her to let her sister cook so she could rest a little longer. Then she said her sister wasn’t home and she had to cook and deliver food to her dad, and then she didn’t say anything more to me.”

"And then? Why did you come back so late?" Xia Huifang asked.

"I told her she was skillful and must be a great cook, so she asked if I wanted to eat at her house. I said yes and went. But when I went into her house, I accidentally broke the door, and then I had to fix it for her, which took a long time."

"Is she angry?" Xia Huifang asked.

“No, she laughed and said, if I hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have known that the door could break. I taught her a lesson.”

Xia Lanyue sighed, "So you ate at her house?"

“No, she was going to eat, but she said she was in a hurry to deliver food to her father, so she asked me to come back first to give it to him. Oh, she also gave me ten coins to take back,” A-Niu said.

Upon hearing this, Xia Huifang stopped asking questions. She let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "Let it be."

Ah Niu looked aggrieved. "Auntie, I'm hungry~"

Xia Huifang ignored her and went straight to the main house, but she seemed to be in a bad mood. Before entering the house, she turned back and pointed at A Niu, saying, "I'll let you starve to death!" Then she slammed the door shut.

Xia Lanyue suppressed a laugh and turned to go back into the house, but was stopped by A Niu. "Sister Yue, can I have something to eat?"