Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Lanyue arrived at the pharmacy, greeted Dai You, and was about to return to the Xia family home.

Dai You quickly grabbed her, "Why are you leaving again? Didn't you promise to go back with me today?"

"I've already talked to Manager Wang about renting his backyard. I'll go back and prepare some things first," Xia Lanyue said.

"We can prepare together if we go back together."

"There will be more people later, and Aunt Xia will have to cook, so it won't be convenient. Okay, let's go," Xia Lanyue said, slipping out before Dai You could speak and taking advantage of his inattention.

Xia Lanyue had only walked a few steps when she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask Manager Wang if he had a large pot she could use, so she turned back to the candied fruit shop.

"Miss, you're here to see our manager, right? Please come with me," the young waiter said, very perceptive, and led Xia Lanyue directly to the backyard on the first floor.

Wang Xiang and Jiang Di were unaware of the situation at this time, joking and playfully pushing each other. When the door opened, Wang Xiang was stunned to see who it was, and then said, "Miss Dai, why are you back?"

Jiang Di stood in the corner, unable to see the person coming from the doorway. He only thought that Wang Xiang was joking with him, and pointed at Wang Xiang as he walked towards him.

Wang Xiang reacted quickly, took a big step forward, and slammed the door shut!

Jiang Di was stunned by this turn of events. Wang Xiang pointed to the door and mouthed to him, "It really is Dai Xiyue!" Only then did Jiang Di believe it. He quickly opened the back door and slipped out.

Xia Lanyue, standing outside, looked at the young waiter with a puzzled expression. The waiter smiled awkwardly at her and explained, "Our manager is always like this, with a quirky and unpredictable personality."

Xia Lanyue nodded.

Just then, the door was suddenly pulled open again, startling Xia Lanyue.

Wang Xiang stood at the door, already wearing a smile, and said to Xia Lanyue, "Oh my, it's Miss Dai. I thought I was seeing things. You've come at the right time. Come and see the seat I reserved for you. Are you satisfied? If not, I'll rearrange it."

Xia Lanyue walked into the backyard and looked around. The place wasn't big, but the goods were neatly arranged. There was a stove in the corner with pots on it, and it looked like it was newly built.

Xia Lanyue nodded in satisfaction, "That's great, thank you for your thoughtfulness. I just wanted to ask, do you have a pot here? If not..."

"Yes, there's a pot!" Wang Xiang shouted loudly, even towards the back door.

Xia Lanyue was even more confused by his behavior. "I can hear you, you don't need to speak so loudly."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Dai, is there anything else you need? I'll prepare it all," Wang Xiang said.

"This is enough. I can handle the rest. Having a pot is already very good. Thank you, Manager Wang. You're such a nice person." Xia Lanyue was starting to worry about Wang Xiang's excessive enthusiasm. In other words, she was somewhat concerned about his mental state.

Xia Lanyue, who had returned to the Xia family home, was so excited about renting the shop that she couldn't sleep that night, and woke up the next day with dark circles under her eyes.

Dai You asked her, puzzled, "Did something bother you yesterday?"

"No, I'm just happy because my business has grown so much," Xia Lanyue replied with a shy smile.

"Career?!" A smile flickered in Dai You's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

He clearly couldn't understand how a small stall could be compared to a business, but considering her enthusiasm, he didn't say anything that might hurt her.

After dinner, Xia Lanyue and Dai You packed their things and headed to town early.

They arrived at Wang Xiang's shop, but Wang Xiang was not there. However, he had already given instructions, and the young shop assistant from yesterday led them to the backyard.

The stove, which was being tidied up yesterday, was now complete, with a pot and spatula on top. Xia Lanyue looked under the stove; it looked like a fire had been lit. It seemed Wang Xiang had finished setting it up and even tested it. And thoughtfully, firewood had been prepared nearby. Xia Lanyue nodded approvingly.

The young man added, "Miss Dai, you can tell me what you need. I know this town well and can help you get it."

"It's already very complete, thank you so much, Manager Wang," Xia Lanyue said. "By the way, what should I call you?"

"Just call me Abei, that's what everyone calls me," the young waiter said with a simple smile.

“Okay, thank you, Abei,” Xia Lanyue said.

"Don't mention it, the manager prepared all of this, I didn't do anything," Abei said shyly, scratching his head. Then, seeing that Xia Lanyue had nothing else to do, he greeted her and went to the front hall to greet the guests.

Dai You put down his load, seemingly a little worried, "Isn't this Manager Wang being a bit too enthusiastic?!"

"This is because of Jiang Di's influence. It seems like renting this shop was the right decision," Xia Lanyue said excitedly.

Dai You didn't believe her explanation. His eyes were full of vigilance as he carefully examined every corner of the backyard.

Xia Lanyue also noticed that since she hadn't been there for half a day, some of the goods seemed to have been moved, and the space had become larger. At a glance, there was nowhere to hide.

Dai You opened the back door to check the left and right sides. This was the back street of the shop, and there were hardly any people passing by.

He was relieved and walked over to Xia Lanyue, saying, "I'm going to the pharmacy. If anything happens, just run out the back door and head towards the main road."

“Mm,” Xia Lanyue replied.

After giving his instructions, Dai You left through the back door.

Xia Lanyue placed the things she brought on the table next to the stove, and then lit the stove fire.

Soon, Xia Lanyue finished making rice cakes. Before they had even cooled down, she packed them into a basket, carried it to her daily stall location at the end of the street.

Only after Xia Lanyue left did Wang Xiang on the second floor of the shop dare to speak.

"The person is gone."

"Mm," Jiang Di replied.

"Go on with your work, don't linger here," Wang Xiang said, then stood up and left.

Xia Lanyue only closed her stall at Shenshi (3-5 PM) today; normally, she would have left by noon. Thanks to Wang Xiang's shop, Xia Lanyue sold two more baskets of rice cakes.

Coincidentally, she ran into Fan He on her way to the pharmacy.

"Why are you here?" Xia Lanyue stood up and asked, taking Fan He's hand.

“I came to town to buy some things, and I was thinking that you were here too, so I went to see you,” Fan He said.

"Hehe, are you going back to the village now?" Xia Lanyue asked.

Fan He nodded.

“Then let’s go together,” Xia Lanyue said to Fan He.

“Okay, I happen to have something to discuss with you,” Fan He said.

Xia Lanyue and Fan He chatted and laughed all the way to the village.

When she arrived at the Xia family home, it was just as the students were leaving school, and Xia Yao was seeing them off at the door.

Xia Lanyue was in a good mood, and as she passed by Xia Yao, she ignored his cold face and greeted him warmly before walking into the courtyard.

Acheng was doing the splits in the yard when Xia Lanyue came over to greet him. Seeing how happy Xia Lanyue was, Acheng grinned back at her.

Thinking that Ah Cheng would be here, Xia Huifang must have returned as well. Xia Lanyue ran into the kitchen to greet Xia Huifang, but strangely, Xia Huifang was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Aunt Xia? Ah Cheng?" Xia Lanyue couldn't help but ask.

Acheng gestured towards the main house with his chin, "He's talking to Aunt Wang."

Xia Lanyue understood that they must be discussing marriage. Knowing it wasn't convenient to disturb them, she didn't ask any further questions.

Having prepared all that, Xia Lanyue took a bowl of water and headed to her room.

Just then, A-Cheng called out to her.

“Sigh, if you can’t get married, I might as well marry you,” Acheng said.