Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

The next day, Xia Lanyue and Dai You also headed to town early.

On the way, Xia Lanyue informed Dai You in advance, "I can't go back with you today. Xia Yao said that some students want rice cakes, so I'll take them back early."

Dai You took a deep breath, hesitating to speak. He seemed to know what to say, but he couldn't stop her. Helplessly, he replied, "Okay." In the afternoon, Xia Lanyue packed up her stall promptly at Shenshi (3-5 PM), returned to Wang Xiang's shop, put down her basket, and, carrying five bags of rice cakes, headed towards Hegu Village.

We arrived in the village just as dusk was falling.

Xia Lanyue returned to the Xia family home and found the courtyard gate open, so she went inside.

Xia Yao was sitting in the yard with a child, seemingly waiting for her, but Xia Yao appeared somewhat absent-minded.

"Xia Yao, I'm back," Xia Lanyue said.

Xia Yao realized what was happening, stood up, and gave a smile he hadn't shown in a long time. Then, remembering something, he quickly suppressed his smile and said to Xia Lanyue, "This rice cake is what the child wanted." Xia Yao looked down at the rice cake and continued, "But this looks like a lot. Could you help him take it back?"

“Okay, where does he live?” Xia Lanyue agreed without even thinking.

“In the neighboring Heguo Village, go west, cross the river, this child knows the way,” Xia Yao turned her head, bent down and said to the child, “This aunt will take you home.” After saying that, she handed the child’s schoolbag to Xia Lanyue.

"Huh? Oh," Xia Lanyue took it, holding it in the same hand as the rice cake, and used the other hand to pull the child along, saying, "Let's go."

Unexpectedly, the child pulled his hand away. Just as Xia Lanyue was in a daze, she saw the child turn around, bow to Xia Yao, and then turn back to take her hand.

Xia Lanyue was stunned. She hadn't expected such a young child to be so polite, which made her seem like a boorish person.

Xia Lanyue nodded to Xia Yao, then took the child's hand and walked westward.

The river she crossed was the same river she had seen when she first woke up. The river wasn't very rapid, and there was a simple wooden plank bridge spanning it.

"How long does it take you to walk to the private school every day?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"Half an hour," the child said.

"Half an hour, so a round trip would take an hour. Luckily, it was still light when we got back," Xia Lanyue muttered to herself.

Xia Yao was engrossed in reading in the west room, so much so that he didn't even notice Xia Huifang standing at his door when she returned.

"Pangao, I'm back. Where's Acheng? Didn't he come back first?"

"I didn't see him," Xia Yao said, avoiding Xia Huifang's gaze and looking at the book in his hand.

"Oh, okay, I'll start cooking now," Xia Huifang said without asking any further questions, and turned to go to the kitchen.

Xia Yao sat at the table, holding a book, lost in thought. No one knew what he was thinking; all that was clear was that he was becoming increasingly anxious and restless.

He sighed and looked around. The room was empty, the daytime noise gone. His gaze fell on the wall, where he had written poems to encourage his students. One of them read: "A gentleman first examines others for what he himself possesses, and secondly criticizes others for what he himself lacks."

Xia Yao frowned, and suddenly, as if making a decision, he stood up and hurriedly walked outside.

Xia Lanyue had just returned home after dropping off her students and wanted to hurry back to the Xia family home before it got dark. She was afraid that if she stayed too long, she wouldn't be able to find her way back.

She walked along the riverbank, holding a stick she had picked up, and kept tapping the grass beside her, trying to scare away snakes and insects.

She looked up and could already vaguely see the simple little bridge. Xia Lanyue unconsciously quickened her pace.

Just then, a strange noise came from the bushes beside him.

Xia Lanyue was startled, stopped in her tracks, and turned around abruptly to look over.

The sound ceased, and the grass returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

Xia Lanyue was still worried, so she stared at the bushes for a while longer, but they remained silent. Only then did she feel relieved and continue walking forward.

Suddenly, another sound came from the bushes behind her. This time, something seemed to dart out and run towards Xia Lanyue. She instinctively looked back, but it was too late. Before she could see what was coming, she was dragged backward.

The only thing Xia Lanyue was certain of now was that this was a man, a man whose power far surpassed hers.

Xia Lanyue panicked completely. The man wrapped his arm around her neck and walked backwards, which made it impossible for Xia Lanyue to back up. She couldn't keep up with his pace, and her legs couldn't support her weight. She could only rely on grabbing his arm to avoid suffocating.

Xia Lanyue had no time to complain. She forced herself to calm down. She knew that she had come all this way without anyone by her side, and now she could only save herself.

Her gaze quickly locked onto the small river beside her. This was now her only chance to escape. If she fought hard and managed to break free from the man's grasp and run into the river, she would have a chance to get away.

Thinking of this, Xia Lanyue steadied herself, then suddenly grabbed the man's arm and turned her body around. She stood firmly on her feet and slammed her knees into his lower body. Taking advantage of the moment when the man loosened his grip, Xia Lanyue pushed her head out, broke free from the man's control, and took a few steps back.

Xia Lanyue looked at the man, and to her surprise, he did not pounce on her immediately, but instead raised his arm to cover his face.

This reaction startled Xia Lanyue, but she didn't have time to think. She turned around and ran towards the riverbank, then plunged into the water and swam forward.

This was the first time she felt grateful for having this skill.

She didn't know how long she swam, nor did she dare look back; she just kept swimming forward with all her might. Only when she saw the small bridge not far ahead did she feel hopeful, because once she reached it, the village wouldn't be far away.

Xia Lanyue waded through the water, cautiously looking around. Only when she saw no one around did she carefully climb ashore.

She looked at the small bridge, from which the path leading back was the only way she could go. But the dense reeds along the way made Xia Lanyue wary.

The reeds are taller than a person and stretch for a long time; if someone were hiding there, they would be completely undetectable.

Looking at the increasingly dim sky, Xia Lanyue was extremely conflicted: Should she leave or stay?

Waiting for Dai You to come and rescue her was clearly unrealistic. And if they waited any longer, it would get completely dark, which would be even more dangerous!

"Since that's the case, why not take a gamble?" Xia Lanyue thought to herself.

At that moment, she remembered that Dai You had given her a dagger for self-defense. She hurriedly reached for her waist, but the dagger had somehow fallen out.

Xia Lanyue panicked. Without her dagger, how could she fight back?!

Suddenly, she remembered the hairpin in her hair, which was the only relatively sharp thing she could use at the moment.

She quickly took off the hairpin and examined it. When Dai You gave her this hairpin, he probably rounded off the edges to prevent it from pricking her. Who would have thought that Xia Lanyue now needed that sharp point the most? She sighed and immediately found a rough stone to polish it.

Fortunately, it was sharpened quickly. Xia Lanyue poked the tip and found it could indeed prick and hurt.

Xia Lanyue gripped the hairpin tightly in her hand, then mustered her courage and strode forward.

When she reached the bridge, Xia Lanyue stopped and carefully observed the reed marshes.

A gentle breeze blows through the reeds, causing them to ripple and undulate in the wind.

Normally, Xia Lanyue would have liked this sight, but now, all she wanted was to burn this place down.

Xia Lanyue held the hairpin in both hands, placing it defensively in front of her chest. She took a deep breath and then carefully walked forward.