Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

The next day, upon arriving in town, Dai Youxian took Xia Lanyue to the shoe shop first.

“The pair of shoes Aunt Xia gave me are fine; I don’t need to buy new ones,” Xia Lanyue said.

"I want you to wear new ones," Dai You insisted on buying them. "A-Yue, take a look, which pair do you like?"

Xia Lanyue said she wouldn't buy anything, but it was her first time browsing a shoe store, and she was so attracted by the variety of shoes that she couldn't take it all in. "This pair is nice, this pair is nice too, and this pair... wow, how can there be so many styles?!"

Seeing that Xia Lanyue and her companions were quite good-looking, the shopkeeper, with his extensive experience in judging people, immediately became very attentive. "Young lady, you have excellent taste. This is the only shoe shop in town. If you find anything you like, you can try it on."

Xia Lanyue nodded; she liked both pairs of shoes.

"How about these? The silk upper paired with the lotus pattern will enhance your elegance," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"How much are these?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"Three hundred coins," the shopkeeper said.

Xia Lanyue was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide and then quickly closed it. She hadn't expected the price to be so high, exceeding her budget. She shook her head and turned to look at other styles. "Shopkeeper, how about this pair? The hemp pair, how much?"

"That pair, that pair costs fifty coins."

"What? This has no style and you still want fifty coins? Thirty coins, will you sell it or not?" Xia Lanyue bargained with the shopkeeper.

"This... young lady, you've bargained too much. I'm losing money now," the shopkeeper said, looking troubled.

"How could that be? Thirty coins, hurry up and say it," Xia Lanyue said, feigning urgency.

"You're my first customer today, so I'll consider this a friendly gesture and sell you the shoes," the shopkeeper said. He then asked Xia Lanyue's shoe size and went to get her the shoes.

Xia Lanyue couldn't help but laugh at the familiar routine.

She glanced back at Dai You and raised an eyebrow at him.

Dai You smiled at her, and when Xia Lanyue turned her head away, he stared at the embroidered shoes for a long time.

After taking the shoes, the two walked out of the shop together.

“Why don’t you want those embroidered shoes? They’re beautiful, and I can afford them,” Dai You said.

“I know you have enough money, but we have many expenses, and we need to spend it wisely. Besides, what kind of status do we have now? Why be so particular? Silk shoes are beautiful but don’t last long. I sell rice cakes and run around every day, so they won’t last long. Hemp is better; it lasts longer,” Xia Lanyue said nonchalantly.

Dai You didn't say anything more, but a look of guilt unconsciously appeared on his face.

At Wang Xiang's shop, the young shop assistants were serving customers and helping them choose their favorite candied fruits; the business was very busy.

Xia Lanyue didn't want to disturb them, so she went into the backyard through the back door.

Xia Lanyue had just started the fire in the stove when the door to the other room was suddenly opened with a "bang".

Jiang Di stood at the doorway, peeking out. When she saw Xia Lanyue there, a smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Why are you so late?" Jiang Di casually closed the door. "How did things go yesterday? Did you find the person?"

Xia Lanyue shook her head.

"It's not Zhang Mazi, is it?" Jiang Di asked.

“No, and we stayed at the village entrance all night yesterday, but we didn’t see that person,” Xia Lanyue said.

“I know everyone in that village, and I’ve never heard of the kind of person you’re talking about. If it’s not Zhang Mazi, then he’s probably not from this village.”

What Xia Lanyue said was the same as what she thought, and she nodded in agreement.

"What other distinguishing features does that person have? Tell me, and see if I can recognize them."

"Forget it, I'm fine anyway, I don't want to look anymore," Xia Lanyue said, pouring the rice into the pot and stirring it.

Jiang Di watched as she kept stirring the sand, and the rice slowly expanded. "Is this how you fry rice? What's this black stuff?"

"Salt."

Jiang Di looked at the plump, white rice and reached into the pot to pick some up to eat, but Xia Lanyue couldn't stop her in time. "Ouch!" Jiang Di burned her finger.

"Who picks things out of a pot? Are you stupid?!" Xia Lanyue mocked him.

"Hehe," Jiang Di felt relieved when he saw Xia Lanyue laugh. "I forgot about it, but you're quite capable."

"Yes, but you've seen how I make rice cakes. If you try to steal my recipe, I'll never forgive you."

"Hehe, I got it."

Jiang Di helped Xia Lanyue sift the salt off the popped rice, and then poured the popped rice into a basin.

Looking at the diligent Jiang Di, Xia Lanyue suddenly became curious, "You don't seem to be busy lately. Why have you been here these past two days?"

“If you’re tired, just rest. You can’t earn all the money in the world. Unlike you, you’re always so energetic. Are you short of money?” Jiang Di asked.

"Yeah, I'm short of money. I need money to go home," Xia Lanyue said pitifully.

But Jiang Di didn't seem so happy. "Going home? You're leaving?"

"We're not leaving now; we'll leave when we have enough money for the journey."

"Is everything alright with Village Chief Zhao?" Jiang Di asked.

"I almost forgot about him if you hadn't mentioned him," Xia Lanyue thought of the guarantee again, wondering if it would affect Xia Yao, so she asked Jiang Di, "I have a question for you, if I leave after the guarantee, what will happen to Xia Yao?"

"Hmm... I hope nothing bad will happen."

"What do you mean by that?" Xia Lanyue pressed.

"Actually, this matter could be a big deal or a small deal, it all depends on Chief Zhao's decision, it just depends on whether he wants to make things difficult for you. As for Xia Yao, they have a good relationship, so he shouldn't make things too difficult for you."

Xia Lanyue was still a little worried, "I heard that Tian Guang's second son was involved in a guarantor incident..."

"Shh," Jiang Di gestured for Xia Lanyue to lower her voice, "His case is different from yours. There were dead people in his case. The person ran away, and the higher-ups needed someone to deliver the report, so they handed over Uncle Tian's son. He was used by someone."

"So Uncle Tian's son was beheaded?"

“No, he fell ill in prison and died because he didn’t get medical treatment. He was so angry that he died,” Jiang Di said with a look of regret. “He was too young and had no sense of caution. He lost his life just like that.”

Xia Lanyue sighed, then thought of herself and quickly explained, "We are not like that."

“I know, so Xia Yao should be fine, but it all depends on what Village Chief Zhao decides.”

Xia Lanyue nodded. Sure enough, the common people couldn't fight against the officials; in Zhao the village chief's eyes, their affairs depended entirely on his mood. But that was fine too; as long as it didn't affect Xia Yao, she had no worries. Since there was no hope of getting the silver notes back, she simply stopped thinking about it and focused on earning money in the present, saving enough to leave.

“Village Chief Zhao has moved to the government office in town, and he will be working here from now on,” Jiang Di said out of the blue.

"Huh? Why did you move here?" Xia Lanyue asked.

“He used to live in that courtyard because the official residence was under renovation. Now that it’s finished, of course he has to live in the official residence. This place is much larger, and there are even prison cells for people.”

"This..." Xia Lanyue felt that it would be better for Village Chief Zhao not to move here, as she had a feeling it wouldn't be a good thing.