Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Xia Lanyue glanced at the faintly brightening sky outside the window, knowing that it was still early.

This was the most comfortable and cool time of day, but Xia Lanyue felt restless and hot.

She sat up, leaned against the headboard, and pondered what to do next.

She wanted a way to allow them to remain siblings without hurting their feelings, since Dai You had been so good to her, and she couldn't bear to hurt him.

Her first thought was to give him the cold shoulder, deliberately creating a sense of distance. She believed that with enough disappointment, he would naturally leave. Perhaps, due to their social status, they could still remain siblings.

This is the ideal outcome, but Xia Lanyue also knows that it may not be possible, because Dai You has never given up on her all this time, as can be seen from his constant efforts to help her regain her memories.

She considered other methods, such as "falling in love with someone else," telling Dai You that she already had someone else in her heart. Perhaps after his heartbreak, he would reconsider and let her have his way? Or, she could return to the capital, and then this relationship would simply end there. But, which street was her home on again? She seemed to have forgotten!

So, will things really go as she wishes? She doesn't know, but she wants to try.

Xia Lanyue's thoughts returned to the scene in her dream. The kiss still felt vivid, gentle yet passionate, with a hint of force, as if it wanted more. Could their relationship have already progressed to the point of no return? Xia Lanyue was startled by this thought that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere. She panicked and unconsciously clenched her collar.

It's a pity she doesn't remember anything from the past; otherwise, this relationship might have been easier to handle.

Xia Lanyue sighed. If they didn't overstep any boundaries, then it would be fine. But if they did, she was afraid she would lose Dai You.

Thinking of this, Xia Lanyue felt a pang of heartache. She couldn't bear to part with him and didn't want to lose this brother.

But she knew she had to make a decision eventually, and while there was still time, she had to do something.

Just then, the roosters crowed in the yard. Xia Lanyue glanced at the sky, got up, straightened her clothes, and went out of the house.

Xia Lanyue adheres to one principle: she can usually say ten sentences, but now she condenses them into one sentence; if she can say something in one sentence, she won't say anything at all.

She needs to start distancing herself from him by changing her attitude.

Xia Lanyue ignored Dai You from the moment she started eating breakfast.

On the way to town, the two walked one after the other without saying a word.

When they arrived in town, Dai You, as usual, escorted her to the front of Wang Xiang's shop, said "See you in a bit," and left.

Dai You was completely unaware of her unusual behavior.

Xia Lanyue had expected this outcome, but she couldn't wait. The quickest way was to give him some "hints." Xia Lanyue pouted, "See you in a bit, huh? I'll make sure you don't see me in a bit."

Xia Lanyue looked up at the shop sign and went inside.

As soon as I entered, Abei followed me. "Sister Dai, come here. The candy you wanted is already in the backyard, five pounds."

"Ah?! Jiang Di is here?" Xia Lanyue glanced at the stairs. "Is he on the second floor?"

Seeing that Xia Lanyue seemed to want to go upstairs, Abei blocked her way. "He's not here. He asked me to tell you that you can give him the money for the candy next time you see him."

"Oh, okay, I understand," Xia Lanyue said without doubting Abei's words or thinking too much about it, and went to the backyard.

Xia Lanyue made rice cakes and first gave some to the staff in the front hall before carrying them to the end of the street to set up her stall.

After she walked out the front door, Wang Xiang, who was on the second floor of the shop, finally dared to speak, "I was happy for you a while ago when you told me you'd found a profit-sharing business. But now it looks like you're going to lose it all!"

Jiang Di seemed not to hear him, craning her neck to look out the window until Xia Lanyue's figure disappeared into the crowd before sitting back down in her chair and saying quietly, "You don't understand."

After selling all the rice cakes, Xia Lanyue looked up at the sky and decided it was time.

While Dai You was still at work, she packed her things and walked alone towards the village.

It was evening, and it was already dark when Dai Youcai returned, an hour later than usual.

Xia Lanyue deliberately waited in the courtyard. As she picked out rice, she caught a glimpse of Dai You out of the corner of her eye, but ignored him.

Dai You strode over and sat down opposite Xia Lanyue. His breathing was heavy, whether from emotion or from the rush of his journey was unclear.

Xia Lanyue could feel Dai You's gaze, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she picked up the plate, got up, and walked into the house.

Seeing this, Dai You stood up and demanded, "Why didn't you wait for me?!"

Xia Lanyue had been waiting for these words for a long time: "If I didn't want to wait, I would have come back."

Dai You looked on in surprise, "What do you mean you don't want to wait?!"

"It means exactly what it says, I don't want to wait for you," Xia Lanyue said with an indifferent expression.

Dai You was indeed angry. He stubbornly pursed his lips and said, "Even if you didn't want to wait, you should at least have told the waiter. I had to search the whole street. I thought something had happened to you again."

Seeing his anxious appearance, Xia Lanyue felt guilty, but she knew she couldn't show it. So, she lowered her eyes, hiding her emotions. Then, putting on a nonchalant air, she coldly said, "Who told you to look for him? You wanted to look for him yourself."

Then, without waiting for him to speak, she went back inside.

For the next two days, Xia Lanyue treated him with the same attitude.

She responded to Dai You's warm concern with indifference, rejecting his care.

They ignored his kindness and remained indifferent to his affairs.

Finally, Dai You couldn't hold back any longer. "What happened? You seem like a completely different person. Did I do something wrong? Tell me, I can change."

These words were so humble that they broke Xia Lanyue's heart, but she told herself that since she had made up her mind, she had to stick to it. So Xia Lanyue didn't look back at him and went straight to her room.

Dai You caught up and grabbed her hand, but she shook him off.

Xia Lanyue continued walking forward.

Dai You rushed up, stood in front of her, and grabbed her arms to prevent her from leaving.

Perhaps afraid of hurting her, Dai You didn't use force, which gave Xia Lanyue a chance to break free. She walked past Dai You and headed towards the house.

Dai You sighed, raised his right hand, grabbed her arm, pulled her to his side, bent down, hoisted Xia Lanyue onto his back, and walked out of the courtyard.

When they reached the big tree, Dai You gently put Xia Lanyue down.

As soon as she landed, she put on a sour face, turned her head to the side, crossed her arms over her chest, and refused to communicate.

"Speak up, what's wrong?" Dai You was getting anxious, but he couldn't do anything about Xia Lanyue like this.

Xia Lanyue turned her head to the other side again.

Dai You nodded helplessly. "Did Xia Yao bully you? Or did A-Cheng bully you? Or rather, did that salt seller bully you?"

Seeing that Xia Lanyue didn't speak, Dai You got angry. "Fine, if you won't talk, then I'll beat you up one by one." After saying that, he walked towards the courtyard.

"Hey, hey," Xia Lanyue said hastily, afraid things would escalate, and rushed after them to stop them. "It wasn't them."

"Who is that?"

"It's you," Xia Lanyue said, feigning anger as she glared at him.

Dai You looked surprised and became flustered. "Me? I didn't do anything?! What did I do to you?"