Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 148 Solve the doubts

Xia Yao returned to the courtyard and pushed open the door.

Xia Huifang came out of the house. "Pangao, I've cleaned the house and brought you some clean clothes. They're all in the closet. You can buy the rest in town. By the way, the round fan on your table, was that a gift from her? What's painted on it? It's so ugly!"

Xia Yao glanced in the direction of his room and said, "Mom, you've worked hard."

Xia Huifang couldn't manage a smile. "You really don't want me to come and keep you company? You can't even start a fire properly, how can you take care of yourself?!"

"The market sells everything, and there are plenty of restaurants and eateries, so don't worry," Xia Yao reassured him.

"What about Dai Xiyue? Didn't you say she agreed to marry you? Why didn't she come over to tidy up?"

“Her brother just went out today, and she’s busy taking care of him. They’ll be here tomorrow,” Xia Yao said with a smile.

Xia Huifang rolled her eyes. "She's really lucky. I got all packed and came right away. You're not letting me stay here because you're afraid she'll be unhappy, right?!"

“Mother, she really has something to do today,” Xia Yao defended Xia Lanyue.

"Sigh, they say that once you have a wife, you forget your mother, and that's absolutely true. We haven't even done anything yet, and you're already speaking up for her. If I were to marry her, she'd probably bully me all over again," Xia Huifang pouted, looking like she was about to cry.

Xia Yao walked over and said, "Mother, no, you're strong and healthy. You can beat three of them. You're the one who bullies her, and she won't fight back."

"Hey, tell me, are you even my son? What are you saying?" Xia Huifang glared at her.

“This is a compliment to your competence,” Xia Yao said.

“I can’t tell,” Xia Huifang said, untying her apron. “But now that your marriage is settled, you should talk to the village chief and tell him to quit this job and continue taking the exam.”

“We can’t do that,” Xia Yao said. “If we anger Village Chief Zhao, won’t he make things difficult for us in the future?”

"If you pass the exam, he'll be scrambling to curry favor with us!"

"Mother, things have come to this, let's talk about the exam later," Xia Yao said.

Xia Huifang sighed.

"Mom, are you hungry? I'll take you to eat."

Xia Huifang had no appetite and waved her hand, "I'm not eating anymore. I have to get back before dark."

After saying that, Xia Huifang left without looking back.

After Xia Huifang's figure disappeared around the corner, Xia Yao turned around and went back into the house.

He picked up the round fan from the table, walked to the stove, lit it, and threw it in.

The firelight gradually melted the fan, including the image of Pleasant Goat painted on it.

That night, Xia Lanyue lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, her mind constantly replaying the experiences of the past few days, especially those with Xia Yao.

As the excitement faded, Xia Lanyue felt increasingly uneasy.

There are some things she just can't understand.

For example, why was Xia Yao unusually calm after learning her true identity? He even seemed rather unhappy.

For example, he allowed A-Cheng to use the tricks she did, without considering the bond between them as "fellow villagers".

Furthermore, on the day the stolen grain was distributed, the day of the snake incident, and the day she was beaten with a cane, Xia Yao's attitude was very indifferent whenever she was in trouble.

The attitude then was completely different from the attitude now.

Why such a big difference in their opinions, even though they both know her identity? What secret is Xia Yao hiding? Or did she do something to displease him?

Many "whys" remained in Xia Lanyue's mind, making her feel upset and confused.

She thought she needed to have a good talk with Xia Yao tomorrow.

Perhaps because she had been thinking too much and was too tired, Xia Lanyue slept exceptionally soundly that night. She even had a very long dream.

"Young Miss, I heard that it's a festival today, and many scholars and literati are boating on the lake. Shall we go to the lake to play too?" the maid asked.

After carefully writing her name on the fan, she raised the fan to admire it closely. "I think it's you who wants to go out and see them."

"Hehe, young lady, I heard that many young men who are taking the imperial examinations have already arrived in the capital this year. Today's lotus festival must have many different kinds of flowers. Let's go and take a look," the maid said.

She blew the ink off the fan, then closed it and handed it to the maid, saying, "Here, put the fan away. Let's go join the fun."

The maid followed behind with a smile, "That's wonderful."

The streets were bustling with people, children were laughing and playing, and vendors along the street had set up all sorts of stalls.

They made their way through the crowds toward the lake.

When she arrived at the lake, she was so hot that she was almost exhausted. She struggled to wave the round fan in her hand, but it couldn't create any cool breeze.

"Give me the fan," she said, extending her hand to the maid.

"Oh," the maid rummaged through her clothes for a while, searching for the folding fan, then suddenly exclaimed in panic, "Oh dear, the fan seems to be gone?!"

She immediately tensed up, "What? Lost?"

The maid nodded timidly.

"No one can see the words on it! Go back and find it quickly!" she shouted anxiously to the maid.

"Bang, bang, bang," came a knocking sound at the door.

Xia Lanyue slowly opened her eyes; it was already dawn.

"Ah Yue, are you up?"

Outside, it was Dai You's voice.

"Coming," Xia Lanyue replied, and quickly got up to tidy up.

It turns out that the fan in Xia Yao's hand was lost by Dai Xiyue.

This guy was just teasing her.

Xia Lanyue finished tidying up and went to Dai You's room.

Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You's dark circles and knew he must not have slept well.

She took out five hundred coins from her purse and gave them to Dai You, saying, "It's inconvenient for you to be without money. Use these first, and I'll give them back to you in a few days when I get my share of the profits."

Dai You looked at the money, said nothing, and put it away.

Seeing that Dai You had accepted the money, Xia Lanyue felt somewhat relieved.

After dinner, Xia Lanyue couldn't resist any longer and decided to go find Xia Yao first.

When Dai You heard her say that, he looked disappointed, but he didn't stop her. He just told her to come back soon.

This surprised Xia Lanyue.

"I'm just asking him something, I'll be right back," Xia Lanyue said, unable to bear seeing Dai You's aggrieved expression.

“I know, I’ll wait for you,” Dai You said without looking at Xia Lanyue.

Xia Lanyue sensed that what he said was against his will, but she didn't know why he could be so calm.