Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 147 Uninvited

Xia Lanyue skipped and hopped back to Yunji Inn and went straight to her room.

Unbeknownst to her, Dai You was sitting by the window on the second floor, watching her happy expression.

"Bang bang bang".

Xia Lanyue heard someone knocking on her door.

"Who is it?" Xia Lanyue asked.

“It’s me, Dai You.”

Xia Lanyue jogged over to open the door and let Dai You into the house. "Aren't you resting?"

"No, I've been sleeping too much in jail these past few days," Dai You said with a smile.

Xia Lanyue thought about it and realized it made sense; every time she went to see Dai You, he was always asleep. "Are you hungry? Shall we go eat?"

“I ordered my food from the waiter, and he’ll bring it up in a bit,” Dai You said.

Xia Lanyue nodded.

"Where did A-Yue go just now? Why are you so happy?" Dai You asked.

Xia Lanyue paused almost imperceptibly. She was conflicted. Should she tell Dai You? He would definitely be hurt if she did, but she didn't want to lie to him.

Seeing Xia Lanyue lost in thought, Dai You gently called to her, "A-Yue?"

Xia Lanyue snapped out of her daze. "Oh, I just saw Xia Yao and chatted with him for a while."

Sure enough, Dai You's smile froze on his face.

Xia Lanyue had anticipated this, but she didn't want to lie to him anymore.

After a moment of silence, Dai You said, "I'm very happy that you can tell me the truth."

Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You's bitter smile and didn't know what to say.

Just then, the sound of a waiter knocking came from next door. "It's me, waiter. Your food has arrived, sir."

Dai You took a deep breath. "Let's go, let's eat first."

Dai You didn't wait for Xia Lanyue and went straight to the next room.

By the time Xia Lanyue walked over, the waiter had already left, and Dai You had set out the bowls and chopsticks and was sitting at the table waiting for her.

Xia Lanyue closed the door and sat down at the table.

"Eat more, you've lost a lot of weight lately," Dai You said, but he didn't pick up the bowl himself, only looking at Xia Lanyue.

Xia Lanyue felt his gaze, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and dared not look up.

The already sweltering June weather felt even hotter to Xia Lanyue, as if a fire had been added to the surrounding area.

"Achoo, achoo," two sneezes came from the doorway, followed by a knock. "Ah Yue?"

Judging from the voice, it's Xia Yao!

Why is he here?! We agreed to meet tomorrow!

Xia Lanyue hurriedly looked at Dai You and saw that he had his head down, so she got up to open the door.

"Why are you here?" Xia Lanyue blocked the doorway, showing no intention of letting Xia Yao in.

"My brother-in-law is out of prison, so of course I had to come and see him," Xia Yao said, lifting the wine jar and lotus leaf package in his hand. "I brought some good stuff." He glanced into the house and said, "Oh dear, everyone's eating here. Didn't we agree that you'd come to my place?"

Xia Lanyue bit her lip, signaling Xia Yao to stop talking, but Xia Yao ignored her and said, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Xia Lanyue was afraid that Xia Yao's words would upset the heartbroken Dai You, so she hesitated whether to let him in or not. "We've almost finished eating, you should go back and eat."

"It's no fun eating alone. Look, the food on the table hasn't been touched," Xia Yao said, glancing at the food. Then she realized something was wrong. "A-Yue, you're acting like a different person. You weren't like this just now."

Xia Lanyue winked at Xia Yao, signaling him to stop talking.

"If you don't mind, let's eat together," Dai You said to Xia Yao, who was standing at the door.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yao immediately became smug. "My brother-in-law has spoken, how could I dare to disobey?"

Xia Lanyue reluctantly stepped aside from the doorway. She was truly worried about what would happen next.

"Ah Yue, go downstairs and find the waiter. Ask him to add a set of bowls and chopsticks," Dai You said to Xia Lanyue. "And while you're at it, bring up a few wine glasses."

Seeing the atmosphere, Xia Lanyue dared not leave, but she couldn't ignore Dai You's words. So, she stood at the door and called downstairs, hoping the waiter would hear her and run up, but it was too noisy downstairs, and the waiter couldn't hear her at all.

“Ah Yue, you have to go down and talk, Xiao Er can’t hear you,” Dai You said to her.

Xia Lanyue nodded, looking at Dai Youping's calm expression. She realized she had no choice but to go downstairs; not daring to delay, she quickly ran back downstairs, thinking she should hurry back.

As soon as she came downstairs, Dai You immediately looked at Xia Yao and said irritably, "Don't call me brother-in-law. A-Yue will not marry you, give up."

Xia Yao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, you probably don't know this younger sister well enough."

"Don't you know enough? Where do you get the confidence to say that?" Dai You's tone was tinged with sarcasm.

“Naturally, it was given to me by A-Yue,” Xia Yao said with a smug expression.

Dai You looked at Xia Yao, his expression turning serious. "Stop bothering A Yue. She won't be with you, not even with Village Chief Zhao's engagement."

Xia Yao smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, you've misunderstood. It was A-Yue who was bothering me."

Upon hearing this, Dai You's expression fell, and his resolve wavered. "She won't."

Xia Yao smiled and said, "You'll find out later, brother-in-law."

"I told you not to call me brother-in-law," Dai You said, his tone tinged with displeasure.

"It seems I haven't gained Brother Dai's approval yet; I need to work even harder," Xia Yao said.

Upon hearing Xia Yao's reply, Dai You's expression darkened.

"I'm back," Xia Lanyue said, running in breathlessly, carrying three cups in her hands.

She had already run as fast as she could, but she still felt slow. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Dai You's gloomy face. She knew that they must have said something.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yue. You don't need to rush like this," Xia Yao said, taking the cup from Xia Lanyue's hand.

Xia Lanyue sat down at the table, constantly observing the expressions of the two people, thinking about how to ease the atmosphere.

Dai You sighed, removed the wine seal, and poured wine into the three glasses.

Xia Yao quickly took it, saying, "I'll pour the wine."

Xia Lanyue could tell that Dai You was suppressing his temper.

Xia Yao raised his glass first, "Congratulations on your release from prison, Brother Dai. May everything go smoothly for you from now on."

Although Dai You had a dark expression, he still raised his glass and drank the wine in one gulp.

Xia Lanyue quickly filled Dai You's glass with wine, then raised her glass, "Brother, I toast you."

Dai You glanced at Xia Lanyue and raised his glass.

After drinking the toasts offered by the two men, Dai You poured himself another glass and drank it down by himself.

At this moment, the waiter brought over bowls and chopsticks, along with two cold dishes.

“Are you planning to stay at the guesthouse indefinitely? I have two empty rooms in my yard, why don’t you stay at my house?” Xia Yao suggested.

Xia Lanyue quickly looked at Dai You, but seeing his dark face, she didn't dare to speak.

Xia Yao looked at Dai You, "Well... what do you think, Brother Dai? Stay at my place, it'll be more convenient, and I won't charge you rent."

Dai You looked at Xia Yao with an unfriendly expression, "I'm afraid it's inconvenient."

"How could that be? We used to live in the same courtyard, and it wasn't inconvenient at all. Brother Dai, please don't stand on ceremony with me," Xia Yao said with a smile. "I'll go back and tidy up today. You and A-Yue can come over tomorrow. A-Yue knows where my house is."

Xia Lanyue's heart skipped a beat when she heard Xia Yao's words. Xia Yao really didn't care about her life or death.

Dai You looked at Xia Lanyue, only to see her with her head down, constantly wiping away sweat, not daring to meet his gaze.

Dai You asked Xia Lanyue, "What does A-Yue mean?"

"I'm fine with either, it's up to you," Xia Lanyue said with a smile.

“Ah Yue is definitely willing, so Brother Dai, please don’t refuse,” Xia Yao said.

Dai You did not respond.

"Then let's decide on that. I'll go back and pack up first." Xia Yao didn't linger any longer. After saying goodbye to them, he walked out.

"I'll see him off," Xia Lanyue hurriedly chased after him.

Upon reaching the inn, Xia Yao stopped. "No need to see me off. Tomorrow during the day, you and Dai You can come to my house together."

"Um, what did you say to him just now?" Xia Lanyue asked.

Xia Yao thought for a moment, then said nothing.

Xia Lanyue knew Xia Yao wouldn't tell her, "You know Dai You has a bad temper. If there's a conflict, he'll hit people, and I can't stop him."

Xia Yao thought for a moment, "I understand, then I'll be careful with my words in the future."

"Xia Yao, will your mother, Xia Huifang, be there too?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"So that's what you're worried about. She won't. She doesn't want to see me right now," Xia Yao said with a smile.

Xia Lanyue understood that Xia Huifang's anger towards Xia Yao was also related to her.

"Go back now, see you tomorrow," Xia Yao said before leaving.

Xia Lanyue watched Dai You leave and returned to the room she had just been in.

At this moment, Dai You was quietly eating his meal.

Xia Lanyue sat to one side, eating with him.

Dai You's displeasure was written all over his face, and Xia Lanyue dared not say a word, but simply stayed by his side.