Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 116 Jiang Di Comes to the Rescue

"No one is allowed to plead for him," a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a black robe, said to the crowd sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden. "Guards, give him thirty strokes of the cane as punishment."

In front of her, on a long bench, lay a man; his figure looked familiar.

"No, Father, I was wrong, please punish me," she knelt down and pleaded with the middle-aged man in front of her.

Her father glanced at her, unmoved, and said to the servants, "Beat her."

"Clang, clang, clang," the board landed squarely on the man's body.

She tried to rush forward to stop the servants, but her arms were bound by those around her, and she couldn't break free. "Stop hitting him! It's all my fault, Father. I was wrong. His injuries haven't healed; he couldn't take the beating!"

"Take the young lady back to her room," her father ordered the servant.

"No, I won't go, Dai You~ Dai You~" She was pulled backward by the crowd.

Dai You, sitting on the stool, turned his head with difficulty, his lips seemingly uttering her name.

"Dai Xiyue? Dai Xiyue?"

The scene before her eyes grew increasingly blurry, as if it were turning black. A sense of oppression washed over her, and she was powerless to break free.

"Dai Xiyue? Dai Xiyue?"

Why does that voice sound so familiar? It sounds... like Jiang Di's voice? Where is he? Xia Lanyue tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. She wanted to speak, but couldn't utter a sound. She was anxious, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't respond to him.

She felt her consciousness sinking downwards, as if falling into an endless abyss.

After Jiang Di fed Xia Lanyue the last mouthful of medicine, he wiped her mouth and then, together with his mother, laid Xia Lanyue flat on the bed.

Jiang whispered to Jiang Di, "Listen to me, once this girl is feeling better, send her back to the Xia family!"

"No," Jiang Di said firmly.

"She's Xia Yao's person, and Xia Yao is a local gentry. Take my advice, don't get involved in this, okay?"

"Mother, she has nothing to do with Xia Yao."

"Don't lie to me, I've heard about it. They were doing it in the reeds, making a lot of noise, and they were naked when they were discovered."

"Mom, please stop talking nonsense! Don't let her hear it," Jiang Di frowned.

"Let's talk outside," Jiang said, pulling Jiang Di out of the house.

As soon as they stepped outside, Madam Jiang said, "Even after all this, what are you still thinking about her for!"

“She’s just staying at the Xia family’s place, and her brother is there too. How could we let something like this happen!” Jiang Di said anxiously. “Who did you tell that to?”

"Sigh," Jiang sighed, "What business is it of yours who I heard it from!"

"Mom, she's my friend. Why are you spreading rumors too? A young lady should have a good reputation!"

"If you want to preserve your reputation, don't do such shameful things! Why are people talking about her and not others?" Jiang glared at the direction of the room.

"Mother, keep your voice down. If she wakes up, you can't say that to her!" Jiang Di was worried and stared into Jiang Shi's eyes to make sure. "Huh?"

"Hey, be careful when you go out," Jiang said helplessly, ignoring his words and urging him on.

"Alright, let's not be angry anymore, Mom. I'm going out now. I haven't finished my business today. Can you take care of her for me?" Jiang Di hugged Jiang Shi and coaxed her. "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll bring it to you."

"I don't want to eat anything," Jiang said dejectedly.

"Okay, okay, don't be angry anymore, I'm leaving," Jiang Di said, and then jogged out the door.

Jiang Di first delivered salt to the shop, then returned to Wang Xiang's shop and went straight up to the second floor.

Wang Xiang was already drinking tea on the second floor.

"Well? Did you ask about it?" Jiang Di asked before she had even settled in her seat.

"Hmm," Wang Xiang said calmly, taking another sip of tea.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Di urged, "Hurry up and tell me."

"Don't rush, don't rush. I have asked, but I haven't quite figured it out yet."

"how to say?"

“I think they were after the recipe for rice cakes! Maybe Miss Dai saw through it and refused to hand it over. But, was this Li Zhuang’s idea?! Village Chief Zhao probably wouldn’t care about such a small benefit, and Xia Yao even less so,” Wang Xiang pondered, stroking her chin.

Jiang Di slammed her hand on the table in anger, "This is outrageous!"

"Logically speaking, if you eat something bad, you should just stop eating it. Why do you have to prove it to everyone again? Is that necessary? He wants ten strings of cash, which isn't a lot. It's money that Miss Dai can earn in a month. Why won't she give it to him? There must be another reason behind it."

“She really has no money. She has pawned all her banknotes with Village Chief Zhao and only has a little bit of hard-earned money on her,” Jiang Di said.

"Is it the silver note that was held by the village chief because of the theft? You said the matter has been resolved, but you haven't given her the silver note yet?" Wang Xiang asked curiously.

Jiang Di shook her head, "I didn't give it to her."

Hearing this, Wang Xiang nodded. "According to what you just said, there might be a selfish reason behind the thirty strokes of the cane, that the village chief Zhao wanted to establish his authority! After all, the money is already in his pocket, so why would he take it out? But thirty strokes of the cane is already a polite gesture according to past practice."

"Didn't Xia Yao plead for her?" Jiang Di frowned.

Wang Xiang nodded, "I guess so. She fainted before she even got the full thirty strokes. The rest were just a token amount to make up the number." After saying that, Wang Xiang remembered something else. "Speaking of him, Li Chuan told me something else. Ever since Xia Yao recovered from his illness, he's been like a different person. He's been getting quite close to Village Chief Zhao, and they're always talking behind closed doors." Wang Xiang recalled.

"What are you going to discuss?" Jiang Di asked, even more curious.

Wang Xiang sized him up. "Tsk, how would I know? They said they'd keep it a secret, how could anyone know?" She then added, "However, Li Chuan said he bribed Village Chief Zhao."

"Him?! A bribe?!" Jiang Di looked incredulous.

"Right? You don't believe it either, do you? He wasn't like this before. But Li Chuan said he saw Xia Yao give money to Village Chief Zhao."

"When did this happen?"

"That happened back when the grain was stolen. Wei Liangxing only got out after he paid for the lost grain. He then gave two strings of cash to Village Chief Zhao. Would he have done something like that before?!"

Jiang Di looked surprised. "He got sick and his personality changed? Or was he just hiding it all along?!"

Wang Xiang shrugged. "How would I know? How are things on your end? Has Miss Dai woken up?"

"Not yet," Jiang Di said. "By the way, is there any news about Dai You?"

Wang Xiang shook her head.

"Sigh, it's all my fault for not explaining things clearly," Jiang Di said, bowing her head in self-reproach.

Seeing him like this, Wang Xiang comforted him, "How can I blame you? Things happened too suddenly, no one could have predicted it. Don't blame yourself, I'll look for him again."