Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 24: Thinking of Finding a Wife for Dai You

Xia Lanyue turned her head, and behind her was Xia Huifang.

She quickly stood up to greet her, "Hello, Aunt Xia."

"Hello, I remember you were also sick. Why aren't you resting at home?" Xia Huifang looked at her dusty face and couldn't help but reach out to wipe it off for her.

Xia Lanyue also raised her arm to wipe the mud off her face, "I'm fine now, moving around will help me recover faster."

Xia Huifang smiled indulgently and took her hand, "Are you thirsty? I have water and steamed buns."

Steamed buns?! Xia Lanyue was indeed quite hungry, but thinking that she was doing the easiest job and was getting hungry the fastest, she felt ashamed to say it. "Ah, I just drank, I'm not hungry right now."

“Okay, then what do you need? Go over there, your aunt has been there these past few days,” Xia Huifang said, then let go of Xia Lanyue’s hand and went to her own field.

Xia Lanyue rubbed her stomach, thankfully it hadn't rumbled earlier, which was a relief. However, her stomach felt... a bit too much fat; no wonder she didn't feel so light. Thinking of this, Xia Lanyue couldn't sit still any longer and quickly got up to work. She wanted to lose a few pounds while doing farm work these next few days.

The more work you do, the better the food tastes.

At dinner, Xia Lanyue ate an extra bowl of porridge before she felt full.

Tian Guang smiled at her and asked, "Are you full? There's still some left in the pot."

Wang Cui seemed to have expected this, and deliberately cooked more than usual.

"I'm full, I can't eat anymore, I need to lose weight... Ah, I need to lose weight," Xia Lanyue said, putting down her bowl.

The three of them stared at her, probably finding her words unexpected.

"Who said anything about you?" Wang Cui asked.

"No, I just feel a little chubby," Xia Lanyue replied.

“Don’t be thin, you look best this way,” Dai You said.

Xia Lanyue was very surprised that Dai You would say such a thing.

"Hehe, I think my brother sees everything about me as good," Wang Cui said with a smile, then teased Dai You, "Right?"

Dai You seemed shy and lowered his head.

Xia Lanyue watched them chat and laugh with a smile.

"Take the porridge and side dishes in the pot to Tian Guang later, don't leave any for him," Wang Cui said to Tian Guang.

"Row."

"Doesn't he go home tonight?" Xia Lanyue asked.

“If they don’t go back, they have to watch the wheat, so they sleep in the fields,” Wang Cui explained.

Xia Lanyue suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. That must have been really hard work."

After dinner, Tian Guang took his food and blankets and went out. He would be staying overnight in the fields that night.

Wang Cui was exhausted after a long day and went to her room to rest early.

Over the past few days, Dai You has developed the habit of washing the dishes, and no one has argued or pushed him to do so.

Xia Lanyue straightened the mattress and sat waiting for Dai You to come back. It wasn't that she had anything to say, but she just wanted him to put down the tableware so she could close the door and go to sleep.

But she was so tired that she didn't even know when she lay down. When she woke up again, Dai You was already brewing medicine in the kitchen. The strong smell of medicine hit Xia Lanyue's nose, and she couldn't help but frown.

"I don't want to take medicine, I just want to sleep," Xia Lanyue said weakly, her voice heavy with sleepiness.

Dai You heard her, but pretended not to. The smile on his lips said it all. He ignored her and continued fanning himself.

Half an hour later, Dai You picked up the medicine bowl, scooped a spoonful of medicine to his lips to test the temperature, and nodded in satisfaction. He walked to Xia Lanyue's side, squatted down, and said, "Time for your medicine, drink your medicine~ Wake up~"

Xia Lanyue didn't want to pay attention to him and tried to turn over to continue sleeping, but she had only turned halfway when Dai You grabbed one of her arms and pulled her up.

"Oh, it hurts..."

Xia Lanyue gasped, pulled her arm back, covered it with one hand, and curled up in pain.

Dai You was somewhat at a loss, standing there stunned, looking at Xia Lanyue with heartache.

Xia Lanyue kept her head down, moaning continuously, and remained seated without saying a word.

After a while, Dai You noticed that she wasn't moving and her voice was getting softer and softer, so he moved closer to check on her. But all he heard was her steady breathing and soft snoring.

Dai You felt like he'd been tricked, so he patted her on the back. Sure enough, Xia Lanyue looked up and cried out, "Ouch!"

"what happened?"

Xia Lanyue raised her arm in front of Dai You and waved it, "It's painful."

"Don't go tomorrow." Dai You's eyes were full of heartache.

“That won’t do. I’m a grateful person too, and they need help right now.”

Xia Lanyue woke up at this moment, took the bowl from Dai You, and gulped it down in one go. She didn't want to walk a step, so she shoved the bowl back into Dai You's hands, turned over, and lay down again.

Dai You squatted down behind her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped. Finally, he covered her with the blanket, closed the door, and left.

The next morning, Xia Lanyue was still the last to wake up. When she woke up, the people in the courtyard were already chatting.

She hurriedly got up to fold the quilt, just as she heard a voice from outside the door, "Tsk tsk, whoever marries you will be so lucky."

Xia Lanyue opened the kitchen door. In the courtyard, Wang Cui was talking to Dai You. Dai You had changed into another set of clothes, a light brown linen outfit.

Her pink silk dress hung on the clothesline behind him, water droplets dripping from it, indicating it had been washed. On the other side of the linen, a dark-colored coarse linen outfit hung, seemingly Dai You's.

The dress had been piled up on the corner of her bed ever since she took it off; she was too lazy to wash it.

Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You, she was very surprised.

Seeing Xia Lanyue open the door, Wang Cui smiled and said to her, "Your brother is really diligent; I'm even thinking of arranging a marriage for him." Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Dai You and asked, "Are you married yet?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Lanyue suddenly realized that she knew very little about Dai You, had never asked him anything, and didn't even know his age. Now was a good opportunity to learn more about him.

Dai You seemed a little embarrassed when asked, "No, but I have someone I like."

"Oh dear, that's a pity. I was thinking of finding you a matchmaker. The family at the end of our village, the one next to Tian Kuan's family, their eldest daughter is nineteen years old, very pretty, and hardworking. If you like her, and your family is willing, she can come to the capital with you to live."

"Aunt Wang, I have someone I like," Dai You repeated when he saw that Wang Cui did not understand what he meant.

"Oh, I see. It's just a pity," Wang Cui said, then turned to cook.

After Wang Cui left, Xia Lanyue went over and said, "Thank you, brother. Next time, just leave the clothes here and I'll wash them myself."

"It's alright, I just washed it while I was at it." Dai You's eyes swept over Xia Lanyue's arm. "Does your arm still hurt?"

"It hurts, it'll probably hurt for two or three days," Xia Lanyue said with an indifferent expression. "Where did you get these clothes? They fit much better now. Did Aunt Wang make them for you?"

"No, this is Brother Ma's. They brought it to me when they came last time. It's almost brand new."

Xia Lanyue looked him over and, to be honest, the color suited him quite well.

After breakfast, Wang Cui locked the main house door, took the food for Tian Guang and the others, and the three of them went to the fields together.

Xia Lanyue followed behind Dai You and asked him, "Brother, how old are you this year?"

"twenty four."

"Is your wife in the capital? I've never heard you mention her. When are you getting married?"

"She's from the capital, and also, don't call her sister-in-law."

"Ah," Xia Lanyue thought, does this mean he hasn't won her over yet? "Then do you want me to help you pursue her?"

"Need not."

"Aren't you worried? Twenty-four is not young anymore. If you keep delaying, what if the girl gets married by someone else?"

Dai You stopped, his expression serious, and looked down at him. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Seeing his expression change, Xia Lanyue backed down. "It's nothing, I'm fine anyway. Why don't we go back to the capital sooner so as not to delay your business?"

"I'm not in a hurry to get married, nor am I in a rush."

Xia Lanyue pouted. He was showing concern for her, so why wasn't he happy?