Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 157 Dilemma

Xia Lanyue sat on her horse and saw someone waiting at the entrance of the alley in the distance. If she was not mistaken, it was Dai You.

As the horse drew closer, they recognized the man; it was indeed Dai You.

Dai You also saw them, but seeing that they were riding the same horse, his expression became very unnatural, and his eyes looked away, as if he was avoiding eye contact.

The horse led them to the alley entrance, and when Xia Lanyue dismounted, Dai You still reached out to help her down.

When Xia Lanyue landed, she lost her balance and fell into Dai You's arms.

She glanced at Xia Yao in a panic, then quickly broke free from Dai You's embrace and stood firm.

Looking at the disheveled Xia Lanyue, Dai You's eyes were filled with heartache. "A-Yue, are you... alright?"

"It's alright, A-Yue is just locked up," Xia Yao dismounted and answered Dai You first. "Brother-in-law, you take A-Yue back first. I'll take the horse back to the official residence and come back." After saying that, Xia Yao smiled at Xia Lanyue, then led the horse and headed towards the direction of Zhao Village Chief's house.

Xia Lanyue watched Xia Yao leave and then walked home.

Dai You followed quietly behind.

Xia Lanyue hadn't come to her senses yet. She returned to the courtyard and walked straight to her house, seemingly forgetting about Dai You behind her.

However, when she tried to close the door, Dai You blocked it.

"Ah Yue, aren't you going to talk to me? I haven't been able to find you for the past two days, I've been so worried," Dai You said anxiously.

Xia Lanyue then realized she had overlooked Dai You and said apologetically, "I'm fine, look, I'm perfectly alright, don't worry."

"How could I not worry? I heard you were kidnapped as soon as I got back yesterday. I searched the whole town for you and didn't sleep all night," Dai You said, his voice trembling with excitement.

Hearing his words, Xia Lanyue felt even more guilty. She lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't mean to."

"Ah Yue," Dai You stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

Xia Lanyue subconsciously took a step back to maintain her distance.

This step stunned Dai You. He seemed to sense Xia Lanyue's deliberate avoidance and became uneasy. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine, I'm just tired," Xia Lanyue said, trying to brush it off.

When Dai You heard Xia Lanyue say that, he knew that she wouldn't change her attitude if he pressed her for more information, so he sighed and changed the subject, "Are you hungry? I'll go prepare some food for you."

"Mm," Xia Lanyue smiled.

Dai You didn't say anything and turned to go to the kitchen.

Xia Lanyue knew it was time to keep her distance from Dai You, and it was also time to tell Xia Yao about her relationship with Dai You.

Xia Yao did not return until Xia Lanyue finished her meal.

Xia Lanyue was too tired. After saying goodnight to Dai You, she went back to her room to rest.

Unbeknownst to her, Dai You was so affected by her attitude that he didn't sleep all night.

As soon as Xia Lanyue opened her eyes in the early morning, she thought of Xia Yao. She hadn't seen Xia Yao return before she went to sleep the night before, and she was a little worried.

She opened the door and saw Dai You making molds in the yard; to be precise, he was helping her make molds.

Xia Lanyue looked at the mold in his hand, which had already been polished smooth and even based on her work.

"You got up really early, why didn't you sleep a little longer?" Xia Lanyue said to Dai You.

"How are you feeling? Maybe you should sleep a little longer," Dai You said.

Xia Lanyue shook her head. She wasn't actually tired; she had just been too scared these past two days, but there had been no real harm done.

Xia Lanyue suddenly remembered Xia Yao and couldn't help but ask, "Where's Xia Yao? Is he up?"

“He’s still asleep,” Dai You said, lowering his head and continuing his work.

"Ah," Xia Lanyue nodded. She noticed Dai You's disappointed expression, so she stopped mentioning Xia Yao. She shrugged and said, "Then I'll rest for a while longer." After saying that, she went back into the house.

Xia Lanyue originally only wanted to lie down for a while, but she fell asleep again without realizing it. When she woke up, it was already noon.

Xia Lanyue suddenly sat up and rushed out of the house.

Xia Yao wasn't in the courtyard, but Xia Huifang was.

Why is she here again?!

Xia Huifang was busy in the corner vegetable garden, seemingly planting vegetables.

"You're up?" Xia Huifang said sarcastically. "I heard you were kidnapped, but you look perfectly fine now."

Xia Lanyue didn't say anything, but went straight to the kitchen to find food.

Xia Huifang put down her work and walked over to her. She could tell what Xia Lanyue was doing. "Don't bother looking anymore, there's no food."

Xia Lanyue ignored her and continued to look around. She knew that Xia Yao would definitely leave food for her, but after searching around without success, she had no choice but to start cooking for herself.

Xia Huifang snorted coldly, "If you know what's good for you, get out of my house with Dai You."

Xia Lanyue didn't understand what she was up to again, and looked at her, "I'm not leaving."

"Hmph, you were kidnapped and abused for two days, and you still want to marry someone who's climbing the social ladder? No way!" Xia Huifang didn't hide anything anymore and directly stated her thoughts.

Xia Lanyue couldn't believe her ears. Xia Huifang was spreading rumors to get rid of her. She stood up abruptly, "What are you saying! I didn't."

“You know what I’m saying. If you know what’s good for you, pack your bags and get out of here. Otherwise, I’ll make you lose face and you’ll have to get out anyway,” Xia Huifang said, glaring at her.

Xia Lanyue looked at Xia Huifang in front of her, feeling utterly bewildered. Just a few days ago, she was forcing her to marry, and now she's spreading rumors that she doesn't want her. What on earth is Xia Huifang up to?!

“What? Are you still going to play dumb with me? I’m not afraid to be blunt. If you’ve been with other men, then go back to them. Don’t try to climb the social ladder by clinging to my family. He doesn’t pick up women that other men don’t want,” Xia Huifang said.

Xia Lanyue understood. It seemed Xia Yao had told Xia Huifang about this, which was why she was causing trouble! After all, this was an era that valued chastity, so it wasn't surprising that Xia Huifang would dislike her for this. But Xia Yao telling Xia Huifang only made it more difficult for them to be together!

"I will not separate from Xia Yao," Xia Lanyue also stated her position.

"Hmph, you can't just say you don't know how. If I tell you to know, you have to know," Xia Huifang said, adopting a formidable attitude.

Suddenly, another thought flashed through Xia Lanyue's mind: could her kidnapping also be a scheme orchestrated by Xia Huifang? Was the purpose to prevent her from marrying Xia Yao? "So, Li Zhuang was someone you hired? To spread rumors about me?"

Xia Huifang ignored her and turned her head to the side.

Xia Lanyue didn't know if her answer was a yes or a no, but the answer didn't matter anymore, because she had hurt her in the same way. "Does Xia Yao know you did this?"

“Whether he knows or not makes no difference, the result is that he can’t change it,” Xia Huifang seemed confident about her departure.

"Does he know or not?" This was Xia Lanyue's biggest concern. She had just accepted Xia Yao, and now she had to face this situation again. She felt helpless.

Looking at Xia Lanyue's injured expression, Xia Huifang smiled smugly, "Of course I know."

Xia Lanyue initially didn't believe it, but Xia Huifang's smug attitude made her uncertain. Her mind went blank, as if she had lost the ability to think, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood, only feeling a deep pain in her heart.

Seeing Xia Lanyue lost in thought, Xia Huifang became even more emboldened. "My family's Pangao would never marry a woman of questionable character. Considering our past interactions, you and Dai You should leave and return to the capital. From now on, you'll have nothing to do with each other. This way, we can part amicably and save face for everyone."

Xia Lanyue looked at Xia Huifang, not knowing what to say, or rather, her mind was in a mess and she couldn't make sense of anything.

She walked towards the house, ignoring her.

For the entire afternoon, Xia Lanyue locked herself in her room, repeatedly pondering Xia Yao's behavior and Xia Huifang's words during this period, and finally found the flaw in her words.

The problem lies in something Li Zhuang once said.

Li Zhuang acted out of anger because his brother was arrested, not because he was paid. Village Chief Zhao also had a reason for arresting people, and it wasn't something Xia Huifang could decide on her own.

This contradicts Xia Huifang's account.

Perhaps Xia Huifang just wanted to use this as an excuse to get rid of her.

Thinking of this, Xia Lanyue felt much better. However, she still had some uncertainties, which she awaited Xia Yao to clarify.