Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 174 Ah Niu Gets Married

On the first day of the seventh lunar month, the weather was perfect, with a gentle breeze.

In Xiajia Village, a long wedding procession awaits the auspicious time.

The groom, Ah Niu, sat on his horse, beaming with joy, repeatedly clasping his hands in thanks to his family and friends for their blessings.

Xia Lanyue and Xia Yao were also in the procession, waiting to accompany the groom to fetch the bride.

Dai You and Zhen Shi also accompanied them.

The four people stood in a row, and their relationship seemed somewhat delicate.

Xia Lanyue tried her best to suppress her anger, but judging from her expression, she was about to lose control.

Whether it was psychological or not, Xia Lanyue seemed to hear people talking about Xia Yao and Zhen Shi behind her, but for the sake of her reputation, she could only put on a magnanimous appearance.

Xia Yao stood with a serious expression between Xia Lanyue and Zhen Shi. His attitude was different from usual; he was much colder and only responded when Zhen Shi took the initiative to start a conversation.

From the moment they met, Zhen Shi made no attempt to greet Xia Lanyue. It was Xia Lanyue who took the initiative to greet her. However, the disdain that Zhen Shi inadvertently revealed in her eyes stung Xia Lanyue's heart.

If it weren't for Xia Yao's confidence in Zhen Shi, Zhen Shi would probably have given her some face out of respect for Xia Yao.

In Xia Lanyue's heart, some things seemed to suddenly have an answer.

Xia Lanyue laughed self-deprecatingly. She found the current scene ridiculous and felt like the superfluous person. What made her even sadder was that Xia Yao hadn't offered a single explanation for the matter.

This reminded Xia Lanyue of what happened that morning. They had agreed that Xia Yao would come to the inn to pick her up and bring her to the wedding, but he broke his promise, only sending a message through the inn's waiter to inform her and Dai You to come. When she arrived, she learned that Xia Yao had actually arrived earlier with Zhen Shi.

Xia Lanyue couldn't describe her feelings at this moment. She wanted to leave immediately, but she knew that turning around would make Xia Yao lose face, and their relationship might be over for good!

She was unwilling to give up easily.

So she was enduring it, trying her best to hold back.

Every second was torture.

Finally, the auspicious time arrived, and the wedding procession headed towards the river valley village.

This stretch of road, which usually takes half an hour to walk, took a full hour today.

The usually warm-hearted Dai You didn't offer a single word of concern today. He just walked along with the crowd listlessly, glancing at Xia Lanyue and the people around him from time to time.

Finally, Xia Lanyue couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She looked at Xia Yao and asked, "Xia Yao, why didn't you pick me up today?"

Xia Yao didn't look at her, but returned a polite smile, "I had a lot of things to arrange today, so I came first."

“But we agreed to come together, didn’t we?” Xia Lanyue couldn’t help but glance at Zhen Shi.

Zhen looked ahead with an innocent expression, seemingly not having heard their conversation.

Xia Yao replied, "I want you to rest a little longer."

"Why...why did you come with Miss Zhen? Does she know Ah Niu too?" Xia Lanyue asked.

“She doesn’t know Ah Niu, but she came on behalf of Village Chief Zhao,” Xia Yao replied.

As she expected, these words did not give her the answer she wanted, and she wisely refrained from asking further.

She felt as if her heart had been torn apart.

It hurts, but I'm also fully awake.

Xia Lanyue gradually slowed down, falling to the very back of the group.

Throughout this process, Xia Yao seemed oblivious, never turning back to look for her, not even for a moment.

Xia Lanyue felt that this distance was like their hearts, growing further and further apart.

Only Dai You noticed that Xia Lanyue was missing, so he stepped out of the group and waited for her to come to his side.

"What's wrong, Yue? Are you tired from walking?" Dai You asked Xia Lanyue.

Xia Lanyue lowered her eyes. "It's alright. Let's go. I want to see the bride."

"Are you tired? Shall I carry you?" Dai You asked.

Xia Lanyue shook her head, not looking at him, "It's alright, let's go."

The two followed at the back of the group until they arrived at the Fan family's house.

The lively and festive music in the procession sounded particularly jarring to Xia Lanyue's ears, making her feel irritable and wanting to escape at any moment.

Finally, after Xia Yao entered the Fan family's courtyard, Xia Lanyue turned around and quietly withdrew, heading towards the town.

Xia Lanyue sat by the window in her room, looking out the window.

Dai You handed the fruit he had bought to Xia Lanyue, saying, "Eat up, you must be thirsty after walking for so long."

Xia Lanyue took it and started eating it, but she couldn't tell what it tasted like.

"Do you think I would be happy if I married Xia Yao?" Xia Lanyue suddenly asked Dai You.

Dai You sat down opposite Xia Lanyue. "He... is very calculating and won't be the right person for you."

Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You, "What kind of person do you think would be my ideal partner?"

Dai You avoided Xia Lanyue's gaze and looked out the window. "Anyway, it won't be him."

"Why?" Xia Lanyue asked unconsciously, then regretted it as soon as she said it.

She clearly wanted to give up, so why did she ask so many questions?!

Dai You seriously analyzed with her, "His mother doesn't like you, and his heart isn't with you. Plus, you have a bad temper. How can you be a good daughter-in-law in this family? They will definitely make things difficult for you." Dai You continued, "A-Yue, I know you'll be angry with me for saying this, but I have to say these things. Marriage is not child's play. You will face many things and deal with complicated relationships. Xia Yao can't protect you completely. The grievances you suffer in his family will only increase."

Xia Lanyue listened calmly to Dai You's words, speechless.

Dai You's predictions about what had happened in the past few days came true.

She blamed herself for being too soft-hearted and unable to resist Xia Yao's advances. Without fully understanding the situation, she started a relationship with him, and now, after repeated disappointments, she had lost all hope.

Xia Lanyue took a deep breath, took two big bites of the fruit, and then sniffed hard, claiming that the fruit was too sour.

Looking at Xia Lanyue's expression, Dai You didn't expose her. "Ayue, come with me to Guangzhou. There are many fun things there, much better than here."

Xia Lanyue paused for a moment, as if she understood what Dai You meant. Was the fun just an excuse, and the real purpose was to cure the illness?

However, Xia Lanyue did want to leave this place to clear her head, but she didn't want to get treatment or drink those bitter medicines.

"Let me think about it," she said, forcing a smile at Dai You.

Xia Lanyue sat by the window, staying there until evening, until Dai You called her to eat.

Xia Lanyue stood up, lay down on the bed, turned her body inward, and turned her back to Dai You. "I'm not going, I'm too sleepy."

Dai You stood there for a while without moving.

Xia Lanyue heard Dai You sigh softly, then he closed the door and left without saying anything.

Xia Lanyue also got out of bed, sat back by the window, and continued to look outside.

She didn't know what she was looking at; she just wanted to see.

Not long after, someone knocked on her door.

Xia Lanyue knew it was Xia Yao; she had just seen him enter the inn from the window.

She composed herself, walked over, opened the door, and let him in.