Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 9: A Walk Around Town

The village roosters crowed, "Cluck cluck cluck."

Xia Lanyue woke up to the sound of the call, touched her head, and found that her fever had subsided.

She sat up, stretched, yawned, and then gagged.

It wasn't the lingering effects of the medicine, but the stench in the air!

The villagers all used chamber pots for urination and defecation, and Tian Guang's family was no exception. After use, they poured the sewage into the latrine outside the backyard and collected it for watering the fields.

It's usually fine, but I'm afraid of encountering a northerly wind like today, when the stench wafts over with the wind, making it nauseating and suffocating.

Xia Lanyue smelled her clothes and then her arms, feeling that she smelled bad everywhere. She wished she could take a shower immediately to wash away the smell.

Stepping into the courtyard, Xia Lanyue found Dai You's door tightly shut, indicating he hadn't gotten up. She circled the door twice, but still didn't see Dai You emerge. Deciding to kill time, she decided to feed the ducks? Feed the chickens? The coop was too smelly; she didn't want to go near it. Water the plants? Water? Then she remembered she hadn't washed her face for several days and decided to wash it first.

Just as she bent down, an unfamiliar face appeared in the water, startling her. She unconsciously took a step back.

This person is... her?

Xia Lanyue still didn't know what she looked like, or more precisely, what Dai Xiyue looked like. She wanted to see her appearance but was also a little scared. "What's there to be afraid of? This will be my appearance from now on," she encouraged herself, curiously looking at the water. In the water, she had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, and arched eyebrows; her expression was serene and gentle, and she looked to be about twenty years old. "She's really beautiful," Xia Lanyue couldn't help but exclaim.

But... her hair is such a mess, she looks like a madwoman! Has she been like this for the past few days?!

Good heavens! Is she really this disheveled?! She couldn't believe it.

Thinking back to yesterday when Tian Kuan saw her spacing out, perhaps it was because of her messy hair? Thinking of this, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"You're up really early," Wang Cui said as she opened the door and came out from behind.

Xia Lanyue turned around and greeted Wang Cui, "Good morning, Aunt Wang."

"No need to take a picture. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Girls from wealthy families are just different."

"Aunt Wang, you flatter me. Besides, I'm not from a wealthy family."

"Hey, your aunt treats you like family, why are you beating around the bush with me? Your temperament, appearance, and clothing are all top-notch."

Xia Lanyue stopped talking and just smiled with her head down.

Seeing that Xia Lanyue didn't speak, Wang Cui turned around and went back into the house. She brought a light blue dress to Xia Lanyue and said, "Your clothes are dirty. Change into this. This is an old dress from when I was young. It's been washed."

Xia Lanyue looked down at her clothes; her pink silk skirt was tinged with a faint gray, and it was indeed quite dirty.

"Stop looking, take this off and I'll wash it for you." Seeing that Xia Lanyue didn't take it, Wang Cui thought she was not satisfied. "This style is a bit outdated, but it's my best-looking dress."

Wang Cui's best clothes must also be the clothes she cherishes the most. Hearing her say this, Xia Lanyue became even more hesitant.

"You're not interested?" Wang Cui asked, a little annoyed that she hadn't answered the call yet.

"No, the clothes are fine, I just want to take a shower before changing into them."

"Oh dear, take a bath?" Wang Cui frowned, looking embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Xia Lanyue didn't understand. Was it difficult to take a bath here?

It's difficult, really difficult. Wang Cui explained it to her and she finally understood. For men here, bathing is simple; they just swim around in the river and come out clean. But for women, it's a bit more troublesome. They have to put a large tub at home, boil some water, and pour it in. It takes two or three hours to get ready. Some women try to save time by secretly going to the river to bathe at night, but they inevitably get caught by some men.

Xia Lanyue stared speechlessly, but, "It's still more convenient and faster to swim in the river."

"Huh?" Wang Cui didn't hear what she said.

"It's alright, Aunt Wang, I'll keep these clothes. I'll change into them when I get back from town this afternoon," Xia Lanyue said.

"What are you going to town for? Didn't we agree that your uncle would go?!"

Wang Cui's advice was something she had already anticipated, but she had a specific purpose in going to town.

“I’m just staying at home anyway, so going out and getting some exercise will help me recover faster. I’ll go with Uncle Tian to familiarize myself with the area, so I can go to town again,” Xia Lanyue said with a smile.

Wang Cui looked Lan Yue up and down and thought she was in good spirits, so there was no harm in her going out and she stopped objecting. "Alright, there's a gathering today, you can go together."

Then, before the others woke up, the two went to Xia Lanyue's room. She changed into Wang Cui's clothes, and Wang Cui helped her comb her hair into a simple bun. After she was done, Wang Cui looked her over and exclaimed how beautiful she was.

Looking in the mirror, Xia Lanyue saw Wang Cui staring intently at the jade hairpin in her hair. Xia Lanyue smiled but said nothing.

Dai You woke up a little late today; Wang Cui knocked on the door before he woke up. Xia Lanyue went over to ask him something, but he seemed to be deliberately avoiding her, always standing in the crowd. Finally, Xia Lanyue saw him go to the yard to feed the chickens, and she quickly followed him. He actually shoved the beans he was holding into Xia Lanyue's hand and turned to go brew medicine.

"Stop!" Xia Lanyue yelled at him.

But the noise was too loud, attracting the attention of Uncle Tian and Aunt Wang. Xia Lanyue smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything more, watching as Dai You ran into the kitchen again, losing her chance.

"Let's see how long you can hide," Xia Lanyue muttered to herself.

After the meal, Tian Guang went to his son's house to borrow a mule cart.

Xia Lanyue moved closer to Dai You, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "I'm going to town with Uncle Tian, ​​are you coming?"

Dai You wasn't angry because she wouldn't listen to his advice. Instead, he calmly thought for a moment and said, "Go."

Then Dai You brought her the medicine, but she refused to drink it. Only after Dai You solemnly explained that "you are not allowed to leave the house until you finish drinking it" did Xia Lanyue drink it in one gulp.

Actually, Xia Lanyue was just teasing him. She knew it was important for her to get better quickly, but this made Dai You take out a piece of candy again.

Xia Lanyue glanced at the candy in his paper bag; there were five pieces left. "Let's go to town to buy candy," she said, beckoning him to leave before walking out the door.

Outside the courtyard gate, Tian Guang had already returned, with A Xiang in the car.

When A Xiang saw Xia Lanyue's appearance today, he praised her, "Aunt Yue looks really beautiful today."

Xia Lanyue couldn't help but laugh out loud; she really couldn't resist the compliment.

Xia Lanyue observed the mule cart. It looked quite simple: two wheels and a board with two wooden sticks growing out from the side of the board. The sticks were tied with ropes and placed on the mule's back. That was the mule cart.

Aunt Wang had to go to work in the fields, so she wouldn't be going with everyone.

With Dai You's help, Xia Lanyue got into the car and sat in the middle seat. Dai You then took a step and also got into the car, sitting opposite Xia Lanyue to maintain his balance. Seemingly feeling awkward, he glanced at Xia Lanyue out of the corner of his eye, then subtly turned around and sat facing the back of the car.

Xia Lanyue pretended not to see anything.

"What did A Xiang eat this morning?" Xia Lanyue turned to A Xiang and asked. A Xiang was sitting on the front of the car, playing with the reins.

“The duck eggs we ate,” A-Xiang said to Xia Lanyue as he turned around.

Xia Lanyue nodded. Axiang hadn't come this morning, and the only egg in the house had fallen into her bowl. The chickens and ducks here grew up eating wild millet, so their eggs were delicious. Xia Lanyue ate one, but it wasn't enough; she thought she'd eat her fill when she got to town.

"Hold on tight, we're off!" Tian Guang shouted.

"Okay," Xia Lanyue replied.

Several people sat on a mule cart, slowly making their way towards Gujing Town.

The cart was slightly faster than walking and not very stable; its purpose was simply to avoid straining one's legs. It was Xia Lanyue's first time riding in a mule cart, and she found it quite fascinating, constantly looking around. Axiang wanted to turn around and play with Xia Lanyue, but the cart was too small for him to move. Tian Guang, worried he would fall off, stopped him from moving around further.

"Aunt Yue, are we going to buy candy today?" A-Xiang asked, turning his head.

"of course."

"That's great!" Ah Xiang said with a happy smile.

“Hey, kids shouldn’t ask for things so easily,” Tian Guang scolded A Xiang.

“It’s alright, Uncle Tian,” Xia Lanyue said. “It’s not expensive.”

"It's not easy to have some money, and you need money for medical treatment too."

"It's alright, Uncle Tian, ​​I have money." Xia Lanyue said easily. "Uncle Tian, ​​if you need anything else, just tell me and I'll buy it for you when we get to town."

Uncle Tian smiled when he heard her say that, "You don't need anything, so don't waste your money."

"Hmm," Xia Lanyue thought that Uncle Tian would say that, so she decided not to ask anymore. She would go to town to check out the shops first, and then decide what to buy. Once she bought them, they would have to accept them since it would be difficult to return them.

The mule cart traveled along the country road, surrounded by fertile fields. Suddenly, A-Xiang pointed to a wheat field and excitedly said to Xia Lanyue, "Aunt Yue, look, this is our land."

Xia Lanyue looked in the direction he pointed and saw a vast expanse of golden yellow, indicating that harvest time was approaching.

Speaking of his wheat fields, Tian Guang's face lit up with joy, and he had so much to say that he couldn't stop talking. His family had twenty mu of land, fifteen mu of which were planted with grain and five mu with ramie. In recent years, the weather had been favorable, and the grain harvest was good. After paying taxes, they had more grain left over, and their lives had finally started to improve. This year, the grain grew well, and they would be busy from now on.

"Shouldn't this wheat be harvested by now?" Xia Lanyue asked.

“It’ll be in the next few days,” Tian Guang said with a smile.

"I'll go to the fields with you; more people means faster work."

When Tian Guang heard her say that, he turned his face to the side and smiled, probably laughing at her for not being someone who could do farm work.

She may not have done it before, but that doesn't mean she can't learn it.

Ah Xiang joined in the fun, saying, "I'll join too."

Xia Lanyue patted his head, "Ah Xiang is really amazing."

Ah Xiang was so flattered that he nodded and swayed his head.

The flatbed cart was fine for a short while, but it hurt her butt after a while. Xia Lanyue carefully shifted her legs, trying to change her position, but she still accidentally bumped into Dai You next to her. Dai You silently moved to the side, but since he was already right next to the edge, there was nowhere else to move. So he simply used his hands to support himself, lifted his legs, and flipped off the cart, walking on the ground.

Xia Lanyue looked at Dai You, whose face was turned to the side, and realized that he hadn't looked at her once since earlier. She couldn't help but wonder, what's wrong with him? Does he dislike her? Or is he angry?

Xia Lanyue stared at him for a while, but couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it. She moved her buttocks to the middle of the car, which gave her more room to stretch her legs out.

"Would you like to come and sit down?" Xia Lanyue said to A Xiang, then patted the seat next to her.

"Yes!" Ah Xiang happily sat down, and then the little guy's mouth was like a chatterbox that couldn't be shut up, he kept talking.

"Aunt Yue, there are lots of wild peas in this field, the chickens love to eat them."

“I once caught a grasshopper this big in this field and gave it to Ahe.”

……

A Xiang kept talking, and Xia Lanyue kept nodding in agreement until they arrived in town.

"Wow, Gujing Town is really something else," Xia Lanyue exclaimed.