Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 165 An Accidental Encounter with Li Tao 1. Stomach Full of Anger

Xia Yao followed behind Village Chief Zhao and his wife, walking step by step towards the top of Yunpan Mountain.

Yunpan Mountain is not very high, but there is a temple on the top of the mountain, where gods are enshrined.

On every festival or the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, Village Chief Zhao would come to pay his respects and pray for the well-being of the people.

This time, he brought Xia Yao with him.

"Why didn't you bring a female companion with you?" Village Chief Zhao asked Xia Yao.

Xia Yao knew he was referring to Xia Lanyue. "She was too busy with things at home, so I didn't let her come."

Village Chief Zhao thought for a moment, "Look, I forgot, Miss Dai is taking care of your mother, so she doesn't have time to come."

Xia Yao smiled and nodded.

The area down the mountain and by the lake is also very lively.

Many tourists were enjoying the scenery by the lake, and Xia Lanyue was one of them.

However, when they were leaving, Li Tao blocked their way.

"Oh my, isn't this Mihua Girl?" Li Tao waved her fan and walked up to Xia Lanyue with a smile.

Xia Lanyue felt uncomfortable with her tone. After responding, she was anxious to leave, but was blocked by Li Tao again.

Xia Lanyue realized that Li Tao was deliberately picking a fight, so she stopped and wanted to hear what Li Tao was up to.

"What, you got kicked out and immediately found another job?" Li Tao curled her lips, looked Jiang Di up and down, and smiled in a half-smile.

Xia Lanyue frowned, somewhat annoyed. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Isn't that right? Otherwise, why would you stay at the inn? I heard that the girl was kidnapped a few days ago. Could it be that something happened and she was kicked out of the Xia family?" Li Tao smiled contemptuously.

Xia Lanyue was taken aback. She didn't know the origin of Li Tao's words, but her first thought was that Xia Huifang had spread the rumor. Thinking of this, her face darkened.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jiang Di couldn't help but speak up, "You're just spreading rumors everywhere."

Li Tao didn't care about Jiang Di at all. Seeing Xia Lanyue's face darken, she felt as if she had hit a nerve, and exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, you?"

"What are you talking about?! We just have guests at home and there's not enough room for them, so they're staying at an inn temporarily. What? You're so concerned about my family's affairs that you even know I'm staying at an inn? You wouldn't be eavesdropping every day, would you?" Xia Lanyue said sarcastically.

"Heh, I don't have that kind of time," Li Tao rolled her eyes at her. "It's just something that came out of town. I just overheard it by chance. Otherwise, why didn't Xia Yao take you with him when he went to pray for blessings?" Li Tao deliberately dragged out the last syllable.

Xia Lanyue felt a surge of anger at her smug look. "Yeah, he said climbing the mountain was tiring, so he told me to go to the market instead, and he'd take me next time."

Having failed to gain the upper hand verbally, Li Tao's eyes flashed with disdain, and she sneered, "Are you feeling sorry for yourself, or are you just too ashamed to offer it?"

"Don't go too far," Jiang Di reprimanded.

Li Tao rolled her eyes at Jiang Di. "So... you're protecting him? Interesting. Does Xia Yao know that you went boating on the lake with another man behind his back?" Li Tao looked at Xia Lanyue.

If Xia Lanyue didn't know about Li Tao and Xia Yao's affair, she might be angry. But since she knew about it, she could understand Li Tao's provocative words. It was just because she was unwilling to accept it. "You seem to care a lot about Xia Yao. Why are you so concerned about my future husband's family?"

Li Tao wasn't deterred by these words. Instead, she gave a meaningful smile, walked closer, and whispered in her ear, "Yes, I just care about him, and I want to make a move on him. What can you do about it?"

Xia Lanyue was surprised by Li Tao's bluntness, which made her a little angry, but she didn't show it. She didn't want to lose and be provoked by Li Tao, making Li Tao even more smug, and she couldn't let herself be overwhelmed by Li Tao's words.

After all, she was the one Xia Yao approved of.

Xia Lanyue felt a surge of competitive spirit. She could have chosen not to be so verbally aggressive, but today she was determined to gain the upper hand in a verbal battle!

Xia Lanyue glanced at Li Tao with disdain, "So what? We're already engaged. You have no chance."

“Opportunity? I don’t need opportunity. I just need Xia Yao. I don’t care about titles or anything like that. Can you handle it?” Li Tao showed no sign of backing down and moved closer to Xia Lanyue. “Aren’t you curious about who the person who walked out of the bushes with him in the rumors is?” Then, Li Tao laughed triumphantly.

Xia Lanyue refused to admit defeat and maintained her smile. "It doesn't matter who it is, what matters is that everyone thinks it's me. Anyway, I'm the one he'll marry properly. Oh, by the way, you're welcome to come to the wedding banquet," Xia Lanyue said, raising her eyebrows.

Li Tao didn't expect Xia Lanyue to not be angry, but instead to be rebuffed. She sneered and looked away.

Xia Lanyue was quite satisfied with Li Tao's appearance, then turned to Jiang Di and said, "Let's go back, the shop is too busy."

Xia Lanyue walked past Li Tao and continued forward.

After Li Tao's outburst, Xia Lanyue lost her mood and, ignoring Jiang Di's attempts to persuade her to stay, went to Wang Xiang's shop to continue making rice cakes until evening before returning to the inn.

The hustle and bustle of the town gradually faded as the sunlight dissipated. Streetlights began to illuminate the streets and alleys, lighting up every corner of the town.

After having a meal at the Zhao Li official's residence, Xia Yao did not go home but went to the lakeside.

There were already people waiting under the trees by the lake.

Xia Yao walked over and said, "Zhou Yuan."

Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in greeting, "Brother Xia, you've arrived."

Xia Yao stood beside him and asked, "Did she go back?"

"Yes, she went back. She went to the shop today, then went shopping with Jiang Di, went boating on the lake, and then went to the candied fruit shop."

"They...were not alone, were they?" Xia Yao asked.

“Well…” Zhou Yuan thought for a moment, “They came all the way here, and there were people everywhere. But after they got to the shop, they stayed there for quite a long time. I don’t know what they did during that time. Oh, she’s already back at the inn.”

Xia Yao nodded. "I understand. Thank you for your help."

"Also, about the matter you asked me to investigate, I did. There's a warehouse to the west of the town, which looks like it's used to store grain. It's always guarded, so I didn't go there to look through it."

"They didn't find you, did they?"

“No,” Zhou Yuan said.

Xia Yao thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I understand."

Seeing that Xia Yao didn't speak again, Zhou Yuan hesitated before saying, "There's something else I want to tell you. My sister... she's at Yunji Inn, and she wants to see you."

Xia Yao frowned. "I have something to do and can't go see her, so I won't go."

"Just one meeting, and then..."

"Zhou Yuan, I'm getting married soon. Please come over for a drink then," Xia Yao smiled at Zhou Yuan. "I'll head back now."