Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 26 Small-minded

Before dark, the Tian family finished harvesting all the wheat and were now gathered in the threshing ground chatting.

"Thanks to everyone's help these past two days, we finished three days' worth of work in just two days," Tian Guang said.

“It’s alright, we’re all neighbors,” Fan Bao said.

Fan He picked up the bamboo tube and handed it to Fan Bao, then casually flicked the stubble off her father's back.

"Fan He is so thoughtful," Wang Cui said, looking at Fan He. "It would be so nice if Tian Yu married into the village. Having a daughter by your side is so comforting."

Fan He was shy; he lowered his head, smiled, and remained silent.

"Has Fan He's marriage been arranged yet?" Lin Xiu asked.

"Not yet. There aren't any men of suitable age in the village. The matchmaker did introduce a man surnamed Wu from a neighboring village, who is quite good, but he didn't take a liking to our Fan He," Fan Bao said with regret.

"Oh, who's so blind? Fan He is such a good man, and he still picked her," Lin Xiu comforted her. "It's okay, it's not like there aren't other men out there. It seems like Mr. Xia is the only one of similar age in our village. What do you say? Have you talked to him yet?"

Upon hearing the name Mr. Xia, Xia Lanyue perked up.

“Mr. Xia is a cultured man; we are not worthy of him,” Fan Bao said with a smile, but his words carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Has Xia Yao offended someone?" Xia Lanyue wondered.

“We keep track of what kind of people Fan He likes,” Wang Cui asked.

Fan He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Fan Bao. Fan Bao nodded, signaling her to continue. "I want to find someone who can do farm work. There's no one else in the family besides my father. He's too old to do farm work anymore. He can support the family."

"What about his character? What kind of person does he like?" Wang Cui asked.

"Be honest and kind to me," Fan He said shyly, lowering her head.

"Isn't that just like my Tian Kuan, haha?" Lin Xiu joked, though the joke was a bit inappropriate, and it was unclear whether she did it on purpose.

Wang Cui glared at Lin Xiu.

"Aunt Wang, I'll keep an eye out for you," Wang Cui said, then turned her head and quietly searched for people in the crowd.

Xia Lanyue could tell that she was looking for Dai You.

At this moment, Dai You was lying on a straw mat, his face covered by a straw hat. It was unclear whether he was asleep or had heard the conversation.

After resting, everyone went home, but Tian Kuan stayed in the field to watch over things.

On the way back, Lin Xiu drove the cart, taking A Xiang and Wang Cui with him. The mule had worked hard all day and was exhausted, so Xia Lanyue and the others didn't get a ride.

As they walked, Xia Lanyue carefully observed Dai You's expression. He hadn't spoken to her since the afternoon, and she wondered if the joke about Fan He had made him angry.

"Oh dear," Xia Lanyue suddenly bent down, pointed to a blade of grass by the roadside, and looked at Dai You, thinking that he would be attracted by the sound and turn around, but he ignored her at all and did not even stop walking. Xia Lanyue felt that there was no need to continue acting, so she shut her mouth and followed him home.

After returning home, Dai You continued to ignore her completely.

While Wang Cui was cooking, Dai You picked up the medicine bottle and prepared to leave. Xia Lanyue quickly seized the opportunity to ask, "Where are you going, brother?"

Dai You held up the medicine bottle and said coldly, "Give me back my medicine."

Xia Lanyue snatched it away, smiling ingratiatingly, "You don't need to worry about such a small thing, brother. I can handle it."

"Go ahead," Dai You said without hesitation, then turned and went back to the kitchen.

"This guy really can't take a joke," Xia Lanyue thought to herself.

Xia Lanyue ran all the way to the Xia family home.

"Miss Yue is here, come in quickly," Xia Huifang said, closing the courtyard gate behind her. "Have you eaten? Let's have something to eat together?"

"No, Aunt Xia, I'll return the medicine," Xia Lanyue said, handing over the medicine bottle.

"It's alright. Is your brother's hand feeling better?"

"Much better. He asked me to thank you on his behalf."

"You two siblings are being so polite. Come inside, Xia Yao is home," Xia Huifang said, pulling Xia Lanyue's hand.

Xia Lanyue glanced at the east room with the candlelight, but didn't move. "Aunt Xia, I won't disturb you while you're eating. I'll come to visit again next time."

"Okay, once the summer harvest is over and your foot from climbing is healed, I'll invite you over to visit."

Xia Lanyue nodded.

After dinner, Tian Guang went to the fields as usual, Wang Cui went to rest early, and Dai You went to wash the dishes.

Xia Lanyue was exhausted, and she lay down before Dai You returned.

While sleeping soundly.

"Bang bang bang~"

What was that sound? Xia Lanyue tried to identify the sound with her brain, which had been working for over twenty years, but there seemed to be no relevant information in her memory bank.

"Bang bang bang~ bang bang bang~"

The sound kept ringing incessantly, as if it wouldn't stop until she woke up.

Xia Lanyue opened her heavy eyelids, and a stick of firewood was lying in front of her.

"Drink the medicine."

She didn't even need to look to know it was Dai You. Xia Lanyue turned over and continued sleeping; this time, no one pulled her arm.

After a brief silence, there was the sound of two firewood sticks banging against each other, "bang bang bang bang bang~", with no pauses in between, and it seemed as if dust was falling on their faces.

Xia Lanyue's temper flared up instantly. She sat up abruptly, brushed the dust off her face, and glared at Dai You.

Dai You didn't look into her eyes. When he saw her get up, he threw the firewood stick in his hand aside, picked up the medicine bowl, went to Xia Lanyue, and then turned his face away.

"Hmph," Xia Lanyue snorted coldly. He still had a temper?!

Xia Lanyue glanced at the medicine in the bowl, then at him, knowing that she couldn't not take the medicine, so she picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

After she finished drinking, before she could say anything, Dai You took the bowl, turned around and put it in the bucket, then closed the door and left without saying a word.

Xia Lanyue was speechless, muttering to herself, "When I get back to the capital, I'll kick you aside first."

The next morning, Xia Lanyue seemed to hear voices outside the door, "...His family is in a difficult situation, we should help them if we can...otherwise, how will they survive..."

Xia Lanyue's gossipy nature roused her, and she quickly tidied up and opened the kitchen door.

"Good morning, Aunt Wang," Xia Lanyue said first.

"Good morning," Wang Cui said as she went into the kitchen to cook.

Xia Lanyue leaned closer to Dai You and asked curiously, "Who were you talking about just now? Who couldn't afford to live anymore?"

Dai You tilted his head slightly, his mouth moved, but in the end he didn't say a word and turned to feed the chickens.

"Ha," he's still angry? Xia Lanyue thought, this guy is so petty!

Xia Lanyue also lost her temper, thinking that if she didn't want to talk about it, then so be it; she could just ask Wang Cui instead.

"Today I asked Dai You and Tian Kuan to go help out at his uncle's house. His family doesn't have much land, so the harvest is quick."

"Oh, is that all? Do you want me to come along?" Xia Lanyue asked.

"Why don't you come along too? Help me tie up some wheat."

"Okay," Xia Lanyue readily agreed.

Wang Cui led Dai You and Xia Lanyue to her uncle Tian Feng's fields.

Reaching the edge of a field, Wang Cui stopped and pointed to the people working in the field ahead, saying, "This is my uncle Tian Feng, and that is my sister-in-law Song Mei and their daughter Tian Xue."

Xia Lanyue looked in the direction Wang Cui was pointing. A man was bending over to cut wheat, and a woman was bundling wheat. A long hemp rope was tied around the woman's waist, connecting her to the young woman.