Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 96 Making Dai You Happy

Tonight's dinner was prepared by Xia Lanyue, but the rice was ordered by Xia Yao: braised noodles with green beans.

Since Xia Yao had already spoken, and it was a simple matter, how could Xia Lanyue refuse?

Just as the four were preparing to eat, Acheng pushed open the courtyard gate and returned.

His return was not surprising; what was surprising was that Xia Yao was startled.

After washing his hands, Acheng sat down next to Xia Yao. In front of him was a bowl of noodles that Xia Huifang had already served him. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up the bowl, and began to eat without saying a word.

Xia Lanyue, watching Acheng's movements, suddenly felt a pang of unease. The way he raised his hand just now... it looked so familiar!

Xia Lanyue looked at him with some confusion.

"It's so hot, and you're still wearing long sleeves. Look at you, your head is covered in sweat," Xia Huifang scolded playfully.

Xia Huifang didn't say anything, and Xia Lanyue hadn't noticed that Acheng was wearing long-sleeved clothes today, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, so she couldn't see what Acheng's arms looked like.

"Ah Yue, your cooking skills are really good, you could open a shop," Xia Yao suddenly praised Xia Lanyue.

His words interrupted Xia Lanyue's thoughts. Xia Lanyue was stunned, turned to look at Xia Yao, and then lowered her head in embarrassment.

Dai You remained silent, but quietly transferred a large piece of egg from his bowl into Xia Lanyue's bowl.

Xia Lanyue smiled at Dai You, then ate it without ceremony.

Xia Lanyue thought about it and realized she was probably being paranoid, seeing everyone as suspicious. Acheng and Xia Huifang were busy working in the fields every day; they wouldn't have time to leave. So she shook her head, trying to stop herself from making unfounded assumptions.

After dinner, Acheng went to the gate of the courtyard and waited for Xia Yao to come over. Seeing Xia Yao, he glanced around the courtyard; seeing no one, he began to speak to her, "Have you been alright these past few days?"

"No," Xia Yao said coldly.

Seeing his expression, A-Cheng also became unhappy. Although they were brothers, he still felt resentful that his good deed had been ruined.

Xia Yao seemed to see through A-Cheng's thoughts and warned him, "Remember what I said. If you consider me your older brother, then behave yourself."

"Okay," Acheng said irritably, then turned and left.

Watching A-Cheng's retreating figure, Xia Yao sighed and muttered to himself, "You really are a menace."

The next morning, Xia Lanyue woke up to the clanging sound of chopping wood.

She rolled over, guessing that it must be Dai You chopping wood, because only he was so diligent.

She stretched and walked out of the house.

Sure enough, Dai You was wielding a large knife, chopping firewood, and he was wearing the new clothes she had given him.

When Dai You saw Xia Lanyue come out, he put down the knife in his hand, stood up, and seemed to be showing off his clothes.

This outfit fits Dai You perfectly.

Xia Lanyue nodded and exclaimed, "Not bad, very suitable. I have good taste." As she spoke, she circled around him.

However, it wasn't entirely because she had good taste; Dai You's own physical attributes were also excellent. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, strong and well-proportioned, exuding an aura of authority. Most importantly, he had eight-pack abs. Don't ask Xia Lanyue how she knew; she just had touched them.

"Thank you, Yue," Dai You said shyly.

"What are you thanking me for?! You're being so polite. When I have some extra money, I'll buy you another summer outfit. I'll take you with me next time, and you can choose," Xia Lanyue said as she admired the clothes.

"Okay," Dai You said, beaming from ear to ear.

When he went out, Dai You carefully rolled up his sleeves, afraid of getting his clothes dirty or damaged.

Looking at him like this, Xia Lanyue felt a pang of guilt. She realized that she had always taken her brother's care for granted, while she herself had paid far too little attention to him. So much so that even a piece of clothing could make him so happy.

Xia Lanyue secretly resolved to show him more care in the future.

……

When they arrived in town, Xia Lanyue went to Wang Xiang's shop as usual.

Xia Lanyue asked Abei and learned that Jiang Di and Wang Xiang were not there today.

She glanced at the little sugar left and was troubled. There was only enough sugar to make two baskets of rice cakes, but she wanted to sell more today because she had promised Dai You that they would go back to the village together, so she wanted to sell more things to pass the time.

Xia Lanyue walked to the front hall and called over Abei, "Abei, come here."

Seeing Abei walk up to her, Xia Lanyue asked, "Do you have any candy here?"

"We don't have sugar, we only have candied fruit. If you want sugar, you can wait for Manager Wang to come back," Abei said.

"I asked you because I couldn't wait."

"Why don't you go to the village entrance and see if there's a candy shop there? Tell them it's Wang Xiang's shop, and ask if they can give you a discount," Abei suggested to Xia Lanyue.

"Okay, I'll go take a look," Xia Lanyue said, and ran towards the village entrance.

She had never noticed a candy shop when she strolled along this street before. Xia Lanyue searched twice before she finally spotted the shop.

The shop was so small that it was easy to miss; no wonder she couldn't see it. Xia Lanyue walked up to the shop and asked the clerk, "How much is this maltose?"

"Sixty coins per catty".

Xia Lanyue gasped in disbelief, her mouth agape. "How much?!"

"I'll give you a discount if you buy a lot, fifty coins a pound," the waiter said, asking, "How much do you want?"

"I... I only need one pound, can you give me a discount?" Xia Lanyue asked tentatively.

"Hey? You're that rice cake girl from the end of the street, right? I was wondering why you looked so familiar," the waiter recognized her, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes, that's me," Xia Lanyue nodded with a smile.

“We’re neighbors, I’ll give you forty-five coins a pound,” the shopkeeper generously offered, then leaned closer and said, “If you take more sugar from me in the future, I’ll give you forty coins a pound.”

"Ah, I understand, but I'd like to buy one pound today, is that alright?" Xia Lanyue said.

"One jin, sure," the shopkeeper readily filled Xia Lanyue's bag with a jin of sugar and charged her forty-five coins.

Xia Lanyue brought the sugar to Wang Xiang's shop, immediately took out the sugar, and started boiling the syrup.

With her experience, she could tell at a glance that this candy was far inferior to the one Jiang Di had given her.

Xia Lanyue shook her head helplessly. There was no other choice at the moment, and this was the only option.

Fortunately, there's no noticeable difference in taste compared to the rice cakes. She just hopes these rice cakes won't ruin her reputation.

Xia Lanyue carried her load to the end of the street. Before leaving, she specifically told Abei, "If Jiang Di comes, please tell him that I need some candy."

However, Jiang Di did not appear until Xia Lanyue left the town.

He's probably busy delivering salt, Xia Lanyue thought. She hoped she'd see sugar when she came tomorrow, otherwise she'd have to buy that maltose with lots of impurities again.