Chapter 39: Selling Eggs

The day after the Wuyin Mountain incident, as the morning sun began to shine over the village, people gradually made their way to the foot of East Mountain, pleading with Dagen to allow them to join in the construction of houses

.With only about half a month left before the autumn harvest, Dagen and his wife didn’t refuse, adding five or six more people to the group. They treated everyone to hearty meals, hoping to finish building the new houses before the harvest.

Pear Blossom had gained her parents’ trust after her remarkable performance during the Wuyin Mountain incident. Aside from that, Mrs. Xiong no longer restricted her movements. She was finally allowed the freedom to go hunting in the mountains or into town by herself.

From then on, Pear Blossom’s daily routine revolved around two main tasks: one was to buy ingredients, and the other was to hunt birds in the fields. The rest of her time was spent hunting in the mountains.

Every dawn, the town butcher would start slaughtering pigs, and nearby customers were accustomed to buying meat early. Pear Blossom, who rose early each day, would first go to the butcher stall to select the fresh meat needed for the day before heading into the mountains to hunt. Sometimes, she was lucky enough to catch pheasants, wild rabbits, or deer. The high-quality ones were taken to the city’s Restaurants for sale, while the less impressive ones were brought back home to reward the villagers who came to help.

The villagers, who initially thought a simple meal of plain food would be enough, were surprised that the best meal they would have all year would be at Dagen’s table, full of oil and flavor.The old hens at home still laid eggs, and aside from keeping a few for themselves, Mrs. Xiong carefully gathered them for Pear Blossom to take to the city and exchange for money.

Compared to other people’s eggs, the eggs from the old yellow hens were fresher, tenderer, and tastier. Pear Blossom had no trouble selling them.

Today, the city of Jinyang was especially lively, particularly at the market entrance in the South City, where there was a bustling scene. A lively contest for marriage proposals was underway.

Pear Blossom, with two wild pheasants hanging at her waist and a basket of eggs in her hand, couldn’t resist the excitement and squeezed her way into the crowd. Unfortunately, she accidentally crushed two eggs, which made her heart ache. She quickly retreated.

After stepping back, she found a small tree branch to hang her basket on, turned around, and dove back into the crowd.

Although the contest on the stage was less than impressive, to Pear Blossom, it felt like a visual feast, satisfying her curiosity. She clapped her hands reluctantly as the competition ended, then turned and walked toward the camphor tree.

However, just as she picked up the basket, a voice called out to her.

“You little thief, dare to steal my eggs!” Pear Blossom was stunned by the sudden accusation.

She turned her head, looking at the angry young woman in red in front of her. Then, she glanced down at the basket in her hand, feeling confused. “These are clearly my eggs. How could they be yours?”

If the other party hadn’t accused her falsely, Pear Blossom would have been quite willing to admit she looked pretty good. Of course, no one could be more beautiful than her sister, Sister Dong.

The young woman in red coldly said, “These eggs in the basket were clearly hung here by me. How did they become yours?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Pear Blossom wasn’t willing to back down. “These are the eggs my mother packed for me to sell in the city. This little basket was woven by my second uncle. These are my eggs!”

“Are you saying that I, Murong Jin, am falsely accusing you over a mere basket of eggs?” The young woman in red laughed in anger. Many people around seemed to recognize her and stood by her side.

“Little girl, do you think Miss Murong from the Longwei Dart Bureau would lack a basket of eggs from you?”

“Exactly, Miss Murong wouldn’t even accept eggs from others for free. Why would she steal your eggs?”

The crowd was talking among themselves, and Pear Blossom felt deeply wronged. She clearly remembered that when Xinghua helped her count the eggs in the morning, to avoid confusion, she marked each one with a small black dot using charcoal. The small black dots were still clearly visible, so she couldn’t have made a mistake.

So, she gripped the basket tighter.

Murong Jin had never seen such a stubborn thief. In her eyes, this little girl, still holding onto the “stolen goods” despite everything, was simply unreasonable.

Just then, someone in the crowd suggested, “Since both of you claim the eggs are yours, why don’t you count them again and see if they match?”

Murong Jin thought for a moment and said, “This idea isn’t bad. I bought these eggs at the West Market, exactly thirty of them.”

Pear Blossom replied, “Mine are thirty-two.”The basket was passed to the center, and the crowd held their breath. When they reached the twenty-eighth egg, Pear Blossom saw the two eggs left in the basket and felt her heart sink. She finally remembered the two eggs that had been crushed earlier.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Murong Jin’s mouth. “Well, what do you have to say now?”

Pear Blossom had no way to argue, but she steeled herself and explained, “Two were crushed just now, and I threw the shells away. You can see the egg yolk stains on the side of the basket.”

But the onlookers refused to believe her, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Pear Blossom was just as stubborn. What was hers, was hers!She lifted her head and stared at the young woman in red, showing no intention of backing down. “These are my family’s eggs!”

Murong Jin’s patience had worn thin. “The evidence is clear, and you still dare to deny it?”

Thinking of her mother waiting at home for the eggs to cook, she couldn’t afford to wait any longer and decided to end this quickly.

“It seems I’ll have to teach you a lesson!”

With that, her figure moved like the wind, and her red silhouette cut through the air, heading straight for Pear Blossom.

Pear Blossom had never practiced martial arts. She had only learned some basic stances and simple fist techniques from Dagen for a few days. Later, when she fought with others, she relied on instinct to evade and attack. But against Murong Jin, none of that was enough.

Even so, after being knocked to the ground seven or eight times, she still staggered to her feet, gritting her teeth and glaring angrily at Murong Jin.

“Those are my eggs!” Murong Jin was momentarily stunned by the reaction of this silly girl. She had thought she could easily subdue this thief, but to her surprise, the girl was so difficult to handle. However, she was also unwilling to let this go. Since the girl was a thief, if she showed mercy and let her go, wouldn’t that be helping her do wrong? This didn’t align with her style of being a righteous heroine who hated evil.

So, without hesitation, she attacked again. Pear Blossom was swept off her feet by Murong Jin’s long leg and fell to the ground.

Murong Jin stepped forward and grabbed the basket, saying coldly, “Stubborn as a mule. Take care of yourself. If I see you again, I won’t let you off.”

The crowd dispersed in laughter, leaving Pear Blossom sitting dazed on the ground.

Murong Jin returned home in a victorious mood with the basket of eggs.

As soon as she entered the house, she couldn’t wait to tell her mother, Mrs. Jiang, who was busy in the kitchen, about today’s “glorious battle.”

“Mother, you don’t know, today I almost had my eggs stolen by a little thief!” Murong Jin vividly described her conflict with Pear Blossom, emphasizing how she “bravely fought the enemy” and “retrieved” the eggs.

Mrs. Jiang smiled indulgently, already used to her daughter’s fiery and righteous nature.

“Alright, alright, I know you’re amazing. I’ll cook more eggs for you to eat later.”

Murong Jin raised her chin arrogantly and said, “Not everyone is like you, mother. I feel uncomfortable if I don’t eat eggs for a day.”

Mrs. Jiang lightly tapped her head and said, “If you don’t eat eggs, you won’t grow taller. Otherwise, do you think you could grow so well and so strong?”

Murong Jin quickly stepped aside, saying, “But the younger brothers eat eggs every day. Why are they still so thin?”

Mrs. Jiang sighed, “We all came from the same womb, but I don’t understand how it turned out so differently. According to your father’s physique, your three younger brothers should all be tall and strong, yet you took after your father instead. I really don’t understand.”

Murong Jin’s father, Murong Jiutian, was the head of the Longwei Dart Bureau. However, she wasn’t his biological daughter; she had followed her mother when she remarried. Her three younger brothers were the children of Murong Jiutian and Mrs. Jiang.

Murong Jiutian had once served in the military, but after injuring his left eye during a mission, he retired. He returned to his hometown in Jinyang and opened an Dart Bureau. With his strong martial arts skills and his straightforward and heroic personality, he had connections in both the underworld and legitimate society. The Dart Bureau had been doing quite well in recent years.

However, none of her three sons were suited for martial arts training. They excelled in academics, with the eldest, Murong Xiu, passing the imperial examination at the age of twelve, and the second and third sons, Murong Jiang and Murong Shan, studying in private schools.

It was only her eldest daughter, who excelled in wielding weapons, who earned the admiration of Murong Jiutian. Since childhood, he had pampered her, treating her as if she were his own daughter, even claiming on several occasions that in the future, the Longwei Dart Bureau would pass down to her, not to the sons.

The sons were aware of their father’s favoritism but turned a blind eye. They didn’t enjoy fighting and killing, so they saw little use for the Dart bureau. Furthermore, their eldest sister, as a wind-chasing heroine with formidable martial arts skills, had always been an unbeatable presence in the hearts of her younger brothers. Thus, the Dart bureau should go to their sister.

When Mrs. Jiang finished cooking, the family gathered around the table to eat. As usual, Mrs. Jiang peeled an egg and took a bite, her eyes immediately lighting up. “Jin’er, these eggs taste so good. Where did you buy them today?”

Murong Jin was puzzled. “I bought them from Aunt Liu, just like usual. How could they be different?”

She also tasted one herself, and her expression changed as well. Today’s eggs were indeed remarkably different, with an exceptionally delicious taste.

Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, “Mother, where’s the basket with the eggs?”

“It’s on the kitchen shelf,” Mrs. Jiang replied, eager to peel another egg. The three sons quickly followed suit, each tasting one, and all praised the eggs.

Murong Jiutian, the most domineering, ate one after another, quickly finishing off two eggs.

“Big sister’s eggs are indeed much tastier than usual.”

“If we steamed these eggs, they’d definitely be incredibly tender.”

Hearing this, Murong Jin could no longer sit still. She put down her chopsticks and ran to the kitchen, where she found the basket of eggs. She froze when she looked inside—this was not her basket!

Recalling the stubborn and aggrieved look of the little girl from the morning, the smile that had been on Murong Jin’s face instantly vanished.

Mrs. Jiang noticed her daughter’s odd demeanor as she returned to the table. “What’s wrong?”

Murong Jin then told her mother about the mix-up with the eggs.

After listening, Mrs. Jiang sighed softly. “Jin’er, you really are too impulsive. Go find that little girl, return her the money, and apologize properly.”

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin couldn’t be bothered to finish her meal. She grabbed the money and rushed out. But when she reached the arena, she couldn’t find the little girl.

Pear Blossom’s eggs had been “taken,” and after feeling upset for a while, she left, bringing two wild chickens to the Restaurant to exchange for money.

As she walked away, she couldn’t stop feeling resentful. Those thirty eggs—her family hadn’t eaten a single one; they had been saving them for more than ten days.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became at that girl, Murong Jin.

But since she was too weak to fight her, Pear Blossom sighed lightly and reminded herself that she needed to find a way to grow stronger.

Fulin Restaurant was the place her uncle had introduced her to, where wild boar meat was sold, and where Pear Blossom would send any wild animals she caught. Over time, she had become familiar with the kitchen staff and cooks. She exchanged her goods smoothly for money.

After receiving the silver, Pear Blossom left the city, but halfway through, she took a different route, heading toward a towering mountain range. When she finally reached the mountain top, she found herself at a vast, open area, a flat top spanning several acres in a fan-shaped spread.

A tall, thin figure stood with their hands behind their back at the cliff’s edge.

When Pear Blossom saw the person, her eyes lit up. She quickened her steps and called out, “Master” Zuo Qi, standing in the wind, turned around when he heard her call. Looking at the girl running toward him like the wind, he furrowed his brows and said, “Why are you late today?”