Chapter 51.2

After settling Fubao, Pear Blossom joined the group of women just in time to hear a young wife ask Dong Yun, “Lady Dong, it’s been two years since Dayou passed. You’ve been living alone—don’t you feel lonely at night?”

Pear Blossom’s ears perked up immediately.

Dong Yun smiled and replied, “Fubao keeps me busy. Bathing her takes half an hour, and she always fusses before bed. Then she wakes up at night to pee. By the time I finish everything, I’m too exhausted to think of anything else. I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.”

The young wives looked over at the little girl in the children’s group, laughing, “That child is really a handful. It’s amazing you have the patience to deal with her.”

Though they said this, few truly believed it. At their age, full of vigor and desire, how could they not long for companionship?

Still, Dong Yun’s response left no room for further probing. Pear Blossom, however, silently felt that Fubao was being wrongly blamed. Except for the exaggerated part about the bathing, the rest of Dong Yun’s explanation wasn’t true at all.

Nevertheless, the exchange gave Pear Blossom something to think about.What did they mean by “lonely”?

Was it the kind of sleeplessness at midnight when one yearns for intimacy?

When the women noticed Pear Blossom joining the conversation, they turned their attention to her, teasing, “Pear Blossom, you’re just a young girl. Why are you listening to our private talk? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Oh, I see! Our Pear Blossom is of age now, starting to feel the stirrings of spring!” they laughed, making jokes among themselves.

Pear Blossom was stunned by their laughter. She’d heard phrases like “stirrings of spring” countless times in the village, but she wasn’t exactly sure what they meant. So, she asked outright.

The women burst into even louder laughter. One explained, “Silly girl, what else could it mean? It’s when you can’t sleep at night because you’re thinking about men.”

Pear Blossom instinctively glanced at Dong Yun. She often couldn’t sleep at night, but she wasn’t thinking about men—she was thinking about that woman.

Dong Yun happened to look over at her just then, causing Pear Blossom’s heart to skip a beat. She quickly averted her eyes and muttered, “I… I’ve never thought about such things.”The women expected her to shyly deny it like a flustered child, but to their surprise, she suddenly asked, “Is it really that good? You all seem to keep thinking about it.”

Her question sent the women into fits of laughter. One young wife leaned in and whispered, “Anyone who’s experienced it knows how good it is. Since you’re close to lady Dong, why not ask her? Let her teach you how she conceived Fubao. That way, when you get married, you won’t be clueless like a fool.”

Dong Yun overheard this and couldn’t help blushing. She scolded lightly, “What nonsense are you talking about in broad daylight?”

Another chimed in, “Daylight? Where’s the sun? It’s nighttime! And nighttime is perfect for talking about these things, don’t you agree?”

Someone else added, “Exactly! Lady Dong, if you really can’t hold back, don’t be shy. Just don’t go looking for random men—those guys outside are no good. I can teach you: use your hands. It’s better to entertain yourself than to get involved with untrustworthy people.”

Another teased, “How do you know so much? Have you tried it yourself?”

The first one retorted, “Don’t act all innocent. I don’t believe you haven’t tried it either “Listening to this chatter, Pear Blossom’s mind wandered back to the vivid dreams she’d had a few nights ago. Her heart pounded, and though she wanted to look at Dong Yun, she didn’t dare. Her hands, resting on her knees, had somehow become clammy with sweat….

Meanwhile, Fubao was happily playing with the other girls when someone suddenly called her name. Turning around, she saw Dog and ran over with delight. “Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting forever!”

Dog, acting mysterious, pulled her aside. With great effort, he fished out a big steamed bun from the small pocket of his jacket and handed it to her proudly, saying, “Here, it’s for you.”

The little pouch was far too small, and the large bun inside was squished into a bizarre shape, with five distinct black fingerprints prominently imprinted on it.

Fubao stared at the slightly pitiful-looking bun in front of her. Her small eyebrows furrowed together as she hesitated, unsure whether to take it or not.

Seeing that she wasn’t reaching out, Dog simply shoved the bun into her hands and cheerfully said, “Eat it! My dad brought it back.”

As he spoke, he quickly raised his index finger to his lips and made a “shh” gesture, whispering, “Don’t let anyone else see.”

Fubao felt a pang of guilt. She had already eaten two meat buns today, and her mother had even cooked meat for dinner. Yet, it hadn’t occurred to her to bring some for Dog to share. In contrast, Dog, despite being so gluttonous himself, had still thought to sneak her a meat bun.

She felt awful about herself, thinking she wasn’t worthy of being Dog’s good friend.

But if she refused to eat the bun now, Dog would surely be heartbroken.

As expected, when Dog saw her hesitating, he assumed she thought the bun was dirty and tried to rub it clean on his shirt. Fubao quickly stopped him. “Let’s eat it together. You take half, and I’ll take half.” Dog beamed.

His father had just returned from outside with meat and a few large buns. The meat was still raw and uncooked, while the buns had been eaten—his father had one, his mother and elder sister had two each, and he had already eaten one himself. To him, it was the most delicious thing in the world, and he had wanted to eat the last one as well. But thinking of his “little fairy,” he had resisted the urge, hid the bun in his pocket, and hurried out to give it to her.

Now that she suggested they share it, he was delighted. This way, he could satisfy his craving while ensuring she also got to eat.

Their heads leaned close as they ate together. Fubao, slightly repulsed by Dog’s dirty hands, took it upon herself to split the bun in half. She gave him the larger piece and kept the smaller one for herself.

Dog was deeply moved and silently vowed to treat his little fairy even better in the future.

Pointing at his round belly, he proudly announced, “There’s still another one in here.”

Fubao poked his little belly and laughed. “Next time I have something delicious, I’ll bring you some too. Your belly’s so big, it could probably hold ten thousand buns!”

Her mother had taught her numbers, and “ten thousand” was the largest she knew. Though she couldn’t yet count that high, she was sure Dog’s belly was big enough for ten thousand buns.
Dog, who couldn’t even count to five, didn’t know what “ten thousand” meant. But if the little fairy said so, then it must be true.

The two of them secretly finished the bun, wiped their mouths, and blended back into the crowd, completely unaware of two sneaky men watching them.

Ever since the Xiang family had been hit by a series of scandals, they rarely appeared in the village square. However, Xiang Dalang, with skin as thick as a city wall, didn’t care. According to him, his third uncle breaking his own leg was his own problem, his grandparents swapping children was a matter of the previous generation, and his cousin attempting to kill his grandparents was an internal family dispute of the main branch. None of these messy affairs had anything to do with the second branch, especially him, Xiang Dalang. He could come and go as he pleased, and no one could stop him.

Recently, his wife, Shi Xiuxiu, had become pregnant and was vomiting constantly, which he found repulsive. Not wanting to stay near her, he would leave the house as soon as night fell, often hanging around with Zhang Chunjing, an old bachelor in the village. Together, they frequently visited the widows in nearby villages.

Among the widows, none was more captivating than Dong Yun. Unfortunately, the Zeng family had an old, sharp-tongued matriarch and a fierce black dog. Before anyone could even approach, the woman and the dog would start barking, making it impossible to get close.

Last time, Xiang Dalang had tried climbing over the Zeng family’s wall but was beaten black and blue by Pear Blossom, leaving him with lingering trauma. He hadn’t dared to venture near the end of the village since.

Recently, however, he noticed Dong Yun coming to the square in the evenings, reigniting his suppressed thoughts.

Yet, to his annoyance, Pear Blossom never left Dong Yun’s side, making it impossible for him to make a move or even cop a feel.

Today, seeing Dong Yun’s daughter running around nearby, the two men’s eyes lit up as a new idea struck them.

Zhang Chunjing stepped forward to block the two children playing, smiling slyly. “Fubao, uncle has candy for you. Come here and take it.”In the countryside, using candy to lure children was an age-old trick that rarely failed—even Pear Blossom had once been fooled by Xiang Dalang’s mother with this tactic.

But Fubao wasn’t Pear Blossom or any ordinary child. She stopped, wary, and stared at the two men before shaking her head and pulling Dog’s hand to leave.

However, Xiang Dalang stepped in to block them, bending down to grab her.

Dog immediately placed himself in front of Fubao, glaring angrily at Xiang Dalang. “You can’t touch her!”

Fubao clung tightly to Dog’s arm, her eyes darting around as she searched for Pear Blossom.

Zhang Chunjing moved closer and knocked on Dog’s head, growling, “What are you shouting about, kid? Get lost!”

Xiang Dalang grabbed Dog’s arm, trying to pull him away.

Just then, a large hand reached over and shoved the two men aside.”What the hell do you two think you’re doing?” a deep voice roared.

Xiang Dalang looked up and saw Zhang Laowu. Smiling awkwardly, he stammered, “Nothing, just playing with the kids.” Dog seized the moment to complain, “They tried to grab Fubao! I wouldn’t let them!”

Zhang Laowu, tipsy from drinking, wasn’t in the mood to let things slide. Having just brought back meat and buns from Dagen’s house, his impression of their family was at an all-time high. With Pear Blossom and Dong Yun being close, he wasn’t about to let these two lay a hand on Dong Yun’s daughter.

Seeing them shove his son further fueled his anger. He pushed the two men back harder. “Touching someone else’s daughter? If you want to hold a child, go have your own!”

Under the system’s alert, Pear Blossom was already aware of the commotion and pulled Dong Yun over. When Fubao saw the two, she hurriedly ran over and burrowed into her mother’s embrace.

Dong Yun quickly picked her up, kissed her little face, and calmed her down.

With a cold expression, she observed the quarrel unfolding before her, trying to figure out what had happened.

At this moment, Zhang Chunjing, being interrogated by Zhang Laowu, responded displeased, “What’s the harm in holding a child? It’s not like we did anything to her.”

“Hah! If you’re craving a woman, go find one at a brothel! Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on a child!”

Seeing everyone gathering around, Zhang Chunjing’s face turned sour, and his voice grew louder.

“Zhang Laowu, what are you talking about? Your mind is filthy, so you see others as filthy too.”

Zhang Laowu snorted. “Whether my mind is filthy or not, I wouldn’t know, but you’re definitely filthy. Otherwise, why on earth would you be holding the daughter of Dong family? You’d better explain yourself, or this isn’t over.”

Xiang Dalang and Zhang Chunjing hadn’t expected their plan to fail and were now embroiled in trouble. Furious, Xiang Dalang blamed Dog for ruining their scheme and Zhang Laowu for blowing things out of proportion. A malicious idea crossed his mind, and he sneered at Zhang Laowu. “We didn’t do anything, but here you are, barking at us. What, trying to show off in front of everyone to win lady Dong favor?”

Before he could finish, a heavy slap landed on his face, leaving his head buzzing. Infuriated, he opened his mouth to curse Zhang Laowu, only to realize that standing before him was a tall, robust figure—none other than Zhang Laowu’s wife, Pomegranate.

Pomegranate delivered another slap to Xiang Dalang’s right cheek, leaving him seeing stars.“The first slap is for grabbing my son, Dog. My son wasn’t born for people to pull around. If your hands are itching, go pull your mother’s! Touch one hair on my son’s head, and you’ll have to deal with me, Pomegranate!”

“The second slap is for slandering my husband. My man doesn’t steal, gamble, or cheat. He’s an upstanding man, and I won’t tolerate your insults! If you’ve got a problem, come to me. I’d be happy to teach you how to behave!”

Xiang Dalang and Zhang Chunjing had heard about Pomegranate’s fierceness but hadn’t expected her to be this formidable.

The villagers, who often joked about Zhang Laowu being henpecked, were stunned. Though Pomegranate had always been fiery, it was the first time she’d openly fought two grown men in front of everyone. Watching Xiang Dalang get thrashed left them secretly thrilled.

Sensing trouble, Zhang Chunjing tried to sneak away, but Pear Blossom subtly stuck out her foot, tripping him face-first to the ground right in front of Pomegranate.

Seeing him trying to escape only enraged Pomegranate further. She grabbed his hair and slapped him repeatedly. “You dare hit my son on the head? My son’s head is worth its weight in gold! Who gave you the right?”

Finally satisfied, she stood up and turned to Dog. “Son, didn’t I say they bullied you?”

No one dared make a sound. Who starts beating someone and then asks for confirmation afterward? But no one had the guts to voice their thoughts.

Dog nodded. “Yes, they hit my head, pulled me and even told Fubao they’d give her candy to hold her.”

The last remark, a classic child-snatching tactic, caused an uproar. The crowd began pointing fingers at the two men.

Zhang Chunjing, known for his lewd behavior—teasing widows and making inappropriate remarks to young women—was now humiliated in front of everyone. His face burned with shame.

Zhang Chunsheng, mortified by his cousin’s actions, stepped forward to apologize. Remembering how Pear Blossom had once saved him and his son, Hanzi, from wolves, and how lady Dong had been Pear Blossom’s benefactor, he slapped Zhang Chunjing and growled, “You disgrace! Get out of here before you embarrass yourself further!”

Having already been slapped multiple times by Pomegranate, Zhang Chunjing’s face was throbbing. Regret filled his heart. He shouldn’t have listened to Xiang Dalang’s terrible idea.

Ashamed, he hurriedly bowed to Pomegranate, her husband, and Dong Yun before fleeing.

Seeing Zhang Chunjing run off, Xiang Dalang knew he was in trouble too. He turned to escape but found Pear Blossom standing tall and blocking his path.

Panicking, he snarled at the young woman he used to bully, “What? Are you going to imitate that shrew and beat me up, too, you little wretch—”

Before he could finish, Pear Blossom’s fist smashed into his face, raining down blow after blow.

Enraged by the system’s earlier revelation of their plot, she kicked him to the ground and stomped on him repeatedly. Once he stopped moving, she dragged him by the collar like a dead dog and hauled him toward the Xiang family’s house.

No one dared intervene. Every man present was rendered speechless. That night, they witnessed not one but two ferocious women emerge. The first gave a reason for every slap; the second didn’t bother with explanations—she just acted.

Seeing Xiang Dalang beaten to a pulp, who would dare stop her? Even Xiang Dalang’s mother, Mrs. Xiong, didn’t step in. Though she should’ve defended her son, memories of how her family had once been mistreated by the Xiang’s her children bullied and left helpless—resurfaced.

Watching her daughter now, avenging those injustices, brought an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

“I won’t stop her; my daughter knows her limits. As long as she doesn’t kill anyone, if they get beaten up or injured, they deserve it!”