Chapter 72: Eating Noodles

Under the table, Pear Blossom held Dong Yun’s hand, gently squeezing it. Her heart fluttered wildly for a while, and amidst her happiness, she couldn’t help but feel a greedy desire rising within her.

When they weren’t together, she wanted to meet her. When they met, she wanted to hold her hand. After holding her hand, she wanted to kiss her lips, caress her body… The more she thought about it, the more ripples spread in her heart, and unknowingly, the strength in her hand increased.

Dong Yun felt the change in pressure on her hand and, noticing the distracted look in Pear Blossom’s eyes, immediately understood where the girl’s thoughts had wandered. Embarrassment bubbled up within her. After all, no matter how Pear Blossom thought, it was clear that her thoughts revolved around her, and the increased strength in her grip was meant for her. Before she could let her own mind wander, she quickly withdrew her hand.

Pear Blossom’s hand was left empty, leaving her a bit disappointed.

At that moment, Fubao had finished eating and slid her way over to Pear Blossom, climbing into her lap with a giggle.

Pear Blossom adored the small, soft figure of Fubao. Just looking at her filled Pear Blossom’s eyes with affection, and she was especially patient with her.

While clearing the dishes, Dong Yun asked, “Do you really like children that much?”

Pear Blossom shook her head. She had three younger siblings of her own, and growing up, she had done most of the caretaking. Did she like them? She couldn’t say she liked them that much; she was simply used to taking care of others.

Seeing her shake her head yet pull out some candy to coax her daughter, Dong Yun remarked, “Doesn’t seem like you dislike them much either.”

Pear Blossom caught the underlying meaning in her words. Looking into Dong Yun’s eyes, she said firmly, “That’s because she’s your child.”

Dong Yun froze for a moment, then continued tidying the dishes before speaking again, “What if she weren’t my child?”

Hugging Fubao, Pear Blossom replied without hesitation, “If you like her, I’ll like her too. Even that big black dog of yours guarding the courtyard for you every day—I’d feel closer to it just because of you. Even if Fubao wasn’t born from you, as long as she’s someone you care for, someone close to you, I’ll care for her too.”

Besides, Fubao truly was adorable.

Hearing these words, Fubao, who was busy stuffing candy into her mouth, hugged Pear Blossom’s neck and gave her a loud kiss. “Fubao loves Pear Blossom too!”

Pear Blossom hugged her tightly, resting her forehead against the child’s and teasing her, “Mm, Pear Blossom loves Fubao too—loves everyone in Fubao’s family…”

Dong Yun, having overheard Pear Blossom’s words, felt her ears turn red. Without saying anything, she carried the bowls to the kitchen.

Pear Blossom lifted her head, watching Dong Yun’s graceful figure retreat, and couldn’t help but smile, biting her lip in delight.

At that moment, the system couldn’t hold back any longer and popped up, exclaiming, “Host, this is too much! You were supposed to charm 10,000 people, yet now you’re fixated on just one. Are you even planning to complete the mission?”

Annoyed by the interruption, Pear Blossom frowned and retorted, “If I can’t even win over this one, how do you expect me to charm 10,000 others?”

“You, you, you—this is a weak argument! Clearly—yesterday, you treated her like that, and you obviously had impure intentions!”

“I treated her how yesterday?”

“You kissed her—”

Pear Blossom directly repeated what was said earlier to dodge the issue: “Twice yesterday, she kissed me first. She was in a bad mood at the time, so I had to understand her.”

The system was furious but could only affect the host and not others, so it angrily retorted: “The first time, she kissed you first, but afterward? Alright, even if she pulled you and kissed you first, why were you so immersed in it? Not only that, you also hugged her and kissed her back!”

Pear Blossom blinked her innocent eyes and said, “Master Xia just taught me a saying: ‘If someone comes, you must reciprocate.’ She was so proactive, if I didn’t respond, she’d be heartbroken. How could I pursue her if I didn’t?”

The system was getting desperate, feeling insulted by the situation. It continued, “But you even groped her chest! And not just that, you even… ate her…”

Even with Pear Blossom’s thick skin, she couldn’t stand the system spilling out those private matters so openly and angrily said, “Enough!”

The system snorted, “If you dare do it, why can’t I say it?”

Pear Blossom sighed, “Everyone’s different. The way I pursue them is naturally different. For example, with Mrs. Zeng, I can win her over with money, but my sister doesn’t need money.”

“Then why must you pursue her? You’ve spent so much time on her, while out there you could be pursuing dozens of others. If you spent more time doing good deeds or training, your points could increase faster.”

“That’s not possible,” Pear Blossom shook her head. “If I can’t even win her over, what’s the point of living? Is there something wrong with my way of pursuing her?”

The system was left speechless, as it realized that this method wasn’t wrong—though it would be fine if the target were the crown prince. If it were the crown prince, the system wouldn’t object even if they rolled around together hundreds of times a day.

Pear Blossom saw the system was silent for a while and assumed it had agreed. She said, “Alright, I’ll be careful.”

With that, she ended the conversation.

The system, frustrated, logged off and sulked in its “little black room.”

…

Now, Pear Blossom had become Murong Jiutian’s apprentice. The earlier practice sessions no longer counted, and Pear Blossom felt embarrassed to take Master’s money, so after some back and forth, it was settled. Pear Blossom now spent half of her month training with Murong Jin at the escort agency, each training session lasting half a day.

Murong Jiutian didn’t accept her apprenticeship fee; instead, she just had to provide enough eggs for his wife every day. The escort agency also stopped paying her for practice.

In this way, they both got what they needed. However, their training style was no longer the same as before. Whenever Murong Jiutian was at the escort agency, he would personally guide the two of them. In less than half a month, both had made considerable progress, especially Pear Blossom, who seemed to be completely transformed. Thanks to her already excellent physical strength and the enhancement of her skills, along with occasional secret guidance from Zuo Qi, even Murong Jin, who had been practicing martial arts for a long time, found himself at a standstill against Pear Blossom.

This girl was particularly stubborn, and the more she was challenged, the more determined she became, changing her previous laziness and focusing entirely on her training.

Mrs. Jiang couldn’t bear to watch her daughter train so obsessively and felt a pang of concern. She wanted to tell the kids not to push themselves too hard and remember to have some fun.

Murong Jiutian wasn’t bothered. “Jin’er needs this kind of pressure. Before Pear Blossom came along, she would slack off, feeling invincible after dealing with a few small thieves. But now that she has a worthy opponent, it’s bringing out her potential. This is a good thing!”

Mrs. Jiang went to ask Murong Jin directly and found that she truly loved martial arts, so she decided not to give further advice.

Meanwhile, the grain cellar behind Pear Blossom’s house had finally been dug out through the hard work of Dagen and the others. It connected to a natural cave in the mountain, with a hidden opening on the cliff side to allow for ventilation. The internal mountain space was large and dry enough to store tens of thousands of kilograms of grain.

Pear Blossom, following her plan, carried a hundred-pound bag of rice back every time she returned to the city. After a month, her family had accumulated thousands of kilograms of rice. She also took all the rice that the Zeng family intended to sell and stored it in her own house, hauling it up to the mountain in the early hours of the morning or at night.

By the end of December, the mountain cellar was stacked with nearly a hundred bushels of grain, more than 10,000 kilograms—enough for both families to last for several years.

At that point, she stopped.

During this time, Pear Blossom had also spoken to the village chief about her idea of encouraging the villagers to stockpile grain. The village chief quickly gathered the villagers and relayed the message. Though some were nervous, they didn’t go to the extremes of Pear Blossom’s family. Most simply decided not to sell their grain for now, but they didn’t think much about stockpiling it.

A few households didn’t listen to the advice, and after the grain merchants came to the village, they kept only a year’s worth of food and sold the rest.

Pear Blossom’s family didn’t interfere, as they had already made their suggestion, and it was up to others to decide whether to follow it.

Every time Pear Blossom went up the mountain to dig or carry grain, she would also cut down a tree, carry it down, and deliver it to Dong Yun’s house. There, she had it sawed into pieces and stacked them in the courtyard, eventually filling one wall with firewood. Now they didn’t have to burn the smoky, short-lasting straw anymore.

…

After the Xiang family was driven out of the village, their remaining three acres of paddy field and four acres of mountain land, thanks to Mr. Liu’s clever maneuvering, were smoothly transferred to Liu family ownership. In total, Liu family now had over 500 acres of land, all of which were exempt from taxes, as long as they paid a nominal fee to the retired official. With these lands, the family could live comfortably without worry.

These lands are rented out to people from our village and nearby villages for farming, with the rent divided 30-70.

However, recently, Mr. Liu has been troubled, because the in-law who manages the land increased the management fee. Previously, it was 10% per acre, but now it has been raised to 30%.

He is unhappy about it and urges his daughter, Aunt Liu, to whisper in her husband’s ear and ask him to persuade the official to possibly not raise the management fee.

But Aunt Liu is also troubled and has her own problems. Her husband recently took a concubine and spends all his time with her, never stepping into the main house, giving the impression of neglecting his wife. Aunt Liu can hardly maintain her own status in the family, let alone speak on behalf of her father’s side.

Mrs. Liu watches her husband pacing back and forth and impatiently says, “What good is pacing around? You’re making me dizzy, and I can’t think of a solution.”

Mr. Liu glares at her, “What do you know? Previously, we got 70% and the tenants got 30%. To avoid taxes, we went through the in-law, paying an additional 10%, leaving us with only 60%. But now, they’ve raised the management fee to 30%. Does that mean we only get 40%?”

“What can we do? The land tax is getting higher and they’ve already collected for next year. If we don’t go through the in-law, the government will come after us.”

Mrs. Liu, though worried, still calculates, “Even with just 40%, with our 500 acres, we can still collect over 400 bushels of grain. No matter how much we spend, it should be enough for the year.”

Mr. Liu sighs deeply, “You women! The world is so chaotic now, we need to store up grain. If we only think about the present, what if something happens next year? What will we do?”

“Then what do you suggest?”

After some thought, Mr. Liu finally decides, “The rent needs to be changed from 30-70 to 20-80. We must take control of 80% of the rent. Also, we need to stabilize things with the in-law to prevent them from raising the fee to 40% next year. Who can bear that?”

Mrs. Liu looks worried, “You make it sound so easy! The in-law’s side is entirely reliant on Lin’er. Her husband has no say before the old master. When I last saw Lin’er, she said her husband hadn’t entered her room for two months. We can’t afford for her to end up in a situation where the concubine is favored over the wife.”

Mr. Liu sighs heavily, “The son-in-law is useless. The old master favors the first wife’s family. If we could speak with them, maybe we could reduce the management fee.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Liu shows her displeasure, “Don’t try anything funny! Lin’er didn’t want to marry into the Xu family back then, but you pushed her into it just to curry favor with the powerful. Now look at this? Her husband neglects her. If we had found a more suitable match, she wouldn’t be so easily controlled.”

Mr. Liu, hit where it hurt, became angry and flared up, “You’re so short-sighted! If we didn’t marry Lin’er to the Xu family, could we have kept all this land? It’s because we have their support that the county doesn’t dare come after us. We had only about 100 acres before, do you think all this wealth came from nowhere? Do you think all the gold and jewelry you’re wearing now just appeared? It’s all thanks to my connections, earned little by little!”

Mrs. Liu was too stunned to respond, so she fell silent.

Mr. Liu softened his tone, “You go visit Dagen. Tell him that we’ve arranged a marriage for his eldest daughter with a wealthy family, and if she goes, she’ll become the young mistress.”

“What are you planning?” Mrs. Liu raised her head in surprise. “After you just spoke about Lin’er, you feel no guilt and now you want to repeat the same thing?”

“What repeating the same thing?” Mr. Liu said dismissively. “Lin’er has been living in luxury in the Xu family. How has she suffered? Having multiple wives is normal for men. If I wasn’t so reluctant to spend the money, I would have married ten or eight wives, and you’d have to bear it!”

Mrs. Liu trembles with anger, “You—Liu Mingchang! That 100 acres of land was left to me by my family. No matter how you look at it, you’re a son-in-law of this family. If my family hadn’t passed away early, would you be in a position to dominate like this?”

Mr. Liu sneers, “Is it yours? Can you take it back now? Do you have a say in this family now?”

Mrs. Liu is speechless with rage.

“Go quickly. The Xu family’s eldest grandson just turned 17 and has passed the scholar exam. Our small family can’t marry into the main wife’s position, but that girl has grown into a fine lady. The other day I saw her on the street, her lips red and teeth white, anyone who saw her couldn’t take their eyes off her. She’s more than enough to be a second wife. With her and Lin’er in the Xu family, we’ll be backed by a big tree.”

Mrs. Liu fumes, “The Xu family has already split. They didn’t take a single coin from you, and you never raised them. How shameless can you be?”

“You—” Mr. Liu also becomes angry. “What’s wrong with it? The Xu family is a reputable family, and their eldest grandson is outstanding. He’s handsome, and they’re enjoying wealth. This is a great thing!”

“It’s great, then you go. I’m not going.” Mrs. Liu flatly refuses.

“You—this lazy woman! I’ll go myself, I really will!” Mr. Liu, angry and red-faced, glared at his wife and stormed out of the door.

…

With just over ten days left until the new year, the three large fat pigs from Mrs. Zeng’s household were all reserved. Pear Blossom’s family had reserved one, waiting to slaughter it on the 29th. Murong Jin had already rolled up his sleeves, eager to take the knife himself.

Pear Blossom planned to invite both her master and mistress to join the lively feast after the pig was slaughtered.

In the days leading up to the new year, they stopped training. Pear Blossom had made significant progress in her martial arts, so Murong Jiutian didn’t set any special requirements for her. As for Xia Xunyan, since she began her training, she had given her devilish tutoring, and even though Pear Blossom wanted to go out to see Dong Yun, she didn’t have the chance. She stayed at home for six or seven days straight, until Xia Xunyan finally relented and allowed her a day off.

At dawn, she left the house and quietly made her way to the Zeng family’s home.

Dong Yun was eating noodles with a thin broth and a slice of green vegetable.

When she saw her arrive, she asked, “Haven’t seen you for a few days, what have you been busy with?”

Pear Blossom sighed and replied, “I’ve been kept under strict watch by my teacher these past few days. He made me memorize the Analects and the Doctrine of the Mean, and after I memorized them, I had to recite them from memory. He wouldn’t let me out unless I got it right!”

Dong Yun knew this was typical of that person’s way of teaching. When they studied together before, he was just as strict and meticulous. At that time, she had control over her, which allowed her to make excuses and restrict the other person’s behavior.

But now, with the girl in front of her, she was left with no choice but to obediently listen.

Pear Blossom looked at the white noodles in the pot and frowned, “Why is there no oil? Have you run out of money? I can bring some for you.”

Dong Yun quickly stopped her, saying, “I’m not short of money.”

“Then why don’t you buy any meat? Haven’t any butchers come to the village lately? Daniu goes to the town every day to buy meat, just let him bring some for you.”

Dong Yun felt touched that Pear Blossom was always thinking of her. She smiled and said, “It’s not that… I just don’t want to eat pork anymore…”

She felt a bit embarrassed after speaking. After all, other families could barely afford to have a bit of porridge with wild vegetables, and some places even suffered from famine. Here she was, tired of eating pork. If people knew, she might be scolded.

Pear Blossom laughed when she heard this, “I thought it was something serious. Luckily, today my teacher gave me the day off. I’ve been cooped up in the house for days, I’m about to grow mushrooms. It’s just right; I’ll go up the mountain to stretch my bones and bring back some wild game for you later.”

As she spoke, she was about to leave, but before she did, she hesitated, wanting to get closer to Dong Yun.

It had been several days since they last met, and she missed her dearly.

For the first half of the month, she had been constantly training at the escort agency under Murong Jin’s relentless guidance. In the latter half, her teacher had been teaching her intensely, and she had to focus on digging holes and stockpiling food. She had been running nonstop and barely had time to spend with Dong Yun. Now that she finally had the chance, it felt like a little awkward distance had grown between them over the days.

Her skin had also grown thinner, and she didn’t dare to approach directly, so she lingered, unwilling to leave.

Dong Yun found this amusing but didn’t call her out, just ate her noodles while watching.

Finally, after some time, Pear Blossom moved closer, reaching out to hug Dong Yun’s waist. But at that moment, a small figure appeared at the door, startling Pear Blossom, and she quickly sat up straight. When she looked closely, it was little Fubao, rubbing her sleepy eyes and holding the cloth tiger that Pear Blossom had bought for her.

At first, the little one had been about to call for her mother, but upon seeing someone next to her, her eyes instantly brightened, and she yelled, “Pear Blossom!”

Although Pear Blossom felt a little regretful, she smiled warmly, squatting down and opening her arms. Soon, the little one rushed into her embrace.

The sky had just lightened, and the little one had only just woken up, still in her thin nightclothes.

Pear Blossom held her in her arms and said, “Little ancestor, don’t run out without putting on your clothes. Aren’t you cold?”

She reached down to touch the little one’s feet and found them still warm, so she carried her to the bedroom.

Dong Yun looked up at Pear Blossom’s back, a faint smile showing on her lips.

She got up and added more fuel to the stove, then changed the pot. The dough had been made last night before going to bed, half of it was used for noodles this morning, and the rest was intended for pancakes at lunch.

When Pear Blossom finally bundled the little one up like a dumpling, she carried her to the kitchen, where a warm fire was burning.

Pear Blossom turned to Dong Yun and said, “Didn’t I help you carry two big baskets of charcoal earlier? Why aren’t you burning it? The kitchen is full of smoke. If you burn it in the house, it’s clean and warm.”

Dong Yun glanced at her and said, “You’re still young, but you act like a housekeeper, managing everything.”

When Pear Blossom heard this, her face turned pink, and she whispered, “I just like being the housekeeper, I like taking care of you.”

Dong Yun, who was flipping the pancakes, heard her muttering softly and said, “Then take care of me.”

Pear Blossom thought she had misheard and couldn’t help but glance up at her. But Dong Yun was focused on making pancakes and didn’t look at her, so Pear Blossom felt a little disappointed. She then noticed what Dong Yun was doing and asked, “Didn’t you already make noodles? Why are you still making pancakes?”

Dong Yun grumbled, “You arrived before dawn. Did you come here just to eat?”

When Pear Blossom heard this, she knew the pancakes were made for her. She bit her lip and smiled. Seeing how thoughtful and considerate Dong Yun was, she felt even more moved. Under the glow of the firelight, Dong Yun seemed to radiate a soft glow, making Pear Blossom’s heart flutter.

She suddenly looked down and asked Fubao, “Fubao, can you wash your face by yourself?”

Fubao nodded eagerly, excitedly saying, “I can! I have my own little towel, Pear Blossom helps me fetch water.”

This was exactly what Pear Blossom had hoped for, so she quickly got up, took a wooden basin, and brought it to the living room after fetching hot water from the stove.

Fubao also went into the room to get her little towel, bouncing out with excitement.

“Wash here; the kitchen has smoke that will darken your little face. Wash well, and I’ll check later. If it’s not clean, you’ll have to wash again.”

After saying this, she left and quickly walked to the kitchen.

Dong Yun had just flipped the pancake to the other side when a shadow suddenly loomed in front of her. She turned her head and before she could react, Pear Blossom’s lips were already on hers.

At first, Dong Yun wanted to push her away, but when she heard Fubao calling for Pear Blossom in the next room, her hands instinctively held Pear Blossom tightly around the waist. Her heart softened, and she opened her lips, letting Pear Blossom’s tongue slip inside, tangling with hers.

The sound of tiny footsteps approached the kitchen, and the voice calling out for Pear Blossom had already reached the kitchen door. Pear Blossom reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, quickly turning around to squat down and smiling at the door. “Fubao, are you done washing? You’re so fast. Did you not wash well? I’m going to check. If it’s not clean, you’ll have to wash again!”

Fubao ran into the room, grabbed her hand, and said, “I want Pear Blossom to wash with me, not to wash alone over there.”

Pear Blossom, helpless, had no choice but to pick up the little one, then turned her head to look at Dong Yun.

At this moment, Dong Yun’s ears were warm. Seeing her gaze, she pretended to stay calm and said, “Go ahead, come back after you’re done washing and have some cakes.”

Pear Blossom responded with an “oh,” paused for a moment, and then stepped out the door.