Chapter 73. 2

At this point, everyone noticed that the wild deer still had a layer of wolf skin wrapped around it, obviously skinned after killing the wolf. Thinking that she was able to hunt both a wolf and a deer alone, the crowd couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

Pear Blossom then casually took the large machete from her waist and wiped it on the wolf skin before handing it to Dagen, saying, “I hit it on the wolf’s skull and left a crack. Take it to the blacksmith to fix it.”

Dagen took the machete with a grin and replied, “Got it!” He hurried to roll up the wolf skin, completely oblivious to his own father’s expression.

Pear Blossom then slowly surveyed the crowd and asked, “Who was it that said they were going to drag my mother to the yamen?”

The village elders, having already been impressed by her actions, immediately pointed at the Liu family, saying, “It was them! They said they would send you to the city to become the concubine of the eldest son of the Xu family. When your mother couldn’t stand it and wanted to hit them, Liu Youtie said your mother was disrespecting him and threatened to drag her to the yamen.”

In fact, Pear Blossom had heard all of this clearly when she was at the door, but hearing the village elders repeat it only made Liu Youtie and his son feel even more embarrassed.

Pear Blossom then slowly walked up to Liu Laoye, pointed at herself, and asked, “I, Pear Blossom, am going to be someone’s concubine? Do you think that’s possible?”

Liu Laoye shrank his neck and didn’t say anything, while Liu Youtie stubbornly retorted, “What’s wrong with that? A village girl being chosen as a concubine for a wealthy family—what luck! It’s a blessing she’s earned over several generations!”

Pear Blossom seemed interested, “Oh? Then tell me, if I were to become a concubine for this family, what benefits would I get? How much dowry?”

Liu Youtie replied, “The benefits are many. Just the dowry alone would be a hundred or more taels of silver, enough to last your family several generations!”

Zhang Sanye couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted, “Liu Laosi! Have you forgotten that Pear Blossom gave away a thousand taels of silver to help the villagers last time? Do you really think she would lack this little bit of dowry?”

Liu Youtie was momentarily speechless but still stubbornly argued, “That was just to buy people’s favor! After all, it was gambling money from the casino, and she couldn’t dare to keep it all to herself.”

Another village elder also couldn’t stand it and said, “Look at this deer, and the wolf skin. Selling them could easily bring in dozens of taels. If she catches two or three more, a hundred taels would be in hand. Who would still want to be a concubine and suffer that kind of treatment?”

Liu Youtie was left speechless, unable to argue, his face turning a mix of green and white, as if he had opened a dye shop.

At this moment, a loud voice came from the gate, “Oh! Everyone’s here!”

Everyone turned to look, and it was the eloquent matchmaker from the neighboring village.

Seeing the matchmaker, it was clear what her visit implied.

In Dagen’s family, the only eligible one of marriageable age was Pear Blossom.

Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, the matchmaker smiled even more happily, “Oh, everyone knows what I do, right? No one comes to the temple without reason! Today, I’ve come to bring good news! The young master of the Li family in our village, who’s the same age as Pear Blossom, has taken a liking to her! So, Mr. Li asked me to come and ask what the family’s thoughts are…”

Pear Blossom didn’t expect this troublesome matter to all come at once. She felt a bit impatient and was about to turn and go back inside, letting her mother deal with it. But just as she turned, she saw Dong Yun and Fubao standing beside the village elders. They had apparently been watching for a while.

It reminded her that when she had just come down from the mountain, she had seen the two of them picking wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain, and had asked them to come help with the lambs.

She had saved two lambs from the jaws of wolves, and the lambs looked very young, with the mother sheep still having milk.

Earlier, she had heard that Dong Yun and Fubao had just returned to the village, and because of the shock on the road, they had lost their milk. Fubao had arrived at the village, and Mrs. Zeng had to go door to door looking for nursing mothers. If none could be found, they had to ask for goat milk from any family whose goats had just given birth.

For this, Mrs. Zeng had scolded Dong Yun several times, saying she looked good but was useless, even unable to feed her own child.

This time, when they caught a mother sheep still producing milk, Pear Blossom immediately thought of Fubao. She called her to come to the house from a distance, intending to let her drink fresh sheep’s milk.

To her surprise, Fubao came but ended up witnessing this dramatic scene.

When Dong Yun arrived, she didn’t make a sound. She simply pulled Fubao to stand by a few elders and silently observed what was happening, as though it had nothing to do with her.

Pear Blossom’s heart raced, feeling guilty and uneasy.

Although she had already told Dong Yun she wouldn’t marry, both parties that arrived were there because of her marriage prospects. She had just kissed Dong Yun by the stove earlier that morning, and now Dong Yun was witnessing this scene. If the roles were reversed, Pear Blossom knew she would feel deeply uncomfortable and awkward.

She looked at Dong Yun and wanted to say something, but Dong Yun didn’t even spare her a glance. Noticing her own appearance—covered in blood and the smell of raw meat—Pear Blossom decided to go back and clean up first, intending to explain things later.

The arrival of the matchmaker clashed with the Liu family’s father and son, and both sides couldn’t help but exchange sarcastic remarks.

Although Mrs. Xiong didn’t care for Master Liu, she didn’t want to offend the matchmaker. While her eldest daughter refused to be courted, her eldest son was getting old enough to consider marriage. At some point, they would need to discuss it.

So, she pushed the Liu father and son aside, took the matchmaker to a corner, politely declined, and slipped her some money. The matchmaker, though aware there was no hope, smiled and left, taking the money without further protest.

Zhang Sanye and several other village elders, seeing that the spectacle had ended, said goodbye to Xia Xunyan and left.

Mrs. Xiong ignored the Liu father and son standing in the yard. Seeing Dong Yun talking with Xia Xunyan, she called Fubao and asked Xinghua to take her to milk the sheep.

Liu Youtie looked at the two beautiful women standing together, and the disappointment in his heart was beyond words.

By now, even Liu Dagen was busy processing the deer meat and didn’t spare them another glance. The father and son felt a sharp, dry discomfort and had no choice but to leave in defeat.

When Pear Blossom finished her bath and came out, Dong Yun was already gone.

She felt uneasy, hastily drying her hair, and went out.

Mrs. Xiong was in the yard watching the Liu father and son handle the deer meat. When she saw Pear Blossom, she couldn’t help but straighten up and look around.

To her surprise, Pear Blossom came out, then turned around and asked Dagen to chop off the whole hind leg of the deer to take with her.

Mrs. Xiong felt a strange sensation in her heart, glanced at Dagen, but stopped herself from saying anything.

It started to rain lightly on the road, and it was cold. Pear Blossom quickly walked to the Zeng family’s house, where the door was ajar. She gently pushed it open and went in.

Dahei, seeing her, didn’t even bother to glance at her, let alone bark at her.

Pear Blossom took the deer meat to the kitchen, hung it by the stove.

After washing her hands, she went to Dong Yun’s room. Inside, the warmth from the charcoal stove contrasted sharply with the cold outside. Dong Yun was sitting by the fire, sewing something with needle and thread.

Pear Blossom tiptoed over, sat beside her, and said in a sweet tone, “Why did you go just for a little while and come back? I just finished my bath and you were gone.”

Dong Yun replied indifferently, “I just went to get the sheep’s milk. It was done, so I came back.”

Pear Blossom complained, “That wasn’t the end. Fubao is still there, cooking the milk, and you ran off first.”

Dong Yun didn’t respond.

Pear Blossom rested her hand on the charcoal stove to warm it, then said, “I just brought the deer meat back. It’s hanging in the kitchen. Whenever you want to eat wild game, just tell me, I’ll prepare it for you.”

Dong Yun replied irritably, “Who are you to me? Why should I make you cook for me every day?”

Pear Blossom immediately knew that Dong Yun was bothered by earlier events. She reached out to hold her hand, but Dong Yun raised her hand to avoid it.

Pear Blossom, cautiously, said, “You promised this morning to let me take care of you. So, I’m your manager now, and I want to take care of everything for you.”

Dong Yun snorted. “So many people want to marry you, so many people want you to take care of them. Go take care of them.”

Pear Blossom said, “No, I only want to take care of you.”

Dong Yun fell silent.

Pear Blossom carefully took the needle and thread from her hand, set them aside, then took her hand and warmed it in her palm. Once it felt warm, she spoke. “Those people are all foolish. The Liu family just wants to use me to get something in return. I’m the victim here. And that matchmaker—who was she even helping with the marriage proposal? I didn’t catch that. They clearly look down on my family, but still sent someone here. I bet someone talked about the money I sent last time. That’s why they’re all coming now, like a swarm of annoying flies. I can’t be bothered with them.”

“Besides, I’ve already told my mother not to meddle with my marriage. She agreed, so it doesn’t matter who comes.”

Dong Yun wasn’t unaware of these things. The people who came to propose weren’t sincere; they had their own interests in mind. Even if they were truly fond of her, given the girl’s personality, she would likely reject them. Yet, knowing all this, she couldn’t help but feel sour inside.

It was just like when Xia Xunyan had talked to another young lady Dong Yun would get upset.

After all this time, after so many experiences, Dong Yun thought she had changed—become more calm, without such a strong desire to control or possess. But in the end, she realized nothing had changed. She was still the same person as before.

She hated this version of herself but couldn’t control it.

Remembering that Xia Xunyan had reminded her earlier that Pear Blossom was unaware of the situation, Dong Yun couldn’t help but think it was because he was worried she might throw a tantrum.

Right now, as she wished, she was truly unhappy in her heart.

Pear Blossom saw her frown and remain silent, feeling uneasy. She took her hand and kissed it, saying, “If you don’t want to, I can tell my mother about us. That way, we can meet openly and without hiding.”

Dong Yun glared at her and said, “Us? What do you mean by ‘us’?”

Pear Blossom tightened her grip on her hand and said, “We’ve kissed, what else could it be? Of course, it’s about us being together. You can’t back out now!”

Dong Yun tried to pull her hand away, but Pear Blossom only held on tighter, standing up from her seat and squatting beside Dong Yun. Looking up at her, she said, “Good sister, what are you afraid of?”

Dong Yun was, of course, afraid. She was someone the entire world was hunting, hiding here like a rat in a dark corner, not seeing the light of day.

The girl before her was so beautiful. If she wasn’t tempted by her, she would definitely find a good husband, have children, and live a happy life. There would be no need to hide and live in constant fear with her.

Moreover, two women in love was already a forbidden taboo in the world. If their relationship was exposed in the future, she would have to bear the same twisted reputation, not accepted by family, by the village, or by the world.

She wasn’t unaware of these things; she was well aware of her situation. But she was so lonely and craved affection that she still took that step, even knowing the abyss ahead.

Dong Yun, who had always acted without looking back, felt regret for the first time. Regret that she had, in a moment of weakness, involved this innocent girl.

And with her temper, no one could bear it, and how long could she last with her?

When she saw the wild deer on her shoulders today, she was so wild and full of grace, her heartstrings were tightly pulled.

The more she cared, the more she regretted, and the more she regretted, the sadder she became.

Pear Blossom saw the complex expression on her face and her unwillingness to respond, feeling anxious. She couldn’t hold back any longer and pressed her lips against hers.