Chapter 77. 2

Her sister had been bitten by a snake. It had already been nearly an hour since the bite, and it was too late to rush to the city. She hoped the doctor in town could be more efficient.

The horse was whipped so hard that its rear end hurt, but it galloped like mad. It wasn’t long before they reached the town. Pear Blossom carried Dong Yun directly into the clinic, ignoring the people around her. She pushed past the people who were being treated and placed Dong Yun on the table. “Save her! Save her immediately!”

The surrounding people began to complain about her cutting in, but she turned and grabbed a nearby stool. Her eyes flashed with fierce light, and she said menacingly, “Whoever dares to stop me today will see blood!”

The onlookers were intimidated by her fierce aura, and they all retreated quickly, too scared to meet her gaze.

Pear Blossom then yelled at the doctor, “What are you waiting for? Treat her immediately! The wound is on her calf, bitten by a venomous snake. Whatever silver or medicine is needed, I have it! Just treat her!”

Saying that, she pulled out a hundred-tael silver note and slapped it on the table.

When the doctor saw the money and her fierce attitude, he immediately shut up, grabbed his medical kit, and began to examine and treat her.

Dong Yun’s clothes were already soaked and dirty, so the doctor called for his daughter-in-law and mother-in-law to bring clean clothes. Pear Blossom, though unwilling for anyone to see her beloved’s body, prioritized the urgent matter. She personally helped her change the wet clothes, with others assisting her. They carefully heated her body and changed her clothes.

The doctor worked diligently for a long time. He drew out the poison, shaved off the blackened flesh around the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it up.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he said, “Fortunately, the young lady tied her calf immediately after the bite, preventing the poison from spreading. The rain also helped wash away some of the venom. Otherwise, if more time had passed, she would have been beyond saving.”

Upon hearing this, Pear Blossom felt a sense of relief wash over her, as if she had survived a close call. She slumped into a chair, breathing a sigh of relief.

But soon, she stood up again. “She has other injuries as well. Treat those too.”

“Of course,” the doctor nodded.

He worked for about another half hour before finishing treating the other cuts on Dong Yun’s body. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Dr. Zhang wiped his hands and said, “She may take a while to wake up. She’ll need at least ten days or more of rest to recover. During this time, she must be properly cared for.”

Pear Blossom nodded repeatedly, her gaze never leaving Dong Yun’s battered face. A pang of pain hit her heart, like waves crashing relentlessly.

If she had been even a step slower—sister…

She couldn’t bring herself to think further. Her anger and killing intent flared up again.

Liu Youtie! That scoundrel! She and him would never rest until one of them was dead!

And also, the system!

Dr. Zhang, however, did not take advantage of the situation. He calculated the cost and said to her, “The powder for treating snake bites is quite expensive, and it will need to be applied two or three more times. I’ll charge you one tael of silver for that. The medicine for external wounds costs five coins. You need to come back to replace the dressing until she’s healed. The consultation and surgery fee is three coins. After that, she’ll need to take medicine for ten days, which is another five coins. The total comes to two taels and three coins. If you have small change, give that, but I really can’t break this large silver note.”

Pear Blossom looked at him in surprise. After just dealing with Liu Youtie’s shamelessness, this old man seemed particularly kind in comparison.

She softened her expression and said, “Your skill today is miraculous, and you’ve trouble your family to help. You even lost two good clothes of your daughter-in-law. I also drove your patient away. Here, ten taels, as a token of gratitude for saving her life. Just don’t mention it to anyone else.”

Dr. Zhang’s eyes lit up with joy when he heard this.

Pear Blossom added, “However, it’s still raining outside. We need to stay here a little longer. Please send someone to tell my family the situation. I’ll give you the silver later.”

Dr. Zhang quickly agreed, “It’s slippery on the road in this rain. No need to rush.”

He immediately called his son to go to Daliushu Village to deliver the message.

When Mrs. Xiong heard that Dong Yun had been bitten by a poisonous snake, she rushed to Zeng’s family and brought Zeng’s old woman. The two of them put on raincoats and hurried to the clinic.

Upon arriving at the clinic, they saw Dong Yun’s pitiful condition, and immediately asked what had happened. Pear Blossom had already learned the details from the system, so she recounted everything.

Mrs. Zeng was furious, her eyes shooting flames. Having lost her husband young, she knew the hardships of widows. Hearing that Liu Youtie had made such threats, she immediately began cursing Liu’s ancestors.

The onlookers, upon hearing that the widow from the village was so fierce, willing to crawl down the mountain rather than be carried by a man, couldn’t help but admire her, while further despising the Liu family.

Pear Blossom saw this and said, “This clinic is small, and it’s crowded. You should go back for now. I’ll stay here with her.”

Normally, Mrs. Zeng would stay to take care of her daughter-in-law since Dong Yun was married to Zeng’s family, but their relationship was strained, and they didn’t even work together in the fields. She wasn’t used to taking care of someone as delicate as Dong Yun. Hearing Pear Blossom’s suggestion, she hesitated.

Mrs. Xiong, seeing this, pulled her along, “Since Pear Blossom is here, let’s go back. Fubao is still waiting at home.”

Mrs. Zeng feigned reluctance and said, “Fine, then. I’ll trouble you. How much for the medicine, I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

It was rare for this stingy old woman to bring up the cost of the medicine. Pear Blossom stopped Dr. Zhang from speaking, and said to her, “It’s not much. Dr. Zhang is kind-hearted and has already charged us less.”

Dr. Zhang smiled understandingly and didn’t say anything more.

“I’ll go back now. I want to see what kind of guts Liu Laosi has to dare do such shameless things. Today, I’ll tear him apart! From now on, in the village, I’ll make him miserable every time I see him!” Mrs. Zeng left these words with a huff and stormed off with Mrs. Xiong.

Indeed, as soon as someone stepped into the village, they began to curse.

The villagers up ahead saw Pear Blossom riding a horse with someone and heading toward the town, sparking much discussion. No one knew what had happened. Then, Dr. Zhang’s son hurried to the back of the village to call for help, with Mrs. Xiong and Mrs. Zeng following closely behind, both hurrying along, which only made the villagers more curious. Now, as Mrs. Zeng returned, she immediately started cursing. People living along the road leaned out of their houses, eager to find out what was going on.

Mrs. Zeng got fired up and retold the story, adding more details about how her daughter-in-law had been bitten by a snake on the mountain. After encountering Liu Youtie, she had begged him to go down the mountain and get help, but instead, he had threatened her, forcing her to crawl down the mountain.

Everyone was shocked by this absurdity, and some couldn’t help but loudly curse.

“Last time, when those gamblers came to kidnap Fubao’s mother, Liu Youtie jumped out and said he was willing to pay. I could tell right away that this kid had bad intentions.”

“Such a person is no better than an animal! What could be more important than saving a life?”

Mrs. Zeng cursed, “Exactly! The doctor said if we had been even a minute later, she would have been cold by now! If my daughter-in-law dies, I’ll hold Liu Youtie responsible!”

“Fubao’s mother is also so unfortunate. She barely escaped to the village, only to be bullied by that leper or eyed by outsiders. Now even the villagers want to throw her into the well. Just because she’s pretty, it’s not her fault.”

“If you ask me, there’s not a decent person in the Liu family. Yesterday, Liu laoye told all the tenants that if they wanted to continue renting his land, the rent had to be split 80/20. We’ve just paid two rounds of taxes, and now he’s pulling this stunt. Isn’t he just pushing us to the edge? The whole family is the same, disgusting!”

“I told him yesterday, we’re not renting his land this year. Even when the rent was split 70/30 before, I thought it was too high. Now he wants 80/20? No way!”

“Well, who knew he’d pull this? I already plowed the land before New Year’s, and now I’m not going to plant it? What a waste of effort. I’ll plant it this year, but after that, we won’t rent from him anymore.”

“Let him plow his land! We won’t serve him either. Anyway, we have a few acres at home, just need to save some food. If my husband has time, he can go to the city and find some odd jobs. It’s better than working for others all year without earning a penny.”

The villagers were all discussing loudly, and Mrs. Zeng continued her cursing. She was always relentless when she was in the right, and this time, she wouldn’t let it go, saying everything she could. Within half an hour, the entire Daliushu Village knew about Liu Youtie’s threat to Dong Yun.

Mrs. Xiong had accompanied her back and witnessed her fiery temper, not attempting to stop her at all.

She had never liked the Liu family. When the Liu brothers split the family, they treated Dagen as if he were a thorn in their side, afraid he’d come back and take his share of the inheritance. When they saw that she and her family had willingly given up their share, the smug look on their faces was unbearable.

Later, when she and Dagen went to invite people to the new house, Liu Youtie mocked them, suggesting that the couple was there to beg for money, doubting how they could afford to build the house. She could never forget those words.

A few days ago, these father and son dared to visit and suggest that Pear Blossom become someone’s concubine. Every time she thought about it, it made her so angry.

Now, hearing Mrs. Zeng curse so fiercely, she felt a sense of satisfaction.

Along the way, villagers kept asking about what had happened, and Mrs. Xiong helped explain. After hearing the news, everyone shook their heads and sighed, pointing fingers at the Liu family.

Meanwhile, at the Liu family’s house, Liu Youtie stumbled home, blood flowing from his wounds, his body shaking.

The old madam of the Liu family, seeing him covered in blood, turned pale and immediately sent someone to call the doctor.

There was only one doctor in the town, and he was treating Dong Yun. When the Liu family’s people arrived, they were thrown out by Pear Blossom, and in the end, they had no choice but to go to the city to find another doctor.

The husband and wife asked their son what had happened, but Liu Youtie refused to speak. Dazed and dizzy, he collapsed onto the bed, feeling as if half his life had been drained.

At the school, Xia Xunyan was giving a lesson.

Mrs. Zeng cursed loudly from the village’s entrance to its end, her shrill voice piercing the air. Xia Xunyan had furrowed her brow but hadn’t paid much attention until she heard the voice too clearly. She then realized it had something to do with Dong Yun and that she had been bitten by a snake. Shocked, she nearly dropped her book and immediately called for Xinghua to go and find out what had happened.

Soon, Xinghua returned with the full story and told her everything.

After hearing the news, Xia Xunyan felt weak in her legs and quickly arranged for her students to study on their own. She put on her raincoat, called for Xinghua, and hurried toward the town.

In the doctor’s clinic, Pear Blossom sat by the bed, gazing at the woman lying there. In her mind, she kept replaying the scene of her climbing down the mountain, and every time she thought of it, her heart ached. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for someone who once stood so high to be threatened by a mere villager like this.

The one she had protected with all her heart had been bullied like this.

What must she have been thinking at that moment? She must have felt hopeless, willing to give up her life rather than submit to that bastard.

It was all her fault for being careless. She should have had the system check her condition when Fubao first mentioned it. If she had, it wouldn’t have taken so long, and she wouldn’t have been threatened by Liu Youtie like this.

With red eyes, she gently wiped the woman’s hair with a towel and had a charcoal brazier brought to the bedside, so the room wouldn’t be too cold.

The woman lying there was still beautiful despite the cracked lips and scarred face, her beauty still breathtaking.

Pear Blossom wanted to kiss her, to feel her, but all she could do was silently imagine it in her heart.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the door. Pear Blossom looked up and saw that it was Xia Xunyan.

Pear Blossom quickly stood up and called, “Master.”

Xia Xunyan had lost her usual calm and composure. Her chest heaved as she asked, slightly out of breath, “How is she?”

Pear Blossom looked at her anxious eyes, shook her head, stepped aside, and said, “The poison has been cleared. Just drink the medicine and rest for a few days.”

Xia Xunyan leaned by the bedside, gazing at the woman covered in wounds, feeling heartbroken. She gently pushed aside her hair to check her condition, then looked at her hands tightly wrapped up, and noticed that the wounds on her knees and thighs had been treated. Still, she couldn’t help but tremble all over.

After a long pause, she finally turned her head and said to Pear Blossom, “Thank you so much.”

Pear Blossom looked at the slight redness at the corner of her eyes, feeling a pang in her heart. She softly replied, “It’s nothing.”

Xia Xunyan then asked, “When will the doctor say she’ll wake up?”

“She just took the medicine, she should wake up soon.”

Xia Xunyan placed a hand on her chest and said, “That’s good, that’s good.”

The inner room was cramped, and the two of them stood there, unable to move around. After confirming that Dong Yun was fine, Xia Xunyan finally relaxed and said, “Since she’s okay, I’ll go back now. My students are still waiting for me to teach.”

With that, she turned to leave.

But Pear Blossom stopped her. “Please don’t leave… She may want to see you as soon as she wakes up.”

As she spoke, she felt incredibly humble, but if it was what her sister wanted, what did it matter? If her sister liked the teacher, then let her like him. As long as she could be safe and sound, Pear Blossom would be content.

Xia Xunyan stopped when she heard this.

She slowly turned around, looking at Pear Blossom. Her face was pale, and her lips lacked color, but there was a faint smile at the corner of her mouth as she said, “Silly, the first person she wants to see is you.”