Chapter 94: Sweetness

After a long separation, they reunited, both still in youthful bodies. Once they got caught up in their passion, there was no stopping them. They continued until dawn, exhausted, and finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Down the mountain, Mrs. Xiong faced Yuwen Xiu, wearing an unnatural smile and fibbing, “The child was fine last night. This morning, as soon as the sky brightened, she started shouting about going hunting. I couldn’t stop her, and I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Knowing the truth, Murong Jin said to Yuwen Xiu, “Young master, since Pear Blossom is fine, we should head back.”

Yuwen Xiu hadn’t seen Pear Blossom for several days, and now hearing that she was well, he was reluctant to leave. He just wanted to wait for her return so he could talk to her.

However, the two of them weren’t really friends, and waiting around aimlessly wasn’t productive. With a heavy heart, he decided to leave.

Pear Blossom didn’t wake up until the afternoon. After getting dressed, she tucked the blanket around the person lying beside her, then stood up.

She was about to start a fire to cook when she remembered it was still daytime. If someone saw smoke rising, they might become suspicious, so she decided against it.

She knew her sister could only cook at night, and her heart ached with sympathy.

She thought about how much charcoal was left from the winter. She planned to bring some up later because burning charcoal didn’t produce smoke and could be used during the day.

After confirming with the system that no one was nearby, she went over to Dong Yun to tell her she was heading down the mountain. However, Dong Yun had been quite exhausted and, thinking Pear Blossom was coming back, pulled the blanket over her head, silently rejecting her advances.

Pear Blossom helplessly hugged her through the blanket before quietly sneaking out of the cave.

She walked deeper into the mountains, catching a few fat wild ducks, and then carefully descended the mountain.

At home, there was no one around, so she went straight to the kitchen to steam rice and prepare the wild ducks she had caught.

After taking care of Dong Yun recently, she had gained some cooking skills. She asked the system for a recipe for duck meat and braised a big pot of wild duck with ginger, adding a bit of the fine wine her father had saved. Soon, the delicious smell of cooked duck filled the air.

Next, she made a soup and a vegetable dish.

Just as she was about to serve the food, she heard some noise outside the door. Mrs. Xiong and Dagen had returned with farming tools.

When they saw Pear Blossom busy cooking, Dagen cheerfully asked, “Daughter, you’ve just recovered and you’re already cooking for your parents? It smells so good! What are you making?”

Mrs. Xiong responded curtly, “That’s not for you. Look at that big box—does it look like it’s for you?”

Pear Blossom knew her mother hadn’t come around yet. She set down the spoon and walked over, hooking her arm around her mother’s. “Mother, what are you talking about? If I’m not cooking for you, who else would I cook for? There’s a whole pot of meat.”

As she spoke, she scooped water to wash their hands and feet, then gently pushed Mrs. Xiong onto a chair. “Today, you don’t have to do anything. Just sit here and enjoy your daughter’s cooking.”

She then placed the food on the table and personally handed her mother the chopsticks.

Under her daughter’s attentive care, Mrs. Xiong’s expression softened slightly. “Daniu and Xinghua haven’t come back yet. Leave some in the pot.”

Pear Blossom smiled. “I’ve left some. Two ducks—I’ve killed them all, so we’ll have plenty to eat.”

When Mrs. Xiong heard that two ducks had been killed, she felt a pang of regret and almost scolded her for being wasteful. But then she realized the ducks had been caught and cooked by Pear Blossom herself, so scolding didn’t seem right. She swallowed her words.

Pear Blossom had originally planned to bring food up the mountain to eat with Dong Yun, but her mother was keeping a close eye on her. She didn’t dare leave at that moment. Besides, she had only eaten a bowl of noodle dumplings since last night, and after spending the day with Dong Yun, she was already feeling drained, so she decided to sit down and eat with her mother.

When Mrs. Xiong saw her devouring the food, she thought about how, these past few days, her daughter had been lying unconscious in bed, and she felt pain in her heart. However, she was still upset about last night’s incident, so her tone wasn’t very pleasant when she spoke, “You eat like a starving ghost. Who’s competing with you?”

Pear Blossom, her mouth full, mumbled, “I’m just hungry.”

Mrs. Xiong sighed helplessly and placed a plump duck leg into her bowl.

Pear Blossom quickly said, “I don’t want it, leave it for Xinghua and the others.”

“There are four legs from two ducks, just enough for you and your brothers,” Mrs. Xiong retorted, irritated.

Pear Blossom’s heart sank. One leg was in the food box, meant for Dong Yun.

“I ate one when I was cooking,” Pear Blossom said, placing a wing on her plate. “Mom, you should eat too. The wing roots are good, not worse than the duck legs.”

Mrs. Xiong glanced at the food box, and she knew exactly what her daughter was trying to cover up. She snorted.

Pear Blossom quickly changed the subject. “Dad, how much more land is left to plant? I’ll help tomorrow when I have time.”

Dagen replied, “Not much, just a couple of acres. The big cow will help, so your mother and I can finish in a couple of days. If you’re busy, don’t worry about the farm.”

Pear Blossom carefully looked at Mrs. Xiong and said, “What could I possibly be busy with? If I have free time, I’ll help finish planting the land.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xiong couldn’t help but snap, “Who knows? You disappear the whole day. Maybe you’re off with some seductress.”

Dagen remarked, “My daughter is very clever, how could she be seduced by a seductress? And the seductress only targets men.”

“You don’t understand anything.”

Hearing her mother’s sarcastic tone, Pear Blossom immediately fell silent to avoid further conflict.

After they finished eating, she quietly cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes.

Mrs. Xiong went back to her room and thought about what she had just said. She realized she might have gone too far. If it were Daniu or Erniu, she wouldn’t feel bad, but Pear Blossom had suffered the most since she was young, facing disdain from others. She always had to protect her younger siblings and became their shield, often being bullied by the Xiang family.

Since childhood, she was slow to react, and when scolded, she was too foolish to respond properly.

It wasn’t until last year that she started becoming more aware, and she helped pull the family together. Honestly, even if this child made a big mistake, she shouldn’t have said such things to her. After all, liking a woman wasn’t such a terrible thing.

If she had been sold by the Xiang family back then, who knew what kind of life she would have had? She wouldn’t be thinking about a princess now.

Moreover, if the princess liked her daughter, didn’t that show how exceptional she was?

Thinking this, Mrs. Xiong felt a mixture of guilt and pride, wavering back and forth.

Pear Blossom stood at the door, staring at her mother. She called out, “Mother.”

Mrs. Xiong snapped out of her thoughts and, seeing it was her daughter, sighed. She waved her hand, “Come here.”

Pear Blossom had prepared herself for a serious conversation with her mother. Last night, she had already told her sister that she would handle the family’s matters and was even thinking of taking care of the issues on her side. If she couldn’t even handle Mrs. Xiong, she wouldn’t have the face to meet her.

However, to her surprise, when her mother called her over, she first gave her a glare and then poked her forehead, saying, “I thought you were the most trouble-free one. Who knew you were the one causing the most problems? Bad girl! Fine, go up the mountain now, don’t let her wait and starve.”

Pear Blossom, who had prepared a lot to persuade her mother, didn’t expect her to have figured things out on her own.

Pear Blossom threw her arms around her mother and sniffed. “Mom, you’re so good!”

Mrs. Xiong tightly embraced her, then gently patted her back a few times, “You, what can I say? I can’t stop you from making your own choices. If they don’t want you later, don’t come crying to me.”

Hearing her mother say this, Pear Blossom knew that the matter was settled. She felt so happy that she spun around with her mother, then smiled and put her down. She turned and went out to the kitchen, checking that no one was looking, then took a basket of charcoal and the food box and went up the mountain.

When she reached the cave, Dong Yun was still asleep. Pear Blossom, fearing she might sleep too long and have trouble sleeping later, went over and woke her up.

Dong Yun sleepily opened her eyes, saw Pear Blossom’s bright eyes, and looked around the environment. She then realized that they had returned to the cave early this morning. Her memories of the morning gradually came back, and her face first flushed, then turned pale. Thinking about her naked body under the blanket, her ears immediately burned. She stretched her arm out to push Pear Blossom away and said, “You go out first, I need to get dressed.”

Pear Blossom chuckled softly and turned to step out of the cave.

When the woman came out dressed, she had somehow managed to make a stone slab into a table and was arranging food on it.

The fragrant smell of wild ginger-braised duck, egg soup, and vegetables filled the air.

Dong Yun had been living in the cave for over a month. When she first arrived, she was in a hurry, and the supplies were barely enough. She didn’t dare to cook during the day for fear of attracting unnecessary trouble. Usually, she could only read or write in the dim light from the cliff. Her meals had been quite frugal.

Even when Murong Jin secretly came to deliver messages, it was always done quietly, let alone preparing food in advance for her.

Now, facing this fragrant pot of braised duck, how can one not be tempted?

Moreover, she hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice all day, and early in the morning, she was already nearly fainting from being worn out by this person. She was absolutely starving.

She went to the creek to rinse her mouth and wash her face, then sat straight down at the stone table, picking up her chopsticks to start eating.

Pear Blossom rested her chin on her hand, sitting nearby and watching her. Dong Yun couldn’t stand her intense gaze, so she kicked her lightly and said, “Are you going to eat?”

Pear Blossom replied, “I’ve eaten at home, all of this is yours.”

Dong Yun pouted, “If you’re not eating, then go sit somewhere else. You’re distracting me from eating.”

Pear Blossom hummed in response but didn’t move. Instead, she tried to restrain herself and stopped staring at her. She passed the time by weaving a few rattan strips to make a basket, waiting to make a trap next time.

When she saw the woman eating enough, she finally spoke up: “Our matter, Mother has agreed.”

Dong Yun paused with her chopsticks, quickly realizing what she meant. Her heart skipped a beat. It was impossible to say she wasn’t happy, but after the happiness, there was a sense of melancholy. After all, having her follow her around might not necessarily be a good thing.

However, the other person’s proactive attitude and efficient way of handling things really pleased her. Dong Yun murmured a low “Mm” in acknowledgment. Since the situation was still unclear, she didn’t continue talking. She stood up, cleared the dishes, and took them to wash by the creek.

Pear Blossom saw her reaction was rather muted and asked, somewhat disappointed, “Aren’t you happy?”

Dong Yun finished washing the dishes, wiped her hands, and sat next to her. She asked, “How did you tell that I’m not happy?”

“Anyway, it’s just not as happy as I imagined,” Pear Blossom muttered.

Dong Yun whispered, “I’m just afraid I’ll let your mother down.”

“What do you mean, let her down?”

“Your mother wants to marry you off to a good family, but clearly, I’m not a good family.”

Pear Blossom snorted, “I am a good family. It’s fine to marry me.”

Dong Yun smiled as she looked at her, “Do you really think of yourself as a man?”

Pear Blossom blushed slightly and said, “I don’t. Anyway, if the mountain doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to it. We are both women, and it doesn’t matter who marries whom.”

Dong Yun gazed at her with a softened expression, moved by her words.

Pear Blossom, thinking that her bold words were too daring, a little country girl daring to marry a princess, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Her ears turned hot, and her eyes darted around. In her distraction, a thorn on the rattan pricked her skin, and she let out a hiss.

Dong Yun saw this, grabbed her hand, and carefully helped her search for the thorn, saying, “You’re only sixteen or seventeen, and your hands are so rough…”

As she said this, she remembered this morning when these rough fingers had been inside her body, moving in and out. Suddenly, her body tensed up, and the rest of her words faltered. She couldn’t say another word.

Pear Blossom, unaware of what was running through her mind, noticed that Dong Yun had been searching for the thorn for a long time without finding it. She had to pull her hand back to search for it herself and quickly removed the thorn. She couldn’t help but tease, “You’re only in your twenties, and your eyesight is already this bad. What will you do when you’re an old woman?”