Chapter 104: Decision

Pear Blossom didn’t know how she made it home. When she reached the door, she stood there for a long time, hating herself for not being considerate, for overthinking, for not being strong enough…

She finally understood why Dong Yun’s single remark had broken her down that day—it was because it struck a chord with her inner thoughts. She was thinking about that matter, indulging in pleasure, and worrying about her sister’s health.

Therefore, when it was pointed out, she became embarrassed.

And she still tried to deny it.

She suppressed the heavy regret in her heart, took a deep breath, and entered the house.

Fubao was still awake, stubbornly waiting for her to come back.

The first thing she said when she saw Pear Blossom return was, “Mom’s in the cave alone, Fubao wants to go keep her company.”

Pear Blossom’s heart softened, and she hugged her, saying, “Alright, go keep Mom company, don’t let her be alone in the cave.”

With that, she carried Fubao up the mountain.

Fubao was already exhausted, swaying on her back, and had fallen deeply asleep before they even reached the mountain.

Dong Yun was still awake. When she saw the two return, she took Fubao and settled her in bed.

The weather was gradually getting hotter. Pear Blossom had climbed halfway up the mountain and, since she sweated easily, didn’t wash when she got home. She went to wash by the spring once they reached the top.

When she finally lay down, it was quiet on Dong Yun’s side.

She wasn’t sure if the other had fallen asleep, so she gently called, “Sister.”

There was no response. She didn’t dare to make another sound. She lay down, staring at the darkness in front of her, her mind full of thoughts.

After some time, she heard the steady breathing of both Dong Yun and Fubao. She reached out to touch Dong Yun’s hand. It had been almost three days since her period began, and since she changed beds today, no longer sleeping on the floor, her hands and feet weren’t as cold as the night before, but still had a slight chill.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Cautiously, she got up, moved Fubao further into the bed, and gently shifted Dong Yun toward the edge. Then she lay back down, pulling her into her arms.

The next day, she got up early, cooked some porridge, fried a few eggs, and washed the clothes they had worn yesterday. After finishing all these tasks, she packed her basket and prepared to go out.

Dong Yun had just woken up and, seeing Pear Blossom’s outfit, asked, “Are you going to carry charcoal again? There’s enough in the cave to last for a long time.”

Pear Blossom shook her head. “I’m taking it to the school for the teacher. I need to make a few trips, and on the last trip, I’ll bring Fubao down.”

Dong Yun saw how considerate she was, taking care of the teacher with such attention to detail. Thinking back to the past few nights, when she selflessly warmed her hands, feet, and body, the overwhelming love warmed her heart. How could she not feel it?

The awkwardness from the past few days had long disappeared.

She had planned to talk to Pear Blossom, but seeing that she was already at the entrance of the cave, she could only say, “Mm, go ahead.”

Pear Blossom made four trips up and down. On the fourth trip, she went to pick up Fubao. Covered in soot from collecting charcoal, she didn’t linger and headed straight down the mountain.

Upon reaching the school, she neatly stacked the charcoal in the kitchen.

During the break, she called Xinghua out and reminded her to take good care of the teacher, especially during the teacher’s period. She should avoid cold water, burn charcoal even if the weather was hot, and always prepare hot water for the teacher to soak her feet before bed.

At twelve years old, Xinghua was both a student and a half-servant, responsible for the teacher’s daily needs. Now that she understood more, a little reminder was enough, and she responded affirmatively.

As soon as Pear Blossom exited the study, she heard someone calling her from a distance. Looking closely, she saw it was Zhang Sanye’s eldest grandson.

“Pear Blossom, my grandfather said he wants you to go home,” the boy said, panting.

Pear Blossom, noticing the soot on her clothes, wasn’t in a hurry. She waved at him and said, “Go back first. I’ll change clothes at home and ride over. I’ll be there soon.”

The boy replied, “Okay, your father is already there. Hurry.”

Pear Blossom guessed that this had something to do with the Liu family, probably about them trying to approach her father, Dagen, but knowing he wouldn’t be able to speak for them, they had called her instead.

She thought for a moment and replied, “Alright, I understand.”

The boy skipped off.

After quickly tidying up, she rode her horse directly to Zhang Sanye’s home.

When she arrived, she indeed found Liu Mingchang and his wife, along with the second and third sons, including Dagen, arguing.

When they saw Pear Blossom, Zhang Sanye quickly stood up and said, “Pear Blossom, the girl is here, come sit, come sit.”

Pear Blossom found a seat and sat down. Zhang Sanye continued, “Pear Blossom, yesterday you suggested that if the Liu family were willing to give each household five acres of land, our village would fully support them in preserving their family’s legacy. But Old man Liu thinks five acres is too much. He asked if it could be reduced to one acre per household.”

He added, “Honestly, we don’t lack land, but I won’t agree to let my children risk their lives with bandits just for one acre. I won’t agree, no matter what.”

Pear Blossom, expressionless, replied, “Since you think this won’t work, why did you call me over?”

Old man Liu hurriedly interjected, “You can’t say that. According to the current market, one acre of good land is worth ten taels of silver. If each household contributes ten taels, where else can you find such a good deal? You’re speaking without understanding. Seventy households, ten taels each, that’s seven or eight hundred taels. Who could afford that?”

Pear Blossom gave him a cold glance and said, “I remember not long ago I gave ten taels of silver to each household. Old man Liu, surely you haven’t forgotten so quickly, have you?”

Old man Liu awkwardly responded, “You are a capable person, but us farmers who rely on the land only get so much harvest each year. You want me to give up over three hundred acres of land—this is like asking for my life…”

Pear Blossom replied, “Since you think our conditions are too harsh, why not just agree to the demands of the people from He Village and give them a thousand stones of grain? Then this matter would be settled.”

Old man Liu broke out in cold sweat. If it were before, a tael of silver could buy ten stones of rice, or even more, and he could have managed to produce a thousand stones of rice if a knife were held to his neck. But now, with prices soaring, a single tael of silver may not even buy one stone of rice. A thousand stones would cost between one and two thousand taels of silver. It was clear which option was more economical.

Old man Liu had lived a long life and certainly knew the outcome of colluding with wolves. Those people were insatiable. Knowing he had grain, they would come again to extort him when the next shortage hit.

Seeing he didn’t respond, Pear Blossom continued, “Don’t think I’m being harsh. If the villagers hadn’t been guarding the village together, the people from He Village would have come today, and someone else tomorrow. If you keep compromising like this, no amount of grain will be enough!”

Old man Liu, gritting his teeth, said, “I—I’ll just not provoke them. They can’t come and steal my grain for no reason, can they?”

At these words, everyone around couldn’t help but roll their eyes. If bandits followed reason, they wouldn’t be called bandits!

Zhang Laoda, unable to stay silent, spoke up, “Old man Liu, your family just delayed for five days, and now you’re being extorted for over a thousand stones of grain? Is this really what you call having a reason? The old folks in Xu’s village were slaughtered—was it because they did something wrong, that the bandits found an excuse to kill everyone?”

Old man Liu turned red with embarrassment and could only beg Pear Blossom again, “Granddaughter, since we are family, can you speak up for me? Reduce it a bit, just two acres per household would be fine.”

He then turned to Dagen, signaling with his eyes.

Dagen dared not respond and lowered his head.

Pear Blossom, seeing this, sneered, “At first, you saw us as a burden and couldn’t wait to kick us out. Now, when things have turned sour, you’re clinging to us again. Do you really think I’m so easy to fool?”

Old man Liu, repeatedly rejected, was furious and said, “If two acres per household is unacceptable to you, then forget it. I’d rather argue with He Village than have the villagers cut me apart.”

Upon hearing this, Pear Blossom stood up and said, “Then please, be my guest.”

She turned and walked out without looking back.

Liu Youyin and Liu Youtong were furious at her attitude and cursed, “You, a young girl, are so arrogant and domineering, not even considering your uncles and ancestors. You’re out of control!”

“Dagen, how have you raised your child?”

Dagen, stunned, replied, “I’ve been away for nearly twenty years serving, and haven’t taught her…”

Old man Liu pounded his chest in anger, while his wife, Liu Lao, sighed repeatedly.

Pear Blossom didn’t indulge them. After all, with the growing influence of Eagle’s Nest Ridge, if there were no sufficient interests to exchange, the villagers could never be convinced to stand united against those bandits. These people would rather flee to the mountains and be eaten by wolves than resist the bandits. The Liu family had to pay a price, it was just a matter of how long Old man Liu could hold out.

By the next afternoon, Pear Blossom was at the school learning from Mr. Xia when the village head’s eldest grandson rushed in urgently with news.

It turned out that Liu Youtie had taken his son and daughter to the city early that morning, but they were intercepted and detained by the people from He Village. They pressured Old man Liu to hand over the grain before noon, but Old man Liu delayed and didn’t give a clear answer. Just half an hour later, the three-year-old daughter of Liu Youtie had her head sent to the village entrance.

Pear Blossom was shocked and immediately consulted the system.

“Weren’t we told to prepare the grain within three days? Isn’t today only the second day?”

The eldest grandson replied, “They said the previous day counts as one day, so today is the third day. Sigh…”

The system confirmed this, and Pear Blossom, not bothering with anything else, quickly mounted a horse and rushed to the village entrance.

Only two people from He Village had arrived. They tossed a bundle containing the little girl’s head near the watchtower, leaving a message: if the grain was not delivered by tomorrow, another head would follow. Then they left.

Now, only people from Daliushu Village remained around the area, with Old man Liu and his wife crying uncontrollably.

Upon seeing Pear Blossom, Old man Liu cried and scolded, “You damn girl, how dare you still show your face here? If you had agreed to help yesterday, my sixth granddaughter wouldn’t have died—”

Pear Blossom coldly replied, “You have the nerve to blame me? You didn’t blame the ones who killed your granddaughter, but you’re placing the blame on me?”

The people around also chimed in, “If you had just given the land to the villagers, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out this way. You clearly forced your own granddaughter to death, and yet you dare to blame Pear Blossom.”

“If you didn’t want to give the land to the villagers, then you should have given the grain to the people of He Village. You can’t have both the grain and the people. How could it be so easy?”

“Why should Pear Blossom help you? And we, who farm your land, are penalized every time the rent is late. Why should we help you? Last time, when your good fourth son watched someone die without helping, you clearly said it wasn’t a big deal to stay out of it. Now, when your granddaughter dies, you want to blame others?”

“Yes, when it’s your turn, you come up with another excuse. Don’t blame everyone else for looking down on you.”

The death of an innocent little girl left Pear Blossom feeling deeply uncomfortable, but she suppressed her anger and said, “You all know things have been unstable these days, and you let your son take his granddaughter into the city. He was captured, and you’re blaming me now?”

“Right now, Liu Youtie and the youngest son are still in their hands. Instead of using your energy to blame me, you might as well think of a way to bring them back!”

The Liu family’s sixth daughter, a child around the same age as Fubao, how could she not feel heartbroken? But she couldn’t bear the burden of responsibility that wasn’t hers to carry.

She was human, not a god. If she blamed herself for everything, no matter how strong her heart was, she would have no way of keeping herself from being corroded by negative emotions.

What she could do was avenge her and protect other innocent children.

Liu Youtie’s father was so angered and anxious that the anger hit his heart, causing him to faint.

The Liu family was thrown into chaos, their minds scattered. It was Liu Youtie’s wife who stepped forward, looking at Pear Blossom with tear-filled eyes and asking, “Pear Blossom, do you really think you can save your fourth uncle?”

Pear Blossom hated hearing the word “fourth uncle,” especially after Liu Youtie treated Dong Yun so badly. She had sworn that she would never be at peace with him and would make sure he met a miserable end. But now, with the safety of the entire village at stake, and the involvement of two innocent children, she had no choice but to say, “My abilities alone are limited. But if the villagers work together, there might still be hope. Even if we can’t save Liu Youtie, perhaps the rest of the Liu family can still be protected.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Youtie’s wife gritted her teeth and said, “In that case, I’ll take charge of this matter. Each household will be given five acres of land, and we’ll immediately sign the contracts. I only ask that the Liu family remains safe.”

The villagers, seeing such a small child being treated so cruelly, already felt sympathy. Now that they heard the promise of land, with the assurance of benefits, their emotions were stirred, and they began shouting, “We’ll fight! We’ll fight these people!”

Pear Blossom watched the scene unfold before her, knowing that from this moment on, her battle was about to begin.