Chapter 15

Pear Blossom had visited the Zeng family’s small courtyard countless times, but in the past, she only went into the kitchen and never entered the other rooms. This time, however, she was gently pulled into the bedroom by Dong Yun’s soft hand, and she felt as if she were dreaming.

Fubao clapped her little hands and wobbled behind them, chanting Pear Blossom’s name.

Recently, Fubao especially loved running around, though her mother wouldn’t let her. But whenever Pear Blossom came over, she could always accompany her on her adventures, and she particularly enjoyed when Pear Blossom came to play at their house.

Pear Blossom was pulled into the room by Dong Yun, standing at the edge of the bed, feeling somewhat at a loss. Hearing Fubao calling her name, she turned to hug her, but Dong Yun stopped her. “You still have injuries on your back. Don’t move around.”

As she spoke, she released Pear Blossom and walked over to the wooden cabinet by the bed, pulling out a small, antique-looking bottle. “Take off your clothes and lie down on the cool couch under the window.”

Pear Blossom blushed. For some reason, the thought of undressing in front of Dong Yun made her feel shy and awkward.

Moreover, her clothes were patched up in several places, even her undergarment had several patches. She felt embarrassed about taking off her clothes.

“Big Sister Dong, maybe it’s fine, it doesn’t hurt that much, and it’ll be better tomorrow.”

But Dong Yun’s attitude was unexpectedly firm. “No, what if it really gets worse? We still need to apply medicine.”

“How about you give me the medicine, and I’ll do it myself when I go back?”

“How can you do it yourself with the injury on your back?”

“I… I’ll ask my mother to help me…” Pear Blossom replied, feeling awkward.

Dong Yun paused for a moment, her hand holding the medicinal wine, and then jokingly said, “Could it be that you didn’t bathe properly and are embarrassed to undress in front of me?”

Pear Blossom’s face immediately turned even redder, and she stammered, “No, no, I bathe properly every day, I’m not dirty.”

Although Mrs. Xiong was busy, she was naturally diligent and loved cleanliness, so even the four children knew to take care of their hygiene. 

Their main house wasn’t close to the kitchen, but when they built the house, they had a well dug in the west room to make it convenient for feeding the livestock, and it was also convenient for the mother and children to wash up.

“Then why are you so shy? Am I going to eat you or something?”

Fubao, who had been listening for a while, didn’t quite understand what they were talking about, but she knew her mother wanted Pear Blossom to take off her clothes, so she called out, “Pear Blossom, take it off.”

Dong Yun, hearing this, lightly tapped her little bottom and said, “It’s because you’re here that Pear Blossom is too embarrassed to undress. If she doesn’t undress, she can’t apply the medicine, and if she doesn’t apply the medicine, it will hurt.”

Fubao’s eyes widened, and after a moment of thought, she said, “…Fubao will go wait outside, Pear Blossom, take it off.”

With that, she wiggled her little butt and ran out of the room, then peeked her little head back in. “Mother, Fubao is waiting outside.”

Pear Blossom was amused by her and stopped being shy. She reached out to undo the buttons.

But she noticed the Da Hei dog by the bed, sticking out its tongue and watching her intently, its tail wagging happily, so she paused again.

Dong Yun, seeing this, said with a smile, “Da Hei is a female dog; it can’t look?”

Pear Blossom’s face turned even redder, and she muttered, “I’m not saying it can’t look…”

Quickly, she undid the buttons, afraid Dong Yun might say something else.

Dong Yun’s smile faded, and she stopped teasing.

Looking at the patched-up clothes Pear Blossom was wearing, which had faded from washing, apart from the mud from her fight with Xiang Dalang, her inner garments were clean. The last piece, a simple undergarment, had three patches on it, each no bigger than the palm of her hand.

The slight curve of her body showed that this young girl was beginning to mature.

The young widow lowered her gaze, and although she didn’t say anything, her mind briefly flashed to the scene of the young dancing girls she had seen at her Fifth Aunt’s house, their slender bodies and fair skin.

The thought passed quickly. She pressed her lips together and softly reminded Pear Blossom, “No need to take off your undergarment; just lie down on the wooden couch.”

As Pear Blossom lay down, the sunlight from the window illuminated a small bruise on her back, making it clearly visible.

Dong Yun sat by the couch, twisted the cap off the small bottle, poured the medicinal liquid into her hand, and rubbed it vigorously. Then, her long, fair hands pressed gently on the bruise, massaging it in small circles.

Pear Blossom winced in pain and let out a small cry.

Dong Yun’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, but her hands didn’t stop. “It may hurt a bit while I’m rubbing, but this will help the medicine soak in, and it will heal faster.”

Pear Blossom nodded to show she understood, but she didn’t move, her small earlobes flushed red.

Dong Yun didn’t look sideways, her gaze fixed on the bruise as she pressed and massaged it, continuing for a while before saying, “All done, you can get up now.”

She turned and put the bottle back, then went outside to wash her hands.

When Fubao saw her mother coming out, she ran to the room, calling, “Pear Blossom is better now!”

Pear Blossom hurriedly adjusted her clothes, rustling around until she was presentable, then turned to smile at the little one. “I’m good now!”

They both smiled at each other until Pear Blossom got off the couch and extended her hand. Fubao took her little finger, and the two of them left the room.

Once outside, Pear Blossom remembered the wild chicken she had brought earlier and quickly ran out to the yard.

Fubao, seeing her run, wobbled and chased after her.

Outside, the area where Xiang Dalang had been was empty, but under a big rock, the fat wild chicken with its feet tied was still hiding in the cracks, not running away.

Pear Blossom, seeing the food was still intact, was in a great mood. She picked up the chicken and, with one arm around Fubao, carried the little one inside, beaming with joy.

“Big Sister Dong, sorry to trouble you again.”

Dong Yun looked at the chicken in her hands and smiled. “Put it down for now. I don’t think we’ll be eating chicken today.”

Pear Blossom looked at her in confusion.

“You’ve beaten Xiang Dalang into a pig’s head. He’ll definitely go back and complain to your grandparents. I’m afraid they’re already on their way here.”

Pear Blossom was startled, but looking at the big and small in front of her, she puffed her chest out. “I’m not afraid of him. He can’t beat me.”

“This matter has to be handled by me. You go and find the village head. I don’t want to argue with an old woman.”

Pear Blossom hesitated. “I hit him, so how can I let you handle it? I don’t want to drag you into this.”

“It’s not about dragging you down. He came here for me. If you hadn’t shown up, he might have already entered the yard, and who knows what he would’ve done. Be good, hurry up now, or it’ll be too late.”  

Pear Blossom wasn’t the sharpest, but she was always willing to listen to advice—not from just anyone, though. She listened to her mother, to Daniu, and now, to Dong Yun. 

When Dong Yun told her to find the village chief, she nodded and said, “You close up the yard first. I’ll go get help right now. No matter how much they curse at you, don’t open the door.”  

“I know,” Dong Yun replied with a smile, taking the peasant from Pear Blossom’s hands with her left hand. 

Pear Blossom couldn’t bear to look at her smiling face for long. She stepped back a couple of paces, turned, and ran out of the yard. Her legs felt like they had motors attached, and she dashed like the wind toward the village chief’s house.  

She hadn’t run far before she saw a large crowd approaching from the opposite direction. At the center of the group was Xiang Dalang, his face swollen like a pig’s head. His grandmother, the sharp-tongued Mrs. Xiang, was cursing loudly beside him, along with Xiang Laoer’s wife, Zhou, and various other members of the Xiang family. Even some nosy neighbors had joined in.  

Someone with sharp eyes shouted, “Look! Wasn’t that Pear Blossom who just ran past like a gust of wind?”  

“Yeah, it was her. I saw her too!”  

“Xiang Dalang, didn’t you just say that Pear Blossom beat you up? Is she running away because she’s afraid you’ll confront her?”  

“Then why aren’t you chasing her? She’s the one who hit you, isn’t she?”  

Supported by Xiang Sanlang, Xiang Dalang looked momentarily dazed. Right, it was that little wretch Pear Blossom who hit him. Why was he going after Window Dong instead of Pear Blossom?  

Mrs. Xiang, who had been listening intently to the conversation, yelled, “Go to Window Dong house! That wench must’ve told our worthless girl to hit Dalang. She’s the one who should pay us compensation!”  

The onlookers quickly caught on. They realized that Mrs. Xiang knew punishing Pear Blossom would result in nothing more than some scolding or a beating, but going after Window Dong could mean extorting money. Judging by how badly Xiang Dalang had been beaten, they might be aiming for three to five taels of silver.  

Some people in the crowd clicked their tongues in disapproval, but it was futile. Mrs. Xiang was the fiercest and most unruly woman in the village. No one dared to provoke her. Poor Window Dong, it seemed, had run out of luck.  

The crowd pushed and shoved its way to the Zeng family’s yard. When they arrived, they saw that the main gate was wide open. Everyone was taken aback, looking at one another in confusion.  

What was Window Dong up to? She usually kept her gates firmly shut, but today they were wide open.  

Before the crowd could figure it out, Mrs. Xiang stormed forward angrily.  

Just as she stepped into the yard, a large black dog with glossy fur charged out with a fierce growl, knocking her off balance.