Chapter 18

When Pear Blossom returned home in the evening and stepped through the door, the house was as cold and lifeless as she’d expected.

After putting her things away, Pear Blossom headed to the kitchen to get dinner started.

The Mrs. Xiang in charge of the household refused to let them touch the rice, flour, oil, or other supplies. Instead, she prepared the meals herself and distributed them to everyone—a system they’d endured for years.

But as Pear Blossom reached the kitchen door, she saw the Mrs. Xiang standing there with a fierce expression. “You’ve got the nerve to come back here after siding with outsiders against your own family? There’s no food for you today, and even if there was, I wouldn’t give you any!”

“That won’t do,” Pear Blossom replied. “We worked all day. We need to eat.”

“There’s no food.”

“Fine, then move aside. I’ll go into the kitchen myself and look. If I find rice, I’ll cook it myself—and don’t blame me if I use too much.”

“How dare you—!” the Mrs. Xiang barked. She couldn’t figure out where this defiant spirit had come from. The Pear Blossom she remembered used to be a simple girl, someone who took her insults without much reaction. She was stubborn, yes, but never like this. Had she been possessed by some kind of demon?

“Why wouldn’t I dare? My father said we need to eat until we’re full before working, and when we come back, we should eat again. I’m doing what my father said.”

With that, Pear Blossom gave the Mrs. Xiang a firm shove to the side and walked straight into the kitchen.

The Mrs. Xiang couldn’t stop her. Instead, she flung herself to the floor and started wailing and rolling around, screaming, “Murder! Murder!”

She pulled this stunt every few days. The neighbors used to find it entertaining and would come to watch the spectacle, but now they’d grown tired of it.

“That old lady must be arguing with someone again,” one neighbor muttered, not even bothering to look. “She’s always making a scene—who has the time to deal with that every day? Wasn’t the drama this afternoon enough?” The neighbors had lost all interest in the Mrs. Xiang’s antics.

At the Mrs. Xiang’s wailing, only the second son and his two daughters-in-law came over. The rest of the grandchildren either lay around or sat idly, not bothering to check what was happening.

The second son pointed angrily at Pear Blossom. “Pear Blossom, what are you doing?”

Pear Blossom looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Second Uncle, can’t you see I’m looking for rice to cook?”

“I’m asking why you pushed your grandmother!”

“She was blocking me. I didn’t use much force, but she threw herself onto the ground, making a scene. I’m not her daughter; why would I waste my time coddling her?”

Her words almost made the Mrs. Xiang cough up blood. Furious, she scrambled up from the ground, pointed at Pear Blossom, and cursed, “You shameless little wretch! Coddle me? I’ll beat you to death today!”

She grabbed a wooden stick nearby and swung it at Pear Blossom. Unfortunately, her movements were too slow. Pear Blossom quickly grabbed the stick, extended her left hand, and tickled the Mrs. Xiang’s armpit. The Mrs. Xiang immediately let go, laughing uncontrollably.

Pear Blossom broke the stick with a grin and tossed it into the stove.  

This action left the three onlookers completely stunned.

For the first time, the Mrs. Xiang felt powerless. With a granddaughter like this, who wouldn’t argue back, wouldn’t fight head-on, and didn’t care about her tantrums or traditional filial duties, how was she supposed to compete?

Guided by the system, Pear Blossom soon found the hidden rice stash. Hoisting the sack of rice, she announced, “Since none of you are cooking, I’ll do it myself.”

“You—! That rice isn’t for you to eat!” The second son stammered.  

Before he could say more, a voice came from behind. It was Xiong. “This family’s fields are tended by me and my children. Are you saying we don’t even have the right to eat rice?”

Hearing Mrs. Xiong’s voice, the Mrs. Xiang felt a glimmer of hope. If she couldn’t handle the younger one, surely she could deal with the elder one. Xiong, as a daughter-in-law, should know her place and endure hardship, right?

With this thought, she turned to Xiong and yelled, “Look at what kind of creature you’ve raised—a thankless, traitorous wolf! Helping outsiders to harm her own family and still wanting to eat? Go eat dirt!”

Pear Blossom ignored her, pulled her mother to the side, and pushed the Mrs. Xiang out of the doorway. Turning to Mrs. Xiong, she said, “Mom, perfect timing. Go ahead and cook. I’ll keep them out.”

Mrs. Xiong had long been disillusioned with this household. Now, seeing her daughter turn the place into utter chaos, she recalled her own miserable years as a daughter-in-law in the Xiang family. 

A sense of destructive satisfaction arose in her heart. Ignoring the Mrs. Xiang’s madness, she went straight to the kitchen to wash rice and prepare the meal.

Pear Blossom stood guard at the door with a stick, barring the Mrs. Xiang from entering.  

Whenever the Mrs. Xiang tried to grab her, Pear Blossom slipped away like a loach. If the Mrs. Xiang raised her hand to hit, Pear Blossom would snatch the weapon away. With no way to retaliate, the Mrs. Xiang was reduced to rolling and screaming at the doorway.

Pear Blossom glanced at the scene and clicked her tongue a few times but otherwise ignored her.

The second son, watching the spectacle, was at his wit’s end. Usually, unleashing the Mrs. Xiang was enough to subdue the eldest branch of the family. But now this tactic had failed. Left with no choice, he stepped forward and bellowed, “Pear Blossom, how dare you treat your grandmother like this?”

“What am I doing? I haven’t even hit her.”

“Disobeying her is already unfilial!”

“She didn’t give birth to me or feed me. Why should I be filial to her?”

“If it weren’t for her, there’d be no father for you. Without your father, you wouldn’t exist. You should be grateful to her!”

“She gave birth to my dad, so he can be filial to her. He gave birth to me, so I’ll be filial to him.”

“Your father’s not here. As his daughter, you should take his place and show filial piety to her.”

“No way. I only recognize my father. If Grandma wants someone to be filial to her, she can go to the military camp and find Dad. He’ll surely treat her well.”

“You stubborn fool! How can you be so unreasonable?”

“I’ve always been like this, Second Uncle. You already knew that. Saying it again won’t make me any smarter.”

In the kitchen, Mrs. Xiong listened intently while stoking the fire. She realized that her seemingly foolish daughter had somehow rendered these tyrants, who usually lorded over the family, completely powerless. It was, as they say, one nemesis for every opponent.

The second son, trembling with rage, pointed at Pear Blossom and cursed, “You—useless girl! Deadweight! Today I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your father.”

He picked up a wooden stick and charged at her.

Pear Blossom thought for a moment and asked, “Second Uncle, who’s stronger, you or Dalang? 

Dalang couldn’t beat me, and you’re older. Don’t embarrass yourself trying.”

The second son, never having faced such humiliation, swung the stick in anger.

Pear Blossom’s eyes sparkled. “Before Dad left, he taught me a few moves. I’ve been looking for someone to practice with. Dalang already sparred with me earlier, and now you want to join too? I must seize this opportunity!”

She raised her stick, striking a fighting stance.

The sticks clashed a few times, sending plates and furniture flying. The chaotic sounds filled the house.

Seeing this, the Mrs. Xiang panicked. Forgetting her anger, she rushed over to grab the second son’s stick. “What are you two idiots doing? Are you trying to destroy the Xiang family’s property?”

The second son was too enraged to stop, but the Mrs. Xiang clung to the stick tightly.

Pear Blossom, as if suddenly enlightened, said, “Oh, so Grandma’s worried about the furniture. But what’s that got to do with me? None of this will be inherited by our branch of the family. If it breaks, so be it. I don’t care.”

“Second Uncle, come on, let’s continue!”

She raised her stick again, striking another pose.

The second son froze. The family’s assets wouldn’t go to the oldest branch, but he was set to inherit some of them. If the fight continued, he’d only be damaging his own property.

At this point, he couldn’t bring himself to hit her, but not hitting her left him fuming. Before long, his mother snatched the stick from him and threw it to the ground, leaving him no choice but to stomp away in frustration.

As he was leaving, he heard Pear Blossom call out, “Second Uncle, Grandma still can’t bear to let us actually fight. Next time, just scold like she does. No need to get physical.”

Xiang Laoer only felt deeply humiliated. For an uncle to hit his niece was already disgraceful, but things were escalating to this level—if word got out, he’d lose all his face.

Thinking about what his son had done earlier that day made him even angrier. He couldn’t understand what sort of bad luck had befallen the Xiang family this year. One misfortune after another kept piling up.

When did their luck start to turn? Xiang Laoer thought carefully and realized it seemed to have begun when his mother and his wife took that foolish girl Pear Blossom to the city to sell her. 

Ever since the day she ran back home, it was as if the entire family had been cursed.

First, the foolish girl herself seemed like a completely different person. Even her father, Xiang Lao’da, changed after returning. He stopped handing over his military pay, spoke more assertively, and even the once meek Mrs. Xiong was now defying the old lady. 

Xiang Laoer still didn’t know what exactly had happened the day his mother dragged Pear Blossom to the city, but whatever it was, ever since that girl came back, the family’s fortunes had taken a turn for the worse.

Regardless of Xiang Laoer’s thoughts, Mrs. Xiang was distressed over the damage to the furniture. She couldn’t physically discipline Pear Blossom, and scolding her was like shouting into the wind. Eventually, she tired herself out. 

After the ruckus at the young widow’s house that afternoon, where she had put all her energy into berating someone, she was now exhausted. Worse yet, she hadn’t even managed to win the argument, which had dented her confidence. Now, when she looked at Pear Blossom, a trace of uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

Pear Blossom, unaware of the old woman’s thoughts, felt relieved that the commotion had died down. She quietly stayed by her mother’s side to help with cooking. Following the system’s guidance, she located the hidden stash of cured meat, sliced some, and steamed it with rice. 

The aroma wafting from the kitchen twisted the faces of the second and third households in envy.

Xiang Laoer, still seething, stormed out and ran into Lao Xiang on his way back. Unable to contain his grievances, he poured out his frustrations.

Lao Xiang frowned deeply. The series of events that had occurred recently in the Xiang household, including the drastic change in Xiang Dagen’s attitude, left him feeling uneasy. 

Hearing about Pear Blossom’s latest actions only added to his confusion.

He glared at his eldest son and said, “You’re a grown man. What are you doing meddling in all this? Go back and tell your mother to stop making trouble for the first household. Just treat them as before—give them what they’re supposed to get. 

All this nonsense is turning us into a laughingstock in the village. Look at Dalang—he’s twenty now. If this keeps up, who would even want to marry into our family?”

Chastised by his father, Xiang Laoer felt wronged but had no spine to argue. He had always been a weak man with no real skills, living off the family for years. Now, he could only meekly agree to his father’s instructions.