Chapter 21.2

The small pouch on the child’s chest was slightly open, revealing a stack of silver notes inside.

“Fubao—”

The crowd quickly parted to let the child through, stunned, unsure of what she was trying to do.

Fubao pulled at the small pouch, grinning and drooling, shouting, “Pear Blossom~ Pear Blossom~ Buy Pear Blossom~”

“Fubao wants to buy Pear Blossom?”

The villagers stood upright, looking around, but couldn’t spot the widow.

“How could Fubao’s mother let her out on her own with so much silver?”

Fubao staggered up to Pear Blossom, holding up her little pouch and tilting her head, saying, 

“…Buy… Pear Blossom~”

The man with the scruffy beard stared at the child and the silver notes in her pouch. He snatched it away and, after opening it, saw three silver notes—one worth ten taels, totaling thirty taels.

He burst into laughter. “Damn, this little child has more guts than you all.”

One of the men whispered, “Boss, she’s just a kid, and so pretty too. Why not just take them all and leave with them?”

The man with the scruffy beard glared at him. “What nonsense are you talking? Am I, Hu San, the kind of person who kidnaps people? I run a business—clear and honest pricing. If this child can afford thirty taels, I’ll sell to her.”

The other men quickly flattered him. “Boss, you’re a true man of integrity.”

The man, flattered by the praise, felt pleased. He wasn’t completely without thought—taking the child would anger the villagers even more. With so many of them, he could only win in a fight by numbers, so why stir things up further?

Besides, selling Pear Blossom for thirty taels was a solid profit.

He waved his hand. “Alright, I’ll sell her to this little brat.”

With that, he took the silver and signaled for the villagers to release Pear Blossom.

Just then, Fubao said, “—Release—Release—”

Everyone froze, unsure of what she meant. It was the village chief who figured it out and quickly said, “Fubao’s asking for Pear Blossom’s contract of sale. Gentlemen, please return it.”

Upon hearing this, the man with the scruffy beard laughed even more. “This little one is clever, even at her age. Here, take it.” He handed the contract over to the village chief, who confirmed that it was indeed Pear Blossom’s contract of sale, marked with her thumbprint. It was probably from when she was tricked into going to the city and drugged with sleeping powder, where an old woman forced her thumbprint onto it.

“That’s right, this is Pear Blossom’s contract,” the village chief said, folding it up and handing it to Fubao.

The man with the scruffy beard nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, brothers, we’re going home with full pockets. Let’s go.”

With that, he and his men left in a horde.

Fubao, holding the contract of sale, was led away by the large black dog, slowly making her way to the edge of the village.

When Mrs. Xiong saw the men leave, she collapsed in exhaustion and collapsed to the ground.

Pear Blossom rushed over to hug her mother, who, still pushing her away, urged her to follow Fubao. Seeing Mrs. Qin and her daughter-in-law, Liu, come over, Pear Blossom grew worried about the little bundle and quickly got up to follow.

When Mrs. Xiang saw Pear Blossom regain her freedom, but she herself had lost the last twenty taels of silver because of her, she gritted her teeth in anger and shouted, “Where are you going, you useless girl? Get back to work!”

Hearing this, Pear Blossom stopped and turned back. “Mrs. Xiang, you already sold me. I’m no longer part of the Xiang family. Now, Fubao is my master, and I’ll serve her from now on. I won’t listen to your orders anymore.”

Mrs. Xiang hadn’t expected Pear Blossom to say this, but she wouldn’t admit defeat. She tried to grab Pear Blossom, but the remaining villagers rushed forward. “Have you no shame? You sold her! Fubao’s mother paid thirty taels to buy Pear Blossom. Pear Blossom is no longer part of the Xiang family. What do you want to do?”

Village Chief had originally been dealing with his own matters, and being called to handle this troublesome situation had already made him furious. 

Seeing Xiang Laotou like this, he had no patience left and stepped forward, saying, “The contract for selling your body has already been given to Fubao. 

The misdeeds your family created are your own responsibility. If I hear that you dare to harass Pear Blossom or Fubao’s family again, I will immediately call a village meeting and have you all expelled from the village.”

Xiang Laotou was stunned and unwilling to accept this, muttering, “She is still my granddaughter. What’s wrong with me guiding her?”

Village Chief didn’t respond further. He turned to Xiang Laotou and said, “Xiang Kui, today’s incident has made a fool of our Daliushu Village. Now, Pear Blossom has nothing to do with your family anymore. 

You better keep your family members in check. If such a thing happens again, I don’t think you’ll be able to stay in our village.”

The other villagers, who had just been tricked by them, began to agree, some even spitting at them.

Seeing that the Xiang family had lost the villagers’ favor, Xiang Laotou lowered his head, not daring to argue, repeatedly agreeing.

Only then did everyone angrily leave.

Pear Blossom quickly caught up with Fubao. She was undoubtedly happy and didn’t care at all about the body contract. 

To her, the best thing in the world was not having to leave her family and Sister Dong. Moreover, from now on, she would belong to Sister Dong, which was a great joy.

Fubao turned to smile at her and called out cheerfully, “Pear Blossom~”

Pear Blossom picked her up and gently rubbed her small face. “Where’s your mother?”

“Mother… left first. She’s waiting for Fubao at home~”

Pear Blossom smiled broadly. Just now, Sister Dong must have been watching from behind the crowd. She wasn’t sure why Dong didn’t appear, but considering how beautiful she was, those men might have started eyeing her. It was better that she stayed out of sight.

Having Fubao take the lead was also quite impressive.

Unfortunately, she had wasted thirty taels of silver. She secretly decided that once she had the chance, she would replan things with the system, putting her points into wisdom so she could become a little smarter. 

That way, she could help Sister Dong earn back that silver.

When Pear Blossom carried Fubao back to the house at the village end, the yard gate was open, and Dong Yun was bending down to chop firewood.

Pear Blossom quickly put Fubao down and said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”

Dong Yun glanced at her and set the axe down.

Pear Blossom, happily picked up the axe and energetically chopped the firewood. Because she was in a good mood, she worked with extra enthusiasm, making quick work of several large bundles of firewood. She didn’t stop until Dong Yun called out to her.

Pear Blossom asked, “Is there anything else I need to do?”

Dong Yun finally said, “I wasn’t planning to buy anyone, I was just worried you might be sold off, so I had Fubao use the silver.”

Pear Blossom was a little disappointed. She thought she would be able to stay with Sister Dong forever, but hearing her say this, even though she was thick-skinned, she didn’t want to make things uncomfortable. She said, “I’ll pay you back the silver someday.”

Dong Yun smiled and called Fubao over. She then took out the body contract from Fubao’s pocket and handed it to Pear Blossom, saying, “Here, this is for you.”

Pear Blossom waved her hand. “Better keep it for now. When I have silver, I’ll return it to you.”

Dong Yun saw she was insisting, so she had no choice but to put it away. “Alright, with this, your grandmother won’t be able to make any moves on you anymore.”

Pear Blossom smiled, thinking about Xiang Laotou’s attitude earlier. She had refused to do work for Xiang Laotou, and she was sure Xiang Laotou wouldn’t want to give her any food. 

She wanted to ask Dong Yun if she could eat at their house for now, but she felt awkward and scratched her head, not knowing how to ask.

Dong Yun seemed to sense her hesitation and said, “If you ever have no food, just come to my house for a meal. But—if my mother-in-law comes back and finds out about the silver, things may get a bit uncomfortable for us.”

Pear Blossom immediately grew worried. “Will Grandmother hit you? Sister Dong, don’t worry, if she tries to hit you, I’ll protect you. I won’t just eat for free. If there’s trouble, just tell me, I can do anything. I’ll tell her the silver is a loan, and I’ll pay it back.”

Dong Yun smiled. “She won’t beat me, but she’ll definitely grumble about it.”

Pear Blossom felt uneasy. Old Grandmother’s mouth was as bad as Xiang Laotou’s. Dong Yun was probably downplaying it when she said “grumble.”

But now that things had come to this, there was no use in saying more.

Remembering the earlier commotion, her mother’s emotions still hadn’t calmed down. Daniu and Erniu had also been beaten, and she wasn’t sure what kind of trouble Xiang Laotou might cause when she got home. Pear Blossom was worried and wanted to go back to check.

Dong Yun had no objections and said to let her do what she wanted.

When Pear Blossom arrived at the gate of the Xiang house, she saw Xiang Laoer’s eldest daughter, Xiang Juhua, guarding the door. When she saw Pear Blossom trying to enter, Xiang Juhua stepped forward and blocked her way, lifting her chin and sneering, “Didn’t you sell yourself to someone else? Why are you still trying to enter the Xiang family’s door?”

Pear Blossom didn’t give her a good look. “This is my father’s house. Why can’t I come back? Otherwise, tell the Xiang family to divide the property quickly and separate my father from the family. I will never step into the Xiang family’s door for the rest of my life.”

Xiang Juhua looked smugly at her and said, “Nice thought. It’ll never happen. Your father will be bound to this family for life, serving in the military. You and your siblings will never have your father with you.”

Pear Blossom was so angry that she felt like her lungs were going to explode. She stepped forward and slapped her across the face.

Since childhood, it was always Xiang Juhua bullying Pear Blossom’s family. It was never Pear Blossom who laid a hand on her. Xiang Juhua screamed and lunged at her.

Pear Blossom, full of rage with no outlet, quickly sidestepped and slapped her on the left cheek, using enough force that Xiang Juhua’s head buzzed. Seeing Pear Blossom’s cold, menacing glare, Xiang Juhua quickly stepped back, too frightened to argue, and ran back to the house, covering her face and crying.

Mrs. Xiong stood at the door, her eyes taking in everything.

To be honest, hearing these words, Mrs. Xiong felt more distressed than anyone. She and her husband had been married for twenty years. She married when she was eighteen, and since then, her husband, Xiang Dagen, only returned home twice a year at most. 

Her situation was no different from being a widow. But the couple had no way to resist, and it felt incredibly frustrating.

However, she also knew that her in-laws, as well as the second and third branches of the family, were unreasonable people. Talking to them didn’t work, and this family was obstinate. If they insisted on things, disputes would never end. The best solution would be to find a permanent way to solve the issue, but unfortunately, she couldn’t find one at the moment.

Dagen had said that he would ask for leave from the military camp and come back to handle this matter, but he hadn’t returned yet. Mrs. Xiong felt uneasy.

She then asked her daughter, “What did Fubao’s mother say?”

Pear Blossom then relayed what Dong Yun had said. Mrs. Xiong’s eyes reddened, and tears fell. “Other people are so kind-hearted, but my own grandparents are so heartless.”

Pear Blossom said, “Mother, you can’t tell that couple, or the second and third branches. If they find out what Sister Dong meant, they’ll sell me again.”

Mrs. Xiong quickly reassured her, “I won’t tell anyone. Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. From now on, just do whatever Fubao’s mother asks you to. When your father comes back, we’ll save up some silver. We can repay Fubao’s mother’s money over time. Ah, thirty taels of silver… I don’t know when we’ll save up that much.”

Pear Blossom replied hurriedly, “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handle it myself.”

With the system in place, Pear Blossom believed she would still find a way to make money. Just like when she hunted rabbits before, she could go hunting on the mountain and sell the catch for silver.

“You silly girl, what do you know about making money?”

“You’ll see soon enough. Mother, are you alright? You and Daniu were both beaten so badly earlier. I hope nothing worse happened,” Pear Blossom said, then felt a pang of fear.

Mrs. Xiong shook her head, and the two of them went inside to check on Daniu.

For the two couples of the Xiang family, today was an unforgettable day. By nightfall, their anger had not subsided.

Thinking of the twenty taels of silver that had been spent, each time Mrs. Xiang thought about it, it felt like a knife had been stabbed into her chest, unbearable.

Xiang Laotou also got angry with her because of this.

“Look at the mess you’ve made. You’d think you got a huge bargain from selling ten taels of silver, but now, it’s even worse. You’ve thrown away twenty taels of silver.”

Mrs. Xiang wasn’t happy to hear this. “When we decided to sell that worthless thing, it was a joint decision. Now that something went wrong, you’re pushing all the blame on me?”

“Look at the buyer you found. You couldn’t even keep an eye on her, and she ran away.”

“Who knew this worthless thing could run away? Anyway, this silver can’t be wasted. We have to get it back from that little bitch somehow.”

“She’s already sold to Widow Dong. You still want to interfere with their family? Are you dreaming?”

“Speaking of that widow, we still haven’t settled the score with her for what happened with Dalang. Now, she dares to spend money buying this worthless girl. It’s clear she’s trying to make trouble for our Xiang family. One day, I’ll deal with her.”

Mrs. Xiang then gritted her teeth and said, “A widowed woman with no one to rely on can suddenly take out thirty taels of silver. She must be getting money from some wild man. I bet there’s more where that came from. Maybe there’s a lot of silver notes hidden in her yard—”

Xiang Laotou didn’t speak, but his throat moved, clearly intrigued.

“The Xiang family has had nothing but bad luck this year. Dalang is almost twenty and still hasn’t found a wife. Old man, you can’t just ignore this.”

Xiang Laotou sighed, “It’s all because of you. You’ve made the house a mess, and now it’s even spread to other villages. They’re saying you, as a mother-in-law, are so harsh that no one wants to marry their daughter into the family.”

Mrs. Xiang wasn’t happy to hear this, “When have I been harsh to my son? Look at the second and third branches. When have I ever scolded them? I’ve always treated them well.”

Xiang Laotou sighed again, “If you don’t change your temper, at least be more patient with the first branch. That way, maybe Dalang will be more filial when he returns.”

Mrs. Xiang’s face darkened. “Why should I be patient with him? Forget it, I’ll handle Dalang’s marriage myself.”

Xiang Laotou glared at her, “Don’t make any more trouble.”

“I’m not making trouble. Everything I’ve done has been for the Xiang family.”