Chapter 31: Carrying the Burden Home

The grocery store was located on another bustling street. After buying the candy, Pear Blossom was ready to hurry back but noticed a commotion not far away. A curious crowd had gathered, and her curiosity got the better of her.

She wanted to squeeze in to take a look, but the throng of people was too dense. Fearing her father would grow impatient, she reluctantly suppressed her curiosity and continued on her way.

However, after just a few steps, she couldn’t help but stop and turn to ask a passerby what was happening.

A young man, his face lit with excitement, told her, “It’s the Wind Chaser catching a thief! A pickpocket stole a passerby’s purse, and the Wind Chaser caught sight of it. She’s apprehending the thief right now!” Growing up in the village, Pear Blossom had often heard tales of the martial world, especially stories about heroic men and women.

She admired them deeply. Back when the Xiang family bullied her family mercilessly, she had even dreamed of a hero descending from the skies to save them from their plight.

Hearing the name of the heroine, her eyes sparkled with fascination.“Is the Wind Chaser really that skilled in martial arts?” The young man replied, “Of course! There’s hardly anyone in Jinyang County who can rival her.” Pear Blossom’s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she dashed into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary heroine.

Amidst grumbling complaints from the crowd, she finally made it to the front—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the heroine’s flowing cloak and the rear of her black horse as they disappeared into the distance. Disappointed, Pear Blossom sighed and made her way back to find her father. Dagen was busy packing the goods into two large baskets, leaving only the large iron pot they had purchased earlier.

When Pear Blossom arrived and saw him attempting to hang the pot on the shoulder pole, she quickly said, “Father, if you add that, the pole will snap. Let me carry the iron pot.” Dagen looked at the pot, then at Pear Blossom, and hesitated.

“Are you sure you can handle it, girl?” Though he was strong, the large iron pot was indeed cumbersome. “Why not? It’s only ten or so pounds. It’s nothing for me!” Thinking of the departing Wind Chaser, Pear Blossom’s heart swelled with a sense of grandeur.

She hoisted the pot onto her back in one swift motion, but the wooden straps tied to the pot bit into her shoulders, making her wince in pain. Noticing her father’s concerned gaze, she quickly composed herself and said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ve got this. Let’s go.”

Seeing that she was indeed managing, Dagen picked up the shoulder pole and said, “Alright, let’s head home.” Walking steadily, with a short rest midway, they eventually arrived back in Daliushu Village.

As they passed several households along the way, villagers couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, watching the father and daughter, one carrying a shoulder pole and the other carrying a pot. “Didn’t Dagen say he only wanted the farmland and not the money? Where did he get the silver to buy all this? A pot, cloth, and that big iron pot—those don’t come cheap, at least three or four coins.”

“Don’t forget his father-in-law is one of the wealthiest men in the village. Old man Liu may be stingy, but Mrs. Liu has a soft heart. She might have secretly given him three to five taels, more than enough to buy these things.” “That doesn’t make sense. Anyone going to Dagen’s place has to pass by here.

Yesterday, aside from Dashan and his wife, no one else went their way. And if Mrs. Liu gave them money secretly, wouldn’t Liu’s sons raise a fuss?” “Maybe the Qin family lent it to him. Don’t you remember when Pear Blossom was about to be sold, Mrs. Qin shouted loudly that she would help with the silver? She even offered five taels. If Dagen borrowed a couple of taels, wouldn’t she gladly give it?”

“Tsk, do you think Mrs. Qin has some ulterior motive? Maybe she’s eyeing Dagen’s ties to the Liu family and wants to curry favor through him?”

“Last time, Zhang Laowu said it was Pear Blossom who lured the wolf away to save them. Maybe that’s true, and Mrs. Qin is grateful Pear Blossom saved her grandson and is helping them out of gratitude.”

“Use your head! Pear Blossom’s just a little girl, barely able to eat her fill. How could she outrun a wolf? Zhang Laowu must’ve been drunk when he said that.” Embarrassed by her husband’s sharp words, the woman fell silent.

Dagen, aware of the murmurs as they passed by, remained unbothered. That was simply life in the village—everyone had something to say about others. If he lived near them, he’d probably do the same. Whether the talk was kind or not was another matter.

A man stuck his head out of his house and greeted Dagen, “Dagen, back from the county?” Dagen replied cheerfully, “Yes! I went to the yamen with the village head this morning to handle the land transfer. Got it all done and came straight back.” “So those paddy fields at the edge of the village are yours now? That’s great news!” The man shifted his tone. “Looks like you’ve struck it rich, buying all these things.

Must’ve cost a pretty penny.” Dagen smiled. “We just got split off and didn’t have any tools to work with. My father-in-law felt sorry for my wife and lent us a bit to buy the essentials.” “You’ve got yourself a rare father-in-law. I passed by your place this morning and saw a few grass huts.

Are you planning to live in those?” “Of course not. Grass huts aren’t for long-term living. I’ve already asked Uncle Qin to check the foundation for me. Once it’s ready, we’ll start building. If I wait any longer, it’ll have to be after the autumn harvest.” The eavesdropping villagers finally had their curiosity satisfied.

Content, they scattered. A few women came out of their homes to greet Dagen, who responded good-naturedly to each one. Pear Blossom pursed her lips. Back when her father wasn’t around, the villagers always greeted her family with a sarcastic tone, treating her and her siblings as if they were fools, often asking strange and prying questions.

Now that her father had returned, the villagers had toned it down somewhat, but every word still seemed to carry an undercurrent of probing curiosity, as if they couldn’t bear to see her family doing too well.

As the father and daughter walked away, the villagers began to gossip again. “Dagen is building a house. He’ll need help, won’t he? Are you going to lend a hand?” “He hasn’t been around for years and hasn’t helped us even once.

Why should we help him now?” “Look at him—his family has nothing. They even have to buy vegetables or forage for wild greens. If we go, what will they use to entertain us? A pot of wild greens? Helping each other out is one thing, but at least the food should be decent, right?” “Well, I just happened to have plans for tomorrow. Besides, he didn’t ask anyone for help, so I’ll just pretend I don’t know about it.”

One by one, the villagers found excuses to avoid helping, each family calculating their own stance. Unaware of the gossip behind their backs, Pear Blossom and her father Dagen returned home to find the kitchen shed already set up. Seeing the fully loaded carrying pole Dagen had brought back, Mrs. Xiong couldn’t help but smile.“Got everything done?” she asked.

Dagen nodded, his face full of joy. Mrs. Xiong was genuinely pleased. She took the large iron pot off Pear Blossom’s shoulder and remarked, “The first possession of our family is this pot.” Dagen set the pole down by the newly built shed, glanced at the structure, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “This shed is well-built—tall and spacious, easy to move around in.

Not like the sleeping shed, which only needs to be big enough to lie down in.” The kitchen shed had three walls, leaving one side open for convenience and ventilation.“I thought you said we’d buy one bolt of cloth. Why’d you buy two? Oh well, let’s make an extra set of clothes for everyone, and later we can make a pair of shoes for each.

Winter’s coming in a few months. Was the fabric expensive? Must’ve cost quite a bit,” Mrs. Xiong said as she unpacked the items from the baskets, her chatter laced with irrepressible joy. “Oh, you even bought white flour! We can make steamed buns and pancakes. And there’s lard and salt too.

Once Dashan and the others bring over the rice tomorrow, we’ll be all set.” Having been married for over a decade, Mrs. Xiong had never had the chance to handle proper kitchen supplies.

Now, holding these items, she felt an immense sense of satisfaction. “Dagen, later set up two stoves—one for the big pot to render lard and another for cooking rice.” Dagen chuckled and agreed readily.

Meanwhile, Xinghua and Erniu crouched by the baskets, marveling at the various items. They eagerly helped their mother organize the goods in the new shed. Hearing about the plan to render lard, the two kids were excited to collect firewood.

In their previous home, the kitchen’s lard scraps were the best treats, but the children from the main family always ate them first, leaving nothing for Pear Blossom’s family.

Erniu recalled the times he and Xinghua cried in hunger and frustration, but Mrs. Xiong, powerless, could only cry silently at night.

Now, with ten pounds of lard to render and no one to compete with them, even Mrs. Xiong felt like she was floating on air. Pear Blossom waved her siblings over and pulled out a small bag of sugar from her pocket.

When she opened it, some of the sugar had clumped together. “Even clumped sugar is still sugar,” she said, noticing the eager glint in their eyes.

She picked out two relatively intact pieces and wrapped them in a leaf. Spreading the rest out, she said, “Xinghua, you distribute it.” Erniu asked, “Big Sister, are those two pieces the ones you picked for yourself?”

Pear Blossom tapped his head lightly. “Those are for Fubao.”Having just eaten a meal Fubao’s family sent over the night before, Erniu quickly flattered her, “I knew you’d save them for Fubao.” Xinghua counted the sugar and gave two pieces to their mother first. Mrs. Xiong took only one piece, saying, “I had some when I was a child.

Your grandfather bought it for me in town. One piece is enough. Share the rest among yourselves.”Pear Blossom watched her mother savor the piece of sugar, her eyes narrowing with satisfaction.

Her gaze flickered, but she said nothing. Xinghua gave two pieces to their father. Dagen patted her on the head and said, “That’s enough. I don’t like sweets. You kids can share them.” Smiling, Xinghua called Erniu over.

The two little heads huddled together, counting and recounting. In the end, they decided each child could have three pieces. Pear Blossom looked at the three small dark-red sugar pieces in Xinghua’s palm.

She took one and said, “I already had one on the way. One more is enough for me. You two can have the rest.”Dagen’s lips moved slightly. He knew full well that his eldest daughter hadn’t eaten any sugar on the way back.

After much whispering, the siblings agreed that each would get two pieces. Xinghua fetched a new bowl, filled it with water from the spring, and dissolved the remaining sugar. “Now everyone can have a drink.” Even Mrs. Xiong, despite her initial protests, drank half a bowl of sweet sugar water.

She then asked, “With so much to buy, I suppose you didn’t have time to get the goat?” Pear Blossom replied, “Mother, we ran into Grandfather and Uncle at the city gate. There was no need to go.” Mrs. Xiong’s face lit up. “What a coincidence! That saved us half a day’s journey.”

Dagen laughed. “Exactly. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it back so early. I told Father everything, and we handed over the goods. Brother-in-law said he’d come over with Second Brother tomorrow morning.”

Mrs. Xiong felt a sense of relief after hearing this. With the Qin father and son, her two older brothers coming over, and her own family members, there was no need to worry too much, even if they couldn’t get help from the villagers.

After taking a break to cool down, Dagen began moving stones and mixing mud to start building the stove. Mrs. Xiong busied herself washing the newly bought pots and bowls by the spring.

Xinghua and Erniu eagerly followed behind her, while Pear Blossom, holding two small pieces of candy, turned and walked out of the grass hut toward the Zeng family’s small courtyard.