Chapter 4

The next morning, everyone in the first house woke up in high spirits, likely because they had eaten their fill the night before. Even Mrs. Xiong had more color on her face.

In contrast, Xiang Lao Han, his wife, and the families of the second and third sons were all listless. The adults had been anxious all night, worried that human traffickers might come, and they hadn’t eaten dinner, leaving them all exhausted. The children woke up early, crying out in hunger.

Old Third’s wife had to get up early to cook porridge.

These days, every household was poor. This year’s drought had led to a poor harvest and rising grain prices. If not for the ten taels of silver they had earned yesterday, the Xiang family wouldn’t have splurged on pig trotters and white rice. And even if they did cook such a meal, the first house wouldn’t get a share.

Pear Blossom, along with her three younger siblings, waited with their bowls in the main hall for breakfast. Seeing them irritated Xiang Lao Tai, who started cursing and tried to drive them out to the fields. Pear Blossom said, “We didn’t have dinner last night, and if we don’t have breakfast this morning, how will we have the strength to work?”

Xiang Lao Tai cursed, “Stupid as pigs, eating more than pigs but doing nothing—”

Normally, Pear Blossom would let her curse, but perhaps due to the small boost in wisdom she received yesterday, she felt a bit sharper. Unhappily, she retorted, “The bit of porridge we get isn’t even enough for Dalang alone. If anyone is lazy and eats too much, it’s your eldest grandson, not us.”

Although Pear Blossom’s father, Xiang Dagen, was the eldest son of the family, Mrs. Xiang hadn’t spent money to marry him off first. Instead, she had let the second and third sons marry first, leaving him last. Consequently, Xiang Dagen’s eldest son, Xiang Dalang, was four years older than Pear Blossom, the eldest daughter of the first house. Pear Blossom was fifteen, and Xiang Dalang was already nineteen.

As the eldest grandson, Old Lady Xiang had pampered him from a young age, which turned him into a lazy good-for-nothing. He lay in bed all day, doing nothing and was utterly useless, still unmarried.

Hearing Pear Blossom scold her precious grandson, Mrs. Xiang became furious and cursed even more, causing a commotion in the house early in the morning.

Pear Blossom let her rant, remaining indifferent. “Do as you please, but I can’t stand hunger. Our house is right next to the chicken coop. If there’s no breakfast, I’ll roast a chicken to eat, and you can’t blame me.”

Mrs. Xiang was shocked that this fool dared to threaten her and nearly choked in anger. She cursed, “I think you were born a hungry ghost and a jinx. Those chickens are for saving eggs to pay for Erlang Saburo schooling. If you dare touch those chickens, I’ll fight you to the death.”

Rika tapped her bowl with her chopsticks and said, “If you don’t want me to go after those chickens, then hurry up and serve breakfast. Otherwise, we’ll just wait it out.”

Old Lady Xiang was genuinely afraid that this fool might get hungry enough to go after the chickens. She glared at Pear Blossom before turning to the back kitchen to rush the Third Daughter-in-law, Liu, to see if the porridge was ready, then had her ladle out a large bowl for the mother and children of the first house to share.

Pear Blossom looked at the porridge that was so thin you could see your reflection in it, clicked her tongue, and said nothing. Expecting the old woman to voluntarily give them something to eat was as likely as the sun rising in the west. She planned to check the kitchen later, just like last night, hoping to snatch something out. Otherwise, at this rate, their branch of the family wouldn’t survive.

As usual, Mrs. Xiong prioritized the children, drinking only a small amount herself before taking them to the fields.

Pear Blossom also didn’t want to stay at home. Seeing the old woman and others irritated her, and being outside was more enjoyable.

Thinking about how the second and third branches rarely worked in the fields, Pear Blossom lost her previous enthusiasm for fieldwork. After eating well last night, her appetite was whetted, and she kept reminiscing about it. Her mind was now full of thoughts about food.

Moreover, that meal last night had earned her another small point, making her feel noticeably smarter. She figured that continuing to find food might earn her a few more points.

“System, can you check where there might be some food nearby?”

Though the system regretted binding itself to such a blockhead, it couldn’t change anything now. However, this host had an abundant energy value, which could be described as surging. The system’s energy bar had gone from 0.000001 to 0.1 overnight, much faster than usual.

If this girl was well-fed and in a good mood, her energy field might be even stronger.

Thus, it diligently began scanning.

“There’s a hole under the big banyan tree to the west with three fat rabbits inside.”

Pear Blossom perked up instantly and ran toward the banyan tree.

Xiong saw her running and, assuming she was still scared from yesterday, let her go without saying anything. She quietly continued weeding.

The eldest son, Da Niu, who was honest and good-natured, stayed by his mother’s side, helping with the farm work. Only the second son, Erniu, and the daughter, Xinghua, couldn’t stay put. Seeing Pear Blossom run off, they quickly followed.

The three siblings dug a short distance and indeed caught three fat black rabbits. Erniu’s mouth watered immediately, and he happily exclaimed, “Big sister, meat!”

In these times of hunger, filling one’s stomach was the top priority.

Pear Blossom shushed Erniu, “Don’t shout and attract others, or we won’t even get to eat the rabbit meat.”

Erniu quickly covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Xinghua, also drooling, asked, “Big sister, how do we cook these rabbits?”

This question stumped Pear Blossom. Cooking duties never fell to their branch, so the four siblings couldn’t even distinguish basic cooking ingredients, let alone prepare a rabbit.

Rika looked around. The Xiang family’s land was isolated, but further east was the house of the widow she often thought about. Seeing the smoke rising from her chimney, Pear Blossom decided, “You two wait here. I’ll go to Fubo’s house and see if her mother can help us prepare them.”

Erniu and Xinghua wanted to follow, but their sister wouldn’t let them. They had to watch longingly as Pear Blossom carried the three rabbits towards the house.

The rabbits were heavy, each one struggling in her grip. But Pear Blossom’s strength had improved, and her hands, now long and strong, held the rabbits firmly, preventing any escape.

Soon she reached the courtyard gate. Remembering how dirty her clothes and hair had become while catching the rabbits, she wanted to tidy herself up. However, she feared the rabbits might run away if she let go, so she stacked them between her legs and started fixing her hair.

At that moment, the courtyard door creaked open. A slightly plump beauty appeared, holding a two-year-old child’s hand. Beside the child was a large dog, taller than the toddler.

The dog, recognizing Pear Blossom, turned away disinterestedly, not even bothering to bark.

Pear Blossom realized her current awkward position was unseemly, but it was too late. She awkwardly let down her hair, picked up the rabbits, and smiled sheepishly into the courtyard.

Her ears burned with embarrassment.

Fubo, seeing the rabbits, broke free from her mother and toddled over excitedly, calling out, “Bunnies! Bunnies!”

The beauty, Dong Yun, smiled and asked, “Pear Blossom, what are you up to?”

Lihua quickly replied, “Sister Dong, I just caught these three rabbits and brought them for you.”

“You and your siblings barely have enough to eat. Why bring these to me?” Dong Yun gave her a reproachful look.

Rika grinned, her eyes bright, “Not all of them, just one. We need your help to prepare one, and you can have the rest.”

She had initially planned to ask Dong Yun to prepare two and keep one for herself. But seeing her beautiful face, Pear Blossom was utterly charmed and, if not for her grumbling stomach, would have gladly given her all three.

Dong Yun looked at Pear Blossom’s patched clothes, unable to conceal her slender yet tall figure. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if recalling a time in her own youth when she had visited her Fifth Aunt’s house and seen a group of dancing girls.

Fifth Aunt had reclined on a beauty couch, watching the tall, elegant girls dance and said, “You’re too young to understand a woman’s beauty. A bit older, and they’re lush like ripe fruit; a bit younger, and they’re like tender buds, making you want to touch and pinch them, all equally enticing.”

“At that moment, Dong Yun cautiously lifted her eyelids to glance at the women dressed in cool attire. Swaths of white skin flashed before her eyes, startling her so much that she turned away, murmuring, ‘If Third Aunt sees you like this, she will surely be displeased—’

Thinking this, her daughter’s voice interrupted Dong Yun’s immersion in memories.

Beside her leg, a chubby little lump tugged at her skirt corner, drooling and repeatedly saying, ‘Mother… bunny… bunny…’

“Sister Dong, is it okay? We really have nowhere else to go. If we were to bring these few rabbits home, our family wouldn’t get a chance to eat either… My younger brother, sister, and my mother haven’t had much meat this year.” Except for last night’s meal.

Even though Dong Yun and her daughter had only been in Daliushu Village for a little over a year, she had already heard about the attitude of the Xiang family towards the Big House. Now, hearing her say this, she couldn’t refuse: “Bring the rabbits in.”

Turning around, she led Fu Bao forward with a swaying waist.

Rika was delighted and skipped behind her with the rabbits in her hands, cautiously asking, “Zeng Grandma isn’t home, right?”

The Zeng Grandma Lihua referred to was Dong Yun’s mother-in-law.

Zeng Grandma had lost her husband early in life and had raised two sons and a daughter on her own. Her daughter Zeng Miaomiao had married into Niujiazhuang ten miles away, and now all three children were grown.

Her eldest son, Zeng Dayou, had left home at seventeen to seek his fortune and hadn’t returned for several years. It wasn’t until last year when Dong Yun returned to the Zeng family with baby Fu Bao in her arms, claiming Zeng Dayou had passed away, and she was his wife, that things changed.

Zeng Grandma refused to believe it, but the other party produced personal belongings that Zeng Dayou had carried with him. When asked about some childhood details, the woman could answer them fluently.

Those intimate secrets, if not for close family, would never have been disclosed. Zeng Grandma had to believe it, whether she liked it or not.

Even though she had countless doubts in her heart about why such a beautiful woman would take a liking to her ugly son, this beautiful woman would rather return to this remote village of Big Willow with her child as a widow than choose to remarry. What was she aiming for? Was it for their family’s three dilapidated thatched cottages?

Since the child clearly bore resemblance to Zeng Dayou, and Grandma Zeng, despite her age, had yet to hold her own grandchild, she found it irresistibly rare. How could she possibly drive the child away, so Dong Yun and her daughter could become officially recognized?

When Dong Yun entered the Zeng family, Grandma Zeng truly disliked this beautiful daughter-in-law. She suspected that Dayou’s death was largely related to this fox spirit. Therefore, she never gave Dong Yun a good face and scolded her all day long. If she wasn’t scolding Dong Yun for harming her precious son, she was criticizing her for her seductive looks, and flirting with men in the village.

Seeing Grandma Zeng’s attitude, the villagers all thought that this pretty widow wouldn’t last long, but a year passed, and she still lived there peacefully. She worked in the fields when there was work, and she eagerly did the housework at home. At first, she was awkward and unfamiliar, but over time, she became skilled, no longer resembling the novice who arrived in the village with no experience.

Seeing that scolding her wouldn’t make her leave, Grandma Zeng restrained herself a bit. However, whenever there was any commotion at home, she would still catch her and scold her.

Dong Yun didn’t retort; she just let her scold. After all, with such a formidable mother-in-law around, those bachelors in the village who wanted to court her had to weigh their options carefully.

Upon hearing Pear Blossom mention Grandma Zeng, Dong Yun calmly said, “She hasn’t been over to Uncle Fu Bao’s for the past few days.”

Grandma Zeng had originally not divided the house, but since Dong Yun brought the child back, it was inappropriate for a widow to live together with an unmarried younger brother-in-law, so Grandma Zeng summoned a neighbor to partition the big courtyard separated by a large banyan tree. The narrower side was for the mother and daughter to live in, while the wider side had three rooms left for the second son, Zeng Guangjin.

Zeng Guangjin was a scholar who had just passed the provincial examination and was studying at the county school. He rarely returned, so Grandma Zeng managed the household affairs at home.

Grandma Zeng and Dong Yun didn’t get along, and she didn’t like living with them. Normally, she lived on the other side of the courtyard, taking care of household and farming chores, not eating together except occasionally coming over to check on Dong Yun’s arrangements or to see Fubao when she had nothing to do.

Upon hearing that Grandma Zeng wasn’t around, Pear Blossom felt relieved. Grandma Zeng’s mouth was just as sharp as the old lady at home. She could scold someone into the ground with just a few words. Before, she had scolded Pear Blossom as foolish and stupid whenever she saw her. Now that Grandma Zeng was absent, Pear Blossom felt that her ears would be much quieter.

“Oh, by the way, I left the things I bought for you at the door last night. Did you see them?”

“Yes, I was in the western room at the time, and Fubao was making a fuss. I didn’t hear the knock.”

“Good. Let me tell you, last night, my grandma said she wanted to buy me candy, tricked me into the city, and sold me to two flower buyers. Luckily, I ran back, or I wouldn’t see you today.”

Dong Yun was startled by this, stopped her steps, turned, and looked at her, saying, “You mean Grandma Zeng sold you? And you ran back on your own!”

“Yeah, fortunately—”

Pear Blossom was about to say something about the system, but the system spoke directly in her mind, “Host, shut up quickly. You can’t tell anyone about my business alone, otherwise, none of your wishes will come true.”

Remembering that she had to rely on the system to improve the favorability of the pretty widow in front of her, she quickly changed her words, “Fortunately, I usually work with my mother to save a lot of strength and run fast. They can’t catch up with me even if they chase me.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Yun wanted to say something, but the things that she had seen and experienced in these years were no different from those that happened to Pear Blossom. What’s the use of talking about it? So she saved the curse words, sighed, and reminded, “You should go to town less recently, or it will be troublesome if you are caught.”

“I know that I am avoiding them,” Pear Blossom heard her caring tone and felt happy.

Dong Yun straightened the broken hair on her temples, “I’ll leave one of these three rabbits for Fubao to play with, and I’ll deal with the other two in two meals. I’ll keep one first. When you want to eat next time, just let me know, and I’ll help you get it.”

“Alright, thank you, Sister Dong. I’ll help you out.”

Although Pear Blossom couldn’t cook, she could chop firewood and start a fire. Unwilling to go to the fields but craving rabbit meat, she just wanted to help so they could eat sooner. Perhaps she could even gain another point or two, all added to her wisdom. Wouldn’t that make her smarter?

Seeing Pear Blossom stay, Fu Bao clapped her hands happily and said, “Pear Blossom—play—with Fu Bao—play—”

Pear Blossom loved children very much. She had three younger siblings below her, whom she had practically raised. Fu Bao was fair-skinned and chubby, with arms that were soft and pudgy like lotus roots. Looking at her made people want to take a bite. Pear Blossom was eager to get close to Fu Bao.

“Fu Bao, come here—” Pear Blossom smiled and called out to the little bundle of joy.

Fu Bao wriggled free from her mother’s hand and toddled over, stumbling into Pear Blossom’s arms. Pear Blossom lifted her up and carried her towards the kitchen, smiling all the while.