Chapter 47: Conversations in the Feild

Pear Blossom felt there were two major turning points in her life. The first was when she experienced her first menstruation. From that moment, she vaguely became aware that she was different from the boys.

The second, perhaps, was last night. Deep within her body, it seemed as though a subtle, unprecedented change was stirring. It was as if, overnight, she had transformed into a woman capable of discussing marriage and experiencing intimacy.

When her parents mentioned arranging a marriage for her earlier, she hadn’t felt strongly about it. It was as though marriage was merely a casual phrase, a concept with little substance. But after last night, without saying or doing anything, everything had changed.

She yearned now a deep desire to be close to that person, to share intimate moments, to feel their skin against hers.

Previously, even if she liked someone, she had never thought about doing anything specific with them. At most, she simply wanted to be by their side—watching them smile, hearing them talk, doing anything to please them, wishing for their happiness. But now, her body’s subtle reactions made her realize that things were no longer the same.

She sat on her bed for a moment, listening to the sounds of her family waking up and washing in the courtyard. Only then did she slowly get up, dress, and step out of her room.

Her mother was making pancakes. Despite the scorching summer heat, they needed something hearty to sustain them through a day of physical labor.

The pancakes, golden and crisp, were filled with wild greens and had a delightful charred aroma. Paired with the fresh, juicy crunch of radish greens, they had a unique flavor all their own.

The tall and strong Dagen, with his substantial appetite, could finally indulge now that his family was no longer as financially strained as before. He devoured three bowls in one sitting. Daniu and Pear Blossom, both in their growth spurts, easily consumed two bowls each.

Watching Daniu grow more and more like his father in stature, and noticing her daughter’s arms and calves developing noticeable definition, Mrs. Xiong quietly instructed Xinghua to add an extra bowl of rice to the pot for the noon meal.

After eating their fill, the group grabbed their sickles and headed to the fields. As usual, Erniu tended the cattle and sheep, though the family’s calves had no appetite for the straw in the fields.

After resting for a day, the four main members of the household were full of energy. They worked tirelessly and managed to harvest two acres of rice by noon. Xinghua went back early to cook, while the remaining four took turns carrying the harvested rice back to the drying yard at home.

In the afternoon, Qin Dabao brought the family’s ox to help thresh the rice. During the busy farming season, few families were willing to lend their oxen, but the good relationship between the two families made it possible. As for the Zeng family, when Mrs. Zeng borrowed an ox from the Wang family, they charged her ten copper coins per day, which pained her greatly.

After four or five days of continuous hard work, all eight acres of rice were harvested and piled in the drying yard. Thanks to the Qin family’s ox, the rice grains were also threshed. All that was left was to let the grains dry for a few days before storing them.

These past few days, Pear Blossom, usually slow to react and known for her thick skin, found herself embarrassed by her behavior that evening. She didn’t know how to face Dong Yun and avoided going to the Zeng household, behaving unusually quiet.

On the other hand, Dong Yun had felt a lingering sense of comfort in her body ever since Pear Blossom had pressed against her that night. She found herself longing for that sensation again.

However, when the little girl stopped coming around, Dong Yun felt an emptiness in her heart.

One or two days were manageable, but by the fourth or fifth day, it felt like an eternity.

She vaguely sensed that the girl was avoiding her but couldn’t think of anything inappropriate she might have done that evening. Could it have been too bold of her not to cover up while changing clothes?

But upon reflection, she dismissed the thought. It must be because everyone was busy harvesting rice, leaving Pear Blossom no time to visit. With that reasoning, Dong Yun felt somewhat reassured, though Fubao constantly asking to play with Pear Blossom made her secretly hopeful as well.

Finally, on October 13th, after Zhang Laowu’s family had finished harvesting their rice, the couple came to borrow tools from the Dagen family to renovate their kitchen. They spent the entire afternoon chatting and were invited to stay for dinner. After the meal, the couple suggested heading to the village chief’s drying yard for some fun, dragging the Dagen family along.

The autumn night was cool and refreshing, with a full and bright moon illuminating the path so clearly that no torches were needed. Many villagers, after a day of hard work, liked to gather there for idle chatter. The drying yard was large and centrally located, making it a favorite spot for the villagers.

In the past, when the Dagen family still lived with the extended family, Mrs. Xiong and the children had wanted to join in but were always scolded back by the Mrs. Xiang. That old woman found fault with the Dagen family at every turn, spreading gossip about them to the villagers. Knowing this, Mrs. Xiong had avoided the drying yard altogether, knowing she wouldn’t fit in.

But now, with an invitation from Zhang Laowu’s family, Mrs. Xiong felt tempted. Dagen, feeling that their family’s current standing was no longer what it used to be, agreed that it was time to connect with the villagers more. And so, the family headed toward the village chief’s drying yard under the moonlight.

As they passed the Zeng household, Promegranate suddenly said, “Ever since Deyou’s wife came to our village, she rarely goes out to play. Why not invite her to join us?”

Hearing this, Pear Blossom’s heart skipped a beat.

She hadn’t seen Dong Yun for days. During the day, she was too busy with the harvest to dwell on it, but come nightfall, she couldn’t resist the urge to visit her.

She had held back for the first few days out of embarrassment, but as more days passed, her reluctance only grew.

The thought of seeing Dong Yun shortly made her heart race uncontrollably, as if thousands of ants were crawling in her chest.

Of course, she wanted to see her—desperately so.But a vague sense of unease crept in. What if Dong Yun asked why she hadn’t come around lately? How should she answer?

Her emotions surged in waves, leaving her anxious and unsure.

Zhang Laowu hesitated at his wife’s suggestion, saying, “Forget it. She’s like a fairy from the heavens and probably wouldn’t want to mingle with us common folk.”

Mrs. Xiong chuckled. “Nonsense. Fubao’s mother is very approachable. Let’s invite her.”Turning to her eldest daughter, she said, “Pear Blossom, go invite Fubao’s mother to join us at the village chief’s drying yard.”

Pear Blossom murmured an acknowledgment, her heart churning as she clenched her sweaty palms and ran toward the Zeng family’s courtyard.

Dagen and Zhang Laowu, having had some wine, didn’t wait for the women and walked ahead.Standing at the courtyard gate, Pear Blossom heard a woman’s voice call out, “Coming!” and instinctively held her breath.

The sound of footsteps approached, growing closer. Pear Blossom’s heart pounded wildly, as if it might leap out of her chest. The unfamiliar sense of nervousness left her flustered and at a loss.

The door creaked open, revealing the familiar face she had been yearning for. Unable to hold her breath any longer, Pear Blossom exhaled sharply, gasping for air and almost choking herself in the process. Bent over, she coughed several times in embarrassment.

Feeling utterly mortified, Pear Blossom flushed bright red.

Dong Yun looked at the coughing girl in front of her, her once lonely eyes lighting up. With a hint of amusement, she said, “What’s this? Forgetting how to breathe and choking yourself like this?”

Pear Blossom finally caught her breath and straightened up, her eyes meeting the face that had occupied her thoughts for days. Overcome with emotion, she noticed that Dong Yun wasn’t scolding her for her absence and felt a sense of relief. Struggling to steady her racing heart, she said, “My mom and Aunt Promegranate are heading to the village chief’s drying yard and want to invite you to join us.”

Ever since Dong Yun arrived in Daliushu Village, she hardly went out at night. Once it got dark, she would close the courtyard gate. After all, widows attract gossip, and as a lone mother and child, they didn’t want to stir up any trouble.

The drying yard at the village chief’s house was the usual gathering place for chatting, but she had never been there.

Now, hearing someone invite her, she couldn’t help but feel tempted.

Previously, it was because she wasn’t familiar with the villagers. If she went, she wouldn’t know who to talk to, and she worried that some shameless men might bother her, making things uncomfortable. But now, with Mrs. Xiong and Pomegranate joining her, those concerns were unnecessary.

Besides, she hadn’t seen that little girl for a few days and wanted to sit down and chat with her.

So, she said to Pear Blossom, “Alright, wait for me a moment. I’ll change and come.” As soon as she finished speaking, a small head popped out from beside her legs. Seeing it was Pear Blossom, the little one giggled and rushed forward, hugging Dong Yun’s thigh. “Pear Blossom, hug Fubao!”

Pear Blossom bent down, picked up the chubby little girl, and playfully kissed her on the forehead.

Dong Yun smiled, turned around, and went back into the house to change clothes. It didn’t take long for her to come out.

Unlike her usual casual and relaxed appearance at home, she put on a slightly more modest outfit. But even so, it couldn’t conceal her graceful figure.

No matter what Dong Yun wore, Pear Blossom always found her beautiful. After not seeing her for a few days, and with the soft, dim light of the evening, her gaze shamelessly lingered on Dong Yun.

Under the flickering lantern light, Dong Yun could feel her gaze. But since she had already tested Pear Blossom before and knew there was no such intention behind it, she didn’t think much of it.

Still, being looked at like that made her feel a faint, inexplicable sense of embarrassment.“Let’s go,” Dong Yun said softly. She had never been bothered by being looked at by others before, so why did she find it hard to bear now under this little girl’s gaze? It felt like she’d seen a ghost.

Pear Blossom let out a small “Oh,” holding Fubao as she walked ahead, her back straight and proud.When Promegranate saw them come out, she laughed and said to Dong Yun, “Laowu always says you’re like a fairy from the heavens, unwilling to join us for fun.”

Dong Yun also laughed. “Fairies from the heavens only eat dew. I still need to eat grains and vegetables.”

The group of women gathered together and headed toward the village chief’s house.

By the time they arrived, over twenty people had already gathered in the drying yard. Small groups of women chatted together, while a large group of men stood in a circle, gossiping and occasionally tossing out crude jokes.

Children darted back and forth between the adults, laughing and playing happily. Fubao couldn’t hold back her excitement when she saw the lively scene. She wriggled to be let down and went off to find other children to play with. Just then, Promegranate’s eight-year-old daughter, Duck (Yadan), arrived with Dog (Goudan). When Dog saw the little fairy Fubao, he eagerly looked at her, wanting to play together.

Pear Blossom asked Dong Yun, “Shall we let Xinghua take them to play?” Dong Yun wasn’t a control freak. If they came out to play, she couldn’t keep her daughter restrained. She nodded and said, “Just make sure they stay within our sight. She still stumbles when she walks, and I don’t want her to fall where we can’t see.”

Pear Blossom nodded, called over Xinghua, and instructed her to take Fubao, Duck, and Dog to play. Then, she turned to her internal system and said, “Help me keep an eye on them. Make sure nothing happens to Fubao.”

The system rolled its mechanical eyes. “I’m your system, not a babysitter. Don’t dump everything on me.”

Pear Blossom replied, “Dong Yun said she’d teach me to read in her free time. If something happens to Fubao, she’ll be too distracted to teach me. Do you want me to lose the chance to earn points by learning?”

The system sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll watch them for you.”Only then did Pear Blossom feel relieved.

Zhang Laowu, the nephew of the village chief, lived near the drying yard. Promegranate loved to come here every evening after dinner to chat. Once at the yard, she led Dong Yun and the others to a nearby group.

The three young wives who were chatting noticed Promegranate, followed by Dong Yun and Mrs. Xiong, and were surprised. These women had never joined the gatherings before.

Although Dong Yun was a widow, her beauty and intelligence were well-known. Not only did the men in the village admire her, but the women also liked her.

As for Mrs. Xiong and her daughter, the villagers used to look down on their family, but now they had built three or four brick houses on their own, with wealthy relatives backing them. Not to mention, the other day, the daughter of a city merchant personally brought Pear Blossom back, and everyone still remembered the grand scene of Pear Blossom riding a horse. So, the three women were excited about their arrival, chatting even more enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, over on the men’s side, some of them noticed Dong Yun and started whispering among themselves, occasionally glancing in her direction.

Even though the moon was bright and round, it was still nighttime, making it impossible to see her clearly. That didn’t stop these men from indulging in wild fantasies.

Elsewhere, Xinghua was playing with Duck, Dog, and Fubao. Although Xinghua and Duck were a few years apart, they quickly found common ground, as young girls often do.

Fubao and Dog, who had played together during the construction of Pear Blossom’s new house, were overjoyed to see each other again.

Fubao noticed that Dog’s shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his small belly. She pointed and said, “Button up!” Dog, who had only recently learned to talk, shook his head and said, “Men don’t button up.”

Fubao, raised by Dong Yun to always dress neatly and properly, couldn’t tolerate such sloppiness. She insisted, “Button up, or you’ll catch a cold!”

When Dog heard what she said, he thought it made some sense. Sniffling, he lowered his head and started looking for the buttons on his little jacket. Unfortunately, he searched for a long time without finding them.

Fubao leaned over to help him, and they finally found a small fabric button. She decided to help him button it up, but the jacket was too small, and Dog’s round little belly stuck out so much that it was impossible to button. The two kids worked on it for ages, their foreheads drenched in sweat.

Meanwhile, the men were having a meandering conversation. Zhang Sanye’s grandsons were growing up, and he was worried about their education, lamenting the lack of private schools nearby.

As he brought up the topic again, someone said, “Our village has one scholar and two licentiates. Even though the scholar was exiled, we still have two licentiates.”

Zhang Sanye shook his head and replied, “Zeng Laoer is busy studying for the scholar exams. He doesn’t have time to teach others. As for Xiang Laosan—”He stopped mid-sentence.

Coincidentally, Xiang Laosan was also there that day. Hearing the villagers talk about opening a school, he shamelessly limped over to Zhang Sanye and said, “Uncle Village Chief, I hear we’re looking for a teacher. I’m not doing much these days. As a licentiate, I’m more than qualified to teach the kids to read.” The crowd immediately burst into boos.

The women on the other side overheard the commotion and began whispering among themselves.

“If Xiang Laosan becomes the teacher, I’d rather my children stay illiterate than let him teach them.”

“Exactly. With the way his family is, what good could the kids learn from him?”

“No doubt about it. That family only cares about money. If we send our kids there, who knows how much tuition he’ll charge? It’s not worth it.”

Xiang Laosan continued promoting himself: “Let’s face it, our Xiang family has some scholarly prowess. In this entire village, aside from Zeng Laoer, our family has produced the most educated people. Take my eldest nephew, for example—though he’s had some trouble, he’s still a scholar. As for me, I’m a Confucian student. Teaching, guiding, and enlightening others is no issue at all. Why go searching far and wide?”

While Xiang Laosan was boasting, a conflict broke out among the children. Xiang’s kids had gotten into an argument with Erniu and his group.

It all started when Erniu was showing off a tusk from the wild boar his elder sister Pear Blossom had hunted last time. He had cleaned it and made it into a pendant to wear around his neck, proudly telling the others that once his big sister hunted a wolf, he’d replace it with a wolf fang.

The other boys were envious, but Xiang Laoer’s son, Xiang Sanlang, who bore a grudge against Pear Blossom after she knocked out one of his teeth, started mocking them. He gathered his usual friends and jeered that Pear Blossom’s success was just luck. If she encountered a wolf, she’d be eaten for sure.

Erniu, unwilling to let anyone insult his big sister, started arguing. Though small in stature, he wouldn’t back down. The groups began hurling insults at each other, and soon Xiang Laosan’s daughters, Xiang Hehua and Xiang Taohua, joined the fray.

Seeing this, Xinghua quickly led Yaodan and the others to support Erniu.The shouting grew louder, drawing the adults’ attention.

Xiang Hehua, overhearing her father’s plans to teach, sneered at Erniu: “Just wait. When my father opens the school, even if your family begs on their knees, we won’t take you as students. You lot will be farmers for life.”

Xinghua retorted, “Your father broke his own leg and pushed his son to the battlefield. What kind of teacher could he be? Even if he paid us, we wouldn’t attend.” Her words stunned everyone into silence.

Xiang Laosan had always claimed he broke his leg in an accident. Though everyone knew the truth, no one dared to say it aloud. Now, a child had exposed it, shattering his dignity. His plans to persuade the village chief were immediately thwarted.

Seeing the disdain in everyone’s eyes, Xiang Laosan’s once fawning face darkened. Leaning on his crutch, he limped toward the children.

Xiang Taohua snapped, “You’re lying! That never happened, you little brat. Stop spreading rumors, or I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Xinghua, angered by their usual mean faces and recalling how they’d tried to marry her off to Xiang Dalang months ago, fired back: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Your grandparents mistreat their own children and abuse others’. Your father doesn’t care if your brother lives or dies. Is there anything your family wouldn’t stoop to? Shameless scum, pfft!”

Behind Xinghua, Fubao tugged at her clothes and mimicked, “Pfft! Shameless!” Dog, inspired by the little fairy’s words, joined in: “Pfft! Shameless!”

Soon, the other children followed suit, all spitting and chanting, “Pfft! Shameless!” Hearing this chorus of disdain, Xiang Laosan was furious. Grinding his teeth, he raised his hand to slap Xinghua.

The crowd gasped in shock.

Though Xiang Laosan was crippled, he was still an adult man. If he struck Xinghua, he could easily deafen her.

But before the slap landed, a hand shot out from behind and grabbed Xiang Laosan’s arm.

Pear Blossom had arrived. She yanked his arm, making him stumble backward. If not for his crutch, he would have fallen. “How dare you lay hands on a child? Someone like you wants to be a teacher?” Pear Blossom, usually gentle, was now fierce. “My sister was right. If someone like you becomes a teacher, even if you gave us silver, we wouldn’t attend!”

As soon as those words were spoken, the crowd began to chatter among themselves. People who had initially planned to send their children to school instantly changed their minds.

Xiang Laosan was left red-faced and furious at being publicly confronted. Seeing so many people watching and laughing at his expense, he lost his temper and shouted, “A young girl like her, spreading baseless rumors! Am I not allowed to discipline her? What kind of logic is this?”

“Spreading rumors? You know exactly how your leg got broken. Don’t think your actions went unnoticed. The rock that broke your leg is still in the stone hollow beneath the banana tree behind your house.”

These shady deeds of his had, of course, been revealed to Pear Blossom by the system, detail by detail.

Hearing this, Xiang Laosan panicked and shouted, “Nonsense! I didn’t! My leg broke from an accident—”But the onlookers no longer believed him. Someone even shouted, “Xiang Laosan, could it be that your son was swapped with someone else’s child to serve your family as an errand boy?”

“Wow, you might be onto something! When Erlang comes back, he might not even acknowledge this man as his father.”

“Better to split him off like Dagen!” The crowd erupted into laughter.