Chapter 55: Teaching and Literacy

Xia Xunyan, after all, was not a country girl. She had never walked this kind of road before, and what’s more, this path couldn’t even be considered a road. It was a makeshift trail carved out by Pear Blossom ahead. The young lady from the city staggered along, stumbling as though she were a child just learning to walk.

However, this girl also had a tough character. No one knew how many times her legs had bumped and scraped, but she gritted her teeth, not making a sound, determined not to fall behind even a single step. If it weren’t for Pear Blossom noticing her odd gait and urging her to lift her skirt and check, she wouldn’t have realized how badly she was walking.

Not only that, but being caught by this gang of thieves, there were bound to be instances of harassment along the way. Yet, when she was rescued, she didn’t cry or cause a scene. Instead, she calmly cooperated with Pear Blossom to take down the double kill, without disrupting the rescue plan. She was undoubtedly a smart and brave woman, which made Pear Blossom admire her even more.

Fortunately, with the system’s help in identifying the route, otherwise, even the hunters familiar with the area might not have been able to cross several mountains so easily, avoid cliffs and traps, and return to the foot of East Mountain in Daliushu Village in such a short time.

Despite that, by the time they arrived home, it was already sunset due to the time spent dealing with the thieves.

Dagen and Mrs. Xiong were shocked when they saw the two women, their clothes in tatters and stained with spots of blood.

Pear Blossom quickly fetched her own clothes, asking Xia Xunyan to clean up, while she recounted the events of the day to her parents. As expected, when the couple heard that it was the same gang of thieves from before, they were furious and couldn’t help but pity the young woman. From her accent, it was clear she wasn’t from this area, and she had likely suffered untold hardships being abducted all the way here.

“She doesn’t want to go back now, so let her stay at our house for the time being,” Pear Blossom said. “I’ll move in with Xinghua, and she can stay in my room. Those thieves will certainly not give up easily, so she should avoid going out, and we shouldn’t make a fuss to outsiders to prevent bringing danger to our family.”

Mrs. Xiong thought about how, had their daughter been captured and unable to escape, she might have ended up in a much worse situation than this young woman. Her heart softened, and she quickly assured, “Don’t worry, I’ll go tell your younger siblings right now. Not a word will be said.”

Pear Blossom nodded and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, Mom and Dad. With ten villages and dozens of mountains around us, it’ll be hard for them to find us. We just need to be cautious and prepared, that’s all.”

The couple nodded quickly.

Mrs. Xiong went out to instruct the children, while Dagen turned to his daughter and asked, “Daughter, are those two villains… dead?”

Truth be told, Dagen had spent most of his years in the military doing agricultural work, and had few opportunities to actually fight on the battlefield. He’d been involved in some small skirmishes, but it was mostly just fighting between different factions. He followed orders to retreat when told and played dead when the situation got too dangerous. He had a family, a wife, and children, so he feared death and valued his life.

Having been in the military for nearly twenty years, he hadn’t killed anyone.

Now, hearing his daughter casually mention stabbing two thieves, he couldn’t help but think that things might not be as simple as he imagined.

Pear Blossom replied vaguely, “Each of them got stabbed once. As for whether they’re dead or not, I didn’t check. I was too busy trying to escape.”

Dagen had naturally seen his daughter’s dagger before, the one used to skin the black bear last time. He also understood her strength. That stab had gone for the throat—someone hit there had little chance of surviving.

His daughter didn’t want to elaborate, and he didn’t press. Those men were human traffickers and mountain bandits, evil to the core. Their deaths were justified, but his daughter’s calmness surprised him.

Thinking of the bow that Zuo Qi had given her, it was similarly rough in appearance but with powerful capabilities. What kind of person was Zuo Qi, and why would he give such valuable items to an ordinary girl? And now, with Pear Blossom mingling with people from the escort agency… Dagen vaguely felt that his daughter was becoming more and more extraordinary.

He didn’t think of stopping her, though. He had been weak and cowardly his entire life, causing his wife and children to suffer. Now that his daughter was standing strong, he had no right to stop her.

What he could do was take care of the behind-the-scenes matters so she could focus on what she wanted to do without worries.

Xia Xunyan quickly finished cleaning up and went straight to Pear Blossom’s room.

Her posture was tall and graceful, like an elegant bamboo shoot. Even though she was wearing coarse linen clothes, they didn’t seem shabby on her. Instead, they highlighted her refined and noble appearance.

Pear Blossom looked her up and down and said, “It fits quite well. You’ll stay in this room. I have a younger sister, Xinghua. I’ll have her come over later to apply medicine for you.”

She paused and added, “I’m usually not home in the mornings. If you need anything, you can always find Xinghua.”

Xia Xunyan bowed again and said, “I’m deeply grateful for your rescue today. I will never forget your kindness. But at the moment, I have nothing to offer in return, and I feel deeply ashamed—”

Pear Blossom furrowed her brow and interrupted, “I didn’t save you expecting anything in return. Don’t say those things again.”

Xia Xunyan, with her noble and proud character, was somewhat embarrassed by the interruption.

However, Pear Blossom’s directness was unlike anyone she had met before. Talking to her was refreshing, and because she was her savior, Xia Xunyan couldn’t help but develop a great fondness for her.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Earlier, I was in such a sorry state. I just rushed to meet your parents, and I feel it was very rude. I now wish to properly thank them for taking me in. Is that convenient?”

Pear Blossom could tell from Xia Xunyan’s manner, poise, and politeness that she must come from a well-educated family, and naturally agreed.

The two went outside, and Pear Blossom told her, “Our home is at the foot of the eastern mountain, far from the other houses in the village. People rarely come by, so you can walk around the yard from time to time. If anyone comes, it’s better to stay inside and avoid them. Xinghua doesn’t go out much, but I will tell her to keep an eye out. If anyone comes, she will let you know.”

Xia Xunyan nodded to show her understanding.

Upon reaching the main hall of the courtyard, she adjusted her attire, formally greeted the Dagen couple, knelt, and bowed deeply to express her gratitude.

The couple had never been treated with such great respect by someone so graceful and elegant before. Mrs. Xiong, flustered, hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, saying, “We’re just simple country folk, no need for such grand gestures. Please, get up—get up!”

Dagen also stood up in a rush, unsure of what to say, simply chuckling awkwardly.

Xia Xunyan replied, “Even in an ordinary household, proper courtesy must not be neglected.”

As she spoke, she bowed fully, touching her forehead to the ground. Only then did she rise.

Mrs. Xiong laughed, “Such a well-mannered child! Stay with us as long as you like. We’ll figure everything out once things settle down.”

Xia Xunyan bowed again, “Thank you. It’s my intrusion that has caused Pear Blossom and Xinghua to share a room.”

Mrs. Xiong waved it off, “Oh, we’ve had harder times than this before. Don’t worry about it. There were days when it rained and the roof leaked everywhere. With your father gone, all five of us had to squeeze into one bed.”

Recalling the hardships of the past brought a wave of emotion.

Pear Blossom called her three younger siblings over to introduce them to Xia Xunyan one by one. Xinghua was particularly taken by the elegant older sister. She admired her greatly but felt like a clump of dirt by comparison, wanting to get close yet too shy to approach.

Seeing this, Xia Xunyan extended her hand with a gentle smile and said, “Pear Blossom mentioned earlier that Xinghua would help me apply my medicine. I’ll be counting on you.”

Encouraged by her warmth, Xinghua’s face turned bright red with excitement as she held Xia Xunyan’s hand and led her to the east room.

Pear Blossom, looking rather disheveled, went to wash up first. As she left the room, she said to her mother, “Mom, how much fabric do we have left? Let’s make it all into clothes. I’ll buy more tomorrow.”

With an extra person in the house—especially one with refined tastes—Pear Blossom felt they needed to make more clothes, even though Xia Xunyan didn’t seem to mind. Times weren’t as tough as they used to be, and now that they had the means, they could afford to make a few extra garments.

Mrs. Xiong readily agreed.

…

After washing up, Pear Blossom considered visiting Dong Yun. Despite her usual carefree nature, the events of the day had left her a bit shaken. She thought Dong Yun’s comforting presence might calm her nerves. However, before she could leave, Mrs. Xiong called everyone to dinner.

Since Xia Xunyan was an outsider and wanted to keep a low profile, it was inappropriate for her to dine with Dagen, Daniu, and the others. Her meal was therefore brought to her room.

Worried that Xia Xunyan might feel out of place, Pear Blossom carried her bowl and joined her.

In contrast to Xia Xunyan’s refined and measured eating habits, Pear Blossom wolfed down her rice. However, Xia Xunyan’s expression remained calm, as though she found nothing amiss. Pear Blossom, on the other hand, didn’t even realize there was anything to be self-conscious about. She’d grown up with a hearty appetite, and after years of not having enough to eat, she had developed a habit of eating quickly.

The bowls in Pear Blossom’s house were quite large. Even though Xia Xunyan hadn’t eaten all day, she only managed one bowl. Pear Blossom, depending on her hunger, typically ate two bowls, sometimes three if she was especially famished. As for Dagen and Daniu, they needed no less than three bowls per meal. In the past, the family couldn’t afford to sell any of their rice; every grain went toward feeding themselves. Mrs. Xiong would often feel anxious while scooping rice, knowing how hard it would have been to manage back in the old days.

Thankfully, the family now had a full granary and some silver. At least hunger was no longer a concern.

Xia Xunyan ate elegantly, adhering strictly to the rule of not speaking during meals. Pear Blossom, however, had no such reservations. Watching Xia Xunyan delicately finish a plate of scrambled eggs with wild onions, she grinned and asked, “Our eggs are good, aren’t they?”

Xia Xunyan nodded. “I’ve never had scrambled eggs this delicious before.”

Pear Blossom beamed with pride. She credited the family’s old hen for laying such flavorful eggs. Aside from Murong Jin’s mother, Xia Xunyan was the second person to fall in love with them.

Pear Blossom regretted that Dong Yun had yet to try the eggs, though. Dong Yun’s family also raised chickens, and they had sent eggs over several times before. Sending eggs to someone who already had them seemed unnecessary.

After dinner, it began to rain again, so Pear Blossom gave up the idea of visiting the Zeng family. She watched Xinghua carefully apply Xia Xunyan’s medicine, and as a wave of drowsiness hit, she went to Xinghua’s room, crawled under a warm blanket, and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, the rain had yet to stop. Pear Blossom woke to find the light already on in her room. Surprised that Xia Xunyan was up so early, she asked her younger sister to keep her company during the day, grabbed a meat pie, put on her raincoat, and hurried out.

While passing the road that led from Daliushu Village to the main road, she paid extra attention but saw nothing unusual, likely because of the rain. There were few travelers, so she went on her way as usual.

After finishing her training session around noon and seeing that the rain had stopped, she went to the north market’s fabric shop to buy two bolts of cloth. She picked a higher-quality white fabric for one and also purchased some rouge for Dong Yun, remembering their agreement to start literacy lessons during the agricultural off-season. If she was to learn to read, she would need paper, brushes, and ink, not just for herself but for her siblings as well.

The village school was already under construction. Her father and Daniu were helping with the work, and progress was swift. She had heard that the walls were complete and that the roof beams would be installed in the next couple of days. The community had pooled seven or eight taels of silver, and her father and Qin Dashan were tasked with purchasing tiles. Her father had even secretly added more money to ensure the schoolhouse and the teacher’s quarters would have proper roofs.

At the current pace, the school would be finished by next month. If they could hire a teacher, the children would finally have the opportunity to study.

Pear Blossom knew she was no longer a child. Since she had to go to the escort agency during the day, going to school with others was impossible. She made up her mind to rely on Dong Yun, determined to have her teach her alone.

Just imagining being taught by Sister Dong made her heart race uncontrollably.

But she couldn’t help worrying—her slow mind had taken so long to learn the system’s four attributes before. If she remained this clumsy, would Sister Dong lose patience? Would she become frustrated?

These thoughts left Pear Blossom feeling anxious.

Sister Dong was beautiful, literate, and graceful like a celestial being. In contrast, Pear Blossom thought of herself as dark-skinned, a big eater, and only strong but dull. If Sister Dong realized how foolish she was, would her impression of Pear Blossom worsen?

Carrying these concerns, Pear Blossom returned home.

She brought the cloth to her mother’s room and placed the writing tools in her own. When Xia Xunyan saw the ink and brushes, her eyes lit up. “Could I borrow these for a bit?”

Realizing she was being presumptuous, Xia Xunyan flushed. In this rural area, scholars were rare, and writing tools were invaluable. As a penniless guest in their home, asking to borrow such expensive items felt like overstepping boundaries. Embarrassed, she quickly added, “I can copy books. My handwriting is decent. When you go to town again, if the bookstore needs anything copied, I can do it.”

Pear Blossom chuckled. “Brushes and ink are for writing. Why wouldn’t it be okay? I didn’t know you were literate, though.”

Immediately, she felt foolish. A woman as elegant and well-mannered as Xia Xunyan couldn’t possibly be illiterate.

Xia Xunyan merely smiled. “I know a little.”

Anyone familiar with her background would have been shocked at such a modest claim. For someone of her education, “a little” was a gross understatement.

But Pear Blossom was unaware. Suppressing her excitement, she said, “If you’re literate, could you teach us? Our village is building a school, but scholars are rare, and few are willing to come to Daliushu Village. Even after it’s built, who knows when we’ll have a teacher? None of us know how to read. If you could teach us a bit until we get a proper teacher, my younger siblings could learn from you. We don’t expect advanced skills, just enough to recognize some characters and not be at a disadvantage when out in the world.”

Xia Xunyan smiled. “Why not? But aren’t you going to study with me as well?”

Pear Blossom initially intended to learn from Sister Dong, but recalling her earlier worries, she hesitated and changed her response. “If Miss Xia doesn’t mind my age and slowness, I’d like to learn too.”

Learning from Xia Xunyan first might make her seem less ignorant to Sister Dong later.

Xia Xunyan said gently, “It’s never too late to learn. You’re not even twenty yet; how can you say you’re too old? I’ve already received much care from your family. If I can contribute by teaching, it would only ease my conscience.”

And so, the matter was settled.

That night, the family gathered around the table as Pear Blossom shared the news about Xia Xunyan teaching them. Her parents were overjoyed.

Xia Xunyan seemed like someone from a wealthy household. Whatever her abilities, she was more than capable of teaching their children.

However, Daniu protested, “Let Erniu and Xinghua learn. I’m too old. I’ll just keep working with Dad.”

Father knocked him on the head. “What nonsense! We have a teacher right here, and you want to stay illiterate? That’s ambition for you!”

Mother added, “Miss Xia looks well-educated. We don’t need much, but at least you should learn to write your name.”

Pear Blossom joined in. “If anyone’s too old, it’s me. I’m the dullest one here, yet I’m learning too. What’s your excuse?”

Under their combined persuasion, Daniu reluctantly agreed.

Pear Blossom continued, “But let’s be clear—just because we’re studying doesn’t mean we abandon all chores. I still have to go to the escort agency. Daniu, you’ll keep helping Dad with the school construction. Erniu will still herd cattle, and Erya will help Mom with household chores. We’ll study only in the afternoon or evening when we have free time. Understood?”

The younger siblings nodded eagerly, and their mother beamed with pride. “Pear Blossom, you’re becoming the head of this family. Having you all is more than enough for me.”

Pear Blossom later conveyed the family’s arrangement to Xia Xunyan. Hearing it, Xia Xunyan said, “You’ve planned well. Studying should integrate with daily life. Spending all day with books won’t necessarily yield results. A balance of work and rest is the best approach.”

Pear Blossom smiled. “In that case, we’ll trouble you, Teacher Xia.”

Her experiences at the escort agency and her accumulated wisdom had polished her speech, making her more tactful and refined.

Xia Xunyan responded warmly, “It’s no trouble. Teaching is easy for me. I might even need your help someday.”

Pear Blossom asked, “What kind of help?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Xia Xunyan replied.

“Who?” Pear Blossom asked. With her system, finding someone within ten miles was a simple task.

Xia Xunyan shook her head and said, “I’ve just received your help and been cared for so generously by your family. Now, before I’ve even started teaching literacy, I’m already making demands. That would truly be shameless of me. Let’s discuss this matter another day.”

After all these years, there was no rush to resolve it in this moment. Moreover, she dared not place all her hopes on this young girl in front of her. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Pear Blossom saw her insist and had no choice but to relent. “Alright then, let me know when you need anything.”

Saying this, she picked up a box of rouge and prepared to visit the Zeng family. But just as she was about to head out, the rain, which had stopped for half a day, began to drizzle again. Pear Blossom thought it over and decided to stay indoors.

She realized she had forgotten to buy something for Fubao. If she went now and the little one saw her returning with gifts for others but not for her, there would definitely be trouble. Pear Blossom couldn’t bear to see the disappointed look in the little dumpling’s eyes. She decided she’d bring back a small gift tomorrow and visit the Zeng family then.

With that thought, she lay down at ease.

Still, it had been several days since she’d last seen Sister Dong, and she found herself missing her.

Beside her, Xinghua had already fallen into a deep sleep, her gentle snores audible. Yet Pear Blossom tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She thought about the incident from the previous month when, in her panic, she had avoided meeting her for several days. Sister Dong’s later accusations, her aggrieved expression, her pitiful look, the slightly pouting lips, and the coquettish gaze kept replaying in her mind.

Pear Blossom felt a pang of unease and inexplicable heartache. Suddenly, she sat up.

She decided she had to go see her. Putting on her shoes, she summoned the system, “What’s Sister Dong doing right now?”

The system scanned briefly and replied, “She’s asleep, holding Fubao.”

The fiery longing to see her instantly felt doused by cold water. Pear Blossom was suddenly dejected. She took off her shoes and lay back down, her hands resting beneath her head as she stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, sleep eluding her. She asked the system, “What’s my current score?”

The system replied, “Currently, Wisdom: 22, Physique: 22, Reputation: 31, Affection: 0. However, yesterday you saved someone from bandits. Although you needed my help for the location, capturing those two bandits relied entirely on your own skills. So you earned 7 points in total—1 point added to Reputation, while the remaining 6 points are still unallocated.”

Pear Blossom gazed at the four glowing attribute bars before her. At the same time, Dong Yun’s stunning face and graceful figure flitted across her mind. The lingering warmth and soft sensation from her touch seemed to remain in her palm.

That soft sensation replayed itself in her mind, spreading from her palm to her heart. It felt as though her heart and that gentle warmth were pressing closely together, squeezing up and down. Her toes instinctively curled, but she didn’t know where to press toward. Her body was inexplicably filled with a longing she had never felt before, though she didn’t know what she longed for. All she knew was—it was unbearable.

“Host, you haven’t decided where to allocate the points.”

Pear Blossom snapped out of her reverie and said, “Oh, add two points to each.”

“Two points to each? Host, Reputation is automatically allocated and can’t be adjusted manually.”

“I know,” Pear Blossom replied flatly.

But the system suddenly raised its voice, crackling with static. “Host, you’ve finally had an epiphany! You’ve allocated two points to Affection!”

Pear Blossom, expressionless, said, “Yes, out of the four attributes, having one empty bar just looks bad.”

The system thought for a moment and found that this reasoning made sense.