Chapter 67.1: Sweet Water

After receiving instructions from Lady Jiang, Pear Blossom waited for Murong Jin to rest for a while. Then the two of them had another sparring match, which left them both exhausted before they finally stopped, sitting at one end of the training field, gasping for air.

Pear Blossom seized the opportunity to bring up the topic of taxes and grain payment, and Murong Jin readily agreed.

After discussing business, Pear Blossom hesitated for a long time before finally asking shyly, “Um… about the novel you mentioned earlier… do you have an illustrated version? Could you let me borrow it to take a look?”

Having just spent the day training, almost exhausting all her energy, Murong Jin was lying on the ground, groaning. Hearing such a question, she thought she misheard, her eyes widening as she stared at Pear Blossom. “You want to borrow a novel from me?”

Pear Blossom’s ears turned bright red, and she tugged at Murong Jin’s sleeve. “Why are you shouting so loudly? Don’t draw attention to us!”

Murong Jin then smiled slyly, leaning over to press her shoulder, “Our little Pear Blossom is finally opening up, huh?”

Pear Blossom broke free from her hold. “You could at least say something first! Don’t keep treating me like a joke. You’ve read it too, didn’t you?”

Murong Jin replied, “Yeah, I’ve read it. Heh, I’ve been teased by other girls plenty, but now it’s finally my turn to tease someone else. How could I miss this opportunity?”

Pear Blossom, embarrassed and irritated, said, “If you’re not going to give it to me, then forget it. I’m going to eat, and after that, I’ll head back.”

She stood up, preparing to leave.

Murong Jin hurriedly grabbed her. “Look at you, getting all worked up. It was just a joke! I’ll give it to you, which one do you want?”

Pear Blossom was confused. “There’s more than one version?”

“Yep. There’s one for men with men, one for men and women, and one for women with women,” Murong Jin said, looking around, though her words were as casual as listing items.

Pear Blossom was a bit surprised there was even a version for men with men.

But since she was already interested in women, what was so strange about men with men? The wealthy and influential men in the city weren’t exactly shy about their indulgences. However, she didn’t want Murong Jin to realize she liked women. She wondered if she should pick a men-with-men or a men-and-women version to cover her tracks. But before she could make a decision, Murong Jin spoke again.

“Recently, one of my friends borrowed the first two versions. The only one left is the women-with-women one, and it even has illustrations. You can take that one for now. When the others are returned, I’ll give them to you.”

That was exactly what Pear Blossom had hoped for, and she couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.

But then Murong Jin suddenly turned her head and said, “You know, last time you saved a woman, and because of that, the bandits came to the village, and we had to create the Jinfeng Tower to save the day. Now, for your sister Dong, we’re getting involved in a gambling den. You keep putting yourself in these dangerous situations all because of your ‘women.’ Don’t you think your good fortune with women is a bit much?”

Pear Blossom’s face remained expressionless as she replied, “Who says you can act as a hero, but I can’t stand up for what’s right? This world is so chaotic, and women are often the ones who suffer the most. What’s so strange about me helping them?”

Murong Jin, listening to her, found her reasoning valid, but still felt a bit mischievous. “Those bandits can’t forget the woman you saved. What could she possibly look like to make them think about her so much?”

Pear Blossom thought about Xia Xunyan’s appearance for a moment and tried to describe her, but words failed her, so she simply said, “She looks like a fairy from the heavens.”

Murong Jin rolled her eyes. “And how does she compare to your sister Dong?”

This question was clearly asked of the wrong person. After all, in the eyes of a lover, even a beautiful woman like Xi Shi pales. How could Pear Blossom, such a simpleton, possibly think that there’s anyone in the world more beautiful than Dong Yun? She immediately replied, “Not as good as Sister Dong.”

Fortunately, Murong Jin didn’t trust her judgment and immediately dismissed her opinion: “Come on, you’re blind. It took you a whole month to tell apart Shitou and Mutou. There’s no right answer for this question from you. I’d better go see for myself.”

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. “How about I visit your house to see that fairy, is that okay?”

It was strange to specifically visit someone to judge if they were beautiful. Pear Blossom instinctively rejected the idea, but Murong Jin grew even more excited and grabbed her arm pleadingly. “Please, Pear Blossom, let me go to your house. When I was little, I loved fairies the most. You have to fulfill my childhood wish. Please!”

Pear Blossom was exhausted from her incessant talking and said, “After this morning’s training, you can hardly move. My house is over twenty miles away. Are you sure you want to ride that far just to see a fairy?”

Murong Jin quickly jumped up, saying, “What’s the big deal? As long as I can see a fairy, I’m not afraid of any hardship.”

Just then, a young maid from the backyard rushed over and said, “Miss, the Madam asked you not to go out this afternoon. There are guests coming, and she wants you to help receive them.”

Pear Blossom raised an eyebrow at the maid’s words.

Murong Jin, pouting and clearly displeased, huffed and stormed off toward the backyard.

Pear Blossom turned to eat, and after finishing, she was about to head out on her horse when suddenly a figure darted toward her, slyly slipping something into her arms. She looked down and saw a yellowing little booklet, clearly one that had been flipped through many times.

She hurriedly stuffed it into her bosom, ignoring the mischievous grin on Murong Jin’s face. “I’m heading back.”

Murong Jin crossed her arms, teasingly saying, “I’ve given you the item. When I have time, I’ll visit your house to see the fairy.”

Pear Blossom didn’t respond and led her horse out of the Dart Bureau. She didn’t rush home immediately but instead went to the grain shop in the city to compare prices. After walking around, she made up her mind.

She noticed a vendor selling fish and approached to inquire about the price.

Though Daliushu Village had a small river running through half of it, the fish in the river were difficult to catch, and since the village was poor, if there had been fish, they would have been caught by the good swimmers and brought home long ago. Pear Blossom had rarely eaten meat when she was younger, let alone fish. Now, seeing a dozen or so fish of varying sizes on the stall, she thought about how, at the Dart Bureau, the kitchen sometimes cooked fish, making a delicious soup with fish heads and tofu.

Sister Dong Yun didn’t like pickled meat, so the fish seemed more suitable for her.

The price wasn’t too expensive, comparable to pork. After all, fish have bones, and poor families would rather buy fatty pork if they could afford it. Only those with money could take the time to carefully pick out the bones.

Thinking that Fubao also needed to eat, she asked which fish had fewer bones.

The fisherman explained that the yellow flower fish and bass had the fewest bones. However, bass was better steamed and a little more expensive, while yellow flower fish was smaller and better for braising. Grass carp was also good, large and fatty, suitable for braising or boiling.

After looking them over, Pear Blossom chose a 6-7 jin (about 3-3.5 kg) grass carp and a 3-4 jin (about 1.5-2 kg) bass. She had planned to buy tofu to make soup for Dong Yun but realized that carrying tofu while riding would make it turn to mush, so she gave up on that idea.

After buying the fish, she left the city. The gate guards, who had seen her go in and out daily, had gotten familiar with her. They would often chat with her.

Today, it was a young man named Xiao Ba on duty. Seeing Pear Blossom leading her tall horse, he couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, miss, that’s a fine horse. Did you buy it yourself?”

Pear Blossom, though blind, recognized the guards at the city gate. She smiled and replied, “I can’t afford a horse. This is from the Dart Bureau. The young lady doesn’t like me walking too slowly, so she lets me ride when we’re not on an escort mission.”

Xiaoba had heard that Pear Blossom had been serving as a sparring partner for Miss Murong but hadn’t really believed it, especially after seeing her build, which looked like it could be knocked over with a single punch. However, after seeing her arrive at the city gate on time, rain or shine, and now seeing her leading such a fine horse, he finally started to believe it.

“Your young lady really treats you well.”

Pear Blossom casually responded, “It’s okay. Maybe it’s because I have tough skin and can take a beating. She finally found someone who’s not afraid of falling.”

“How old are you? You look about sixteen or seventeen. I swear, you’ve gotten taller and stronger since the last time I saw you. Most girls your age stop growing by now.”

Another guard teased, “It must be the food at Longwei Dart Bureau. After just a couple of months, you’ve changed so much.”

Pear Blossom smiled and chatted with them for a while before heading out of the city. She mounted her horse and galloped away.

The guards watched her go, their eyes full of envy.

When she reached the village, she turned toward the Zeng family’s small courtyard, but the door was locked, indicating they had gone out to work. She hung the bass on the door and then rode to the Zeng family’s field.

Sure enough, she saw two adults working in the field, and a small child running around the ridge.

Though it was past the busy farming season, there was still work to be done. Every household was busy plowing and turning the soil, and since the Zeng family didn’t own a cow, they had to rent one. Mrs. Zeng couldn’t bear to spend the few coins for a cow, so she had to rely on manual labor to turn the soil, doing what she could.

But the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn’t have much to talk about. One worked at one end of the field, and there was little communication.

When Fubao saw Pear Blossom, she happily ran toward her.

Pear Blossom hurried to greet her and picked her up, heading toward Dong Yun.

Dong Yun stopped her work when she saw it was Pear Blossom, twirling a strand of hair behind her ear and asking, “Why aren’t you resting at home? Why are you back in the field?”

Pear Blossom had just had a brief moment of intimacy with her the previous night, and whenever she had a moment to herself, she would recall that scene in the dark, replaying it in her mind. Now, seeing her in broad daylight, she suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

Especially with those beautiful lips that constantly drew her gaze, her mind only thinking about when she could kiss them again.

Seeing Dong Yun’s gradually annoyed expression, she hurriedly said, “I have something serious to discuss.”

Dong Yun snapped back, “Then why is it that every time you come, it’s for something improper?”