Chapter 78: Chicken Stew with Mushrooms

The Liu family gathered around Liu Youtie, bombarding him with questions about what had happened. However, they couldn’t get any clear answers until Mrs. Zeng stormed to their front door, scolding them fiercely. Only then did the entire family realize what was going on.

Mrs. Liu’s face alternated between blue and white as she cried, “Why did you go provoke them? Haven’t you learned enough from the Xiang family’s situation? Xiang Dalang was beaten so badly he couldn’t get out of bed for months, and his entire family was driven out of the village—all because they messed with that woman! You can’t provoke her! My son, why are you so foolish!”

Liu Youtie had a bruised face, blood oozing from his nose, and was unable to say a word.

Liu Laoye heard Mrs. Zeng frequently dragging their ancestors through the mud, which made him tremble with rage. He scolded his wife, “Where did my son go wrong? Did he kill someone or force anyone? Widow Dong got bitten by a snake—how does that involve my son? He just didn’t help call for someone, and he didn’t do anything terrible. Besides, isn’t she fine now?”

“That old hag! Distorting the truth, throwing all sorts of dirt on our family! I’m going out to teach her a lesson!” he roared, calling for the dozen or so workers and servants in the household to go after Mrs. Zeng.

Some of the workers, who were from the Daliushu Village, hesitated when they heard they were going to deal with someone from their own village. A few gathered their courage and said, “Master, Mrs. Zeng has always been like that. Why bother arguing with her?”

“Yeah, after all, she’s the Fourth Young Master’s mother…” One worker didn’t finish his sentence before catching a sharp look from Liu Laoye and quickly stopped talking.

Liu Laoye glared, his anger rising, “Are you going or not? If not, then don’t work for the Liu family anymore!”

The workers exchanged glances, and reluctantly, they followed the others out.

As Mrs. Zeng walked along, still cursing, she saw Liu Laoye with about twenty people coming towards her. She wasn’t scared at all and sneered, “Well, are you here to take my life? Come on, if you have the guts, kill me right here!”

Mrs. Xiong, standing beside her, quickly grabbed her arm and tried to persuade her, “Aunt, let it go, let it go. They have so many people, let’s just leave.”

But Mrs. Zeng didn’t want to give up easily. She shook off Mrs. Xiong’s hand and continued cursing, “Let it go? Nonsense! If the beam is crooked, the columns are too! If he hadn’t raised such a worthless son, how could my son-in-law have ended up like this? Today, I’m going to see if he dares to kill me. As long as I have one breath left, I’ll come here every day to curse!”

Her words were like throwing gasoline on a fire, and Liu Laoye, his round belly sticking out, rushed toward her, shouting, “You old woman, tell me, did my son touch your daughter-in-law’s hair or even a finger?”

Mrs. Zeng was momentarily stunned but refused to back down. “Isn’t it true that your son didn’t save my daughter-in-law? I’m just stating the facts, why are you so angry? What, can’t people speak the truth about such shameless deeds?”

“You’re slandering me!” Liu Laoye’s face turned red with fury, “How could my son not want to save people? It’s your daughter-in-law who refused to let my son carry her down the mountain. She didn’t want help, so how can you blame my son for not saving her?”

“Your face is as big as a washbasin,” Mrs. Zeng sneered, “Since ancient times, widowers and widows should avoid suspicion. Who told your son to carry her? My daughter-in-law said to call for help, but he insisted on carrying her, wasn’t that an improper motive?”

Liu Laoye was furious, his face turning purple. He spat on the ground, “You’re the ones who didn’t want help, and now you’re the ones with the audacity to come curse my family. I’m not like the Xiang family, a bunch of spineless cowards who let you curse them. From now on, if you curse once, I’ll slap you once!”

At that moment, a young voice piped up, “You dare!”

Everyone turned around, and it was Zeng Guangjin who had arrived.

Liu Laoye sneered, “Oh, it’s you. What, your old mother couldn’t handle me, so you sent this little brat to step in for her?”

Zeng Guangjin scoffed, “You want reason? I’ll give you reason! In the reign of the Qinglong Dynasty, the law was clear—anyone who is capable of helping but deliberately refuses to do so will be punished with a hundred strokes of the rod. My sister-in-law clearly asked for help, but your son, Liu Laosi, ignored her. Knowing that delaying would lead to life-threatening consequences, he still pressed her to make contact, trying to create a pretext for blackmailing her later. Even if this ends up in the court, we’ll be in the right!”

Master Liu’s (Old man Liu) greatest hatred was for scholars, those who could talk in endless, convoluted arguments. When dealing with such people, he wanted to explode, but he couldn’t—especially with the old woman beside him, who was even better at throwing tantrums.

He could only suppress his anger and argue, “Now, your sister-in-law is fine, isn’t she? That doesn’t count as letting someone die without saving them. If she had really died, that would be another matter!”

Zeng Guangjin, enraged, laughed bitterly. “Fine? She’s still lying in the medical hall, crawling back, her hands and feet covered in wounds, and you still have the face to say she’s fine! If Pear Blossom hadn’t arrived in time, your son would have caused her death!”

“Oh?” Master Liu snorted loudly, then immediately changed the subject. “Speaking of that Pear Blossom, she beat my son until blood was coming from his seven orifices. I haven’t settled the score with her yet! And here you are, playing the victim first!”

He said this while shooting a dark glare at Mrs. Xiong.

Mrs. Xiong didn’t back down and glared back. “I say, you should thank my daughter! If it weren’t for her timely rescue of Fubao, if that person had died, your son would have become a murderer! A hundred lashes would have killed her! You truly are like a dog biting Lu Dongbin, not knowing the good intentions of others!”

“You—you—” Master Liu trembled with rage, pointing at Mrs. Xiong as he cursed, “You wretched woman! Do you even know who your husband’s child is? How dare you help an outsider like this!”

After saying this, he turned to the workers and servants behind him, barking an order. “Go, tie up this wretched woman!”

However, before anyone could act, other villagers rushed forward, standing in front of Mrs. Xiong. “Master Liu, you’re in the wrong here. Dagen has already been distributed. He has never eaten a single grain of your rice or used any of your money. Now you’re trying to control him too much!”

Seeing this, Master Liu shouted angrily, “A bunch of unruly villagers! Don’t forget that you still farm my land! Without me, you wouldn’t even have land to farm or food to eat! And now you dare to block me! Be careful, I’ll take all the land back and leave you with nothing to plant!”

This immediately sparked the villagers’ anger. “Fine! Since you look down on us, then this year, we really won’t rent any land from you!”

“I won’t farm either!”

“Neither will we!”

“This year, Pear Blossom used the money she won at the gambling house and gave ten taels of silver to each household. The villagers now had extra money and no longer had to tolerate the same old oppression.”

Seeing the villagers shouting they wouldn’t farm, Master Liu felt panic in his heart, though he still tried to maintain composure, cursing, “A bunch of mud-legged people! Without land, what will you eat? My family doesn’t lack people to rent the land! There are plenty of people from other villages who want to rent my land! I don’t need you few tenants!”

And so, both sides parted unhappily.

Back home, when Mrs. Liu heard what had happened outside, she couldn’t help but scold him. “Can’t you just stay calm for once? You’ve already brought up the rent, and now you’re arguing with the villagers. They’re not renting now. Who’s going to farm our land? If no one farms it, I’ll see you go hungry!”

Master Liu stubbornly retorted, “Let them rent or not! They’ll starve without this work. My land won’t lack for tenants. If necessary, I’ll rent it to people from other villages!”

“People from other villages won’t know the land like we do!” Mrs. Liu snapped. “They’ll just come from far away, not caring about your land. They’ll farm what they can, and leave the rest abandoned. What will you do then?”

“Enough!” Master Liu shouted angrily. “You only ever side with outsiders! Fourth son has become like this, and you don’t even care!”

“How can I care? He’s in the wrong for what he did. If someone admits it, that’s it. Why bring a whole group of people to threaten others?” Mrs. Liu couldn’t help but cry.

Master Liu, enraged, stormed off.

---

At the medical hall, after Xie Xunyan left, Pear Blossom gently sat back on the small stool by the bed. She could still hear the teacher’s words echoing in her ears:

“Fool, the first person she wanted to see when she woke up was you.”

Those words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves of emotion.

Pear Blossom was no longer the same Pear Blossom from before. She could now understand the deeper meaning behind the teacher’s words.

Sister, did you really want to see me first more than the teacher? Once that thought appeared, it filled her entire mind. Her heart raced, and the sorrow of the past few days seemed to ease for a moment.

But didn’t sister clearly reject me before? So, sister must have her own reasons for pushing me away.

Sister’s reasons?

Pear Blossom laughed bitterly at herself. How foolish she was! Didn’t sister’s reasons already lay out plainly for her?

That day when Master He came to visit, sister stood behind the door, cold as snow, like a startled bird. Of course, she was afraid—afraid of her identity being exposed, and the disaster it would bring to those around her.

And yet, Pear Blossom had known her identity all along, how could she have forgotten her worries?

Thinking back to the past, she had been so bold, touching her up and down. She had always indulged Pear Blossom’s mischief, sometimes even willing to play along with her.

She had clearly been willing to get close to me!

When had she started to distance herself from me?

The day she was called to get goat milk, she came gladly, but after seeing the scene where the old Liu and his sons, along with the matchmaker, came to propose, her attitude changed that evening when I went to see her.

Pear Blossom wasn’t the brightest, but she was persistent. Once she uncovered the tiniest clue, her mind became exceptionally clear. She began to unravel the situation, layer by layer.

Sister and the teacher had clearly been in a relationship before. But when the teacher revealed his identity to Master He, he called himself the widow of the General Zhennan. So, was sister… abandoned?

So much so that when she saw someone coming to propose, she became frightened, afraid of repeating the same mistake, afraid of being left behind again.

This was just one of the speculations. If her sister truly distanced herself because of this reason, then it was because she hadn’t given her enough sense of security!

Thinking of this, Pear Blossom couldn’t help but feel guilty.

She had made up her mind: this time, no matter what, she would shamelessly cling to her sister, and no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn’t be driven away.

A good woman fears being entangled by a man, and she, as a woman, must shamelessly cling to her sister.

While she was quietly encouraging herself, on the bed, Dong Yun couldn’t help but sigh.

She had woken up when Xia Xunyan was about to leave and naturally heard the conversation between the two of them. For a moment, she didn’t know how to feel.

With Xia Xunyan, they had two emotional intersections: once, a naive confession in their youth, which was met with silence as the other left for the dojo to train; the second time, during their escape, they reunited after a long separation, and she helped her southward. Although there were no words of love spoken then, she could still feel the stirring of emotions in both their hearts. But when they reached the Weishui River, in order for her to travel south smoothly, Xia Xunyan silently married a man who had long admired her, exchanging her marriage for the passage token to head south.

She hated her for being so patient, restrained, and abiding by the rules, hated her for being heartless, for severing their bond so easily.

She also hated that, in the name of doing what’s best for her, Xia Xunyan made decisions on her own.

She never realized that being alive was far more painful than watching her marry another.

Looking back now, perhaps the two were destined to have an unfulfilled connection, something that couldn’t be forced.

What she never expected was that in this small village, she would meet such a lovely little person.

She was honest, enthusiastic, and adorably naive, seemingly simple but rebellious, and loved to act impulsively. She was the complete opposite of Xia Xunyan, who couldn’t even read, yet she couldn’t stop herself from getting close.

Like a spring breeze, gently brushing her face; like a good rain, silently nourishing everything. Before she realized it, she had already been captured without even knowing.

She didn’t understand what made her so special, as if there were flaws everywhere, yet everything about her seemed perfect.

Being with her, life was simple but warm, plain but incredibly reassuring.

Her strength gave her an infinite sense of security. Dong Yun even remembered the night when the girl had picked her up, holding her tightly with her long, strong arms around her waist. At that moment, she felt as if she was melting into a puddle, and a simple action awakened her body’s desires. She clung tightly to her shoulders, pressing herself closer…

It felt as if, with her by her side, there were no dangers.

But such a great danger… how could it be resolved by such a small woman?

Thinking this, she felt conflicted.

She remembered the moment when she saw the girl appear on the mountain, and all her fear instantly vanished. She truly appeared like a giant, standing by her side just when her will was about to break.

How could anyone not love such a person!

Because she loved her, she was greedy, greedy for her warmth, her kindness, and everything good about her.

Because she loved her, she wanted to push her away, to take the disaster away from her side.

But she really didn’t want her to leave. She wanted to tie her down, keep her close, and hold her tightly…

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but curl up a little.

Soon, a warm voice sounded beside her: “Sister… are you awake?”

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, looking at the worried girl in front of her. When she had been carried down the mountain earlier, her vision had been blurry, and she hadn’t had time to get a good look at her. Now, seeing her standing in front of her so vividly, she realized it had already been over ten days since they had last seen each other.

She didn’t know if it was because of longing or something else, but the girl looked even more beautiful, and stronger too.

The familiar feelings in her eyes made her heart tremble slightly.

“Does it hurt?” the girl asked softly, her voice trembling just enough to reveal her nervousness and unease.

To be cared for by someone so much younger than herself, and thinking of the previous grievances, Dong Yun suddenly couldn’t hold back, tears falling as she sniffled and said, “It hurts…”

Pear Blossom’s heart ached, and she asked, “Where does it hurt? Let me blow on it for you.”

Dong Yun couldn’t help but laugh through her tears at Pear Blossom’s comforting tone, as if she were a little child. She gently shook her head and said, “I don’t want to stay here, I want to go home.”

Pear Blossom hurriedly said, “I’ll arrange a carriage right now, just wait for me a moment, sister.”

Saying this, she turned and left, her actions so quick that no one had time to react.

With money in hand, she easily arranged a carriage, hitching her own horse as well. The two horses pulled the carriage, making it steady.

Pear Blossom had the coachman drive the carriage to the medical clinic, thanked Dr. Zhang, and then carried Dong Yun into the carriage.

She was incredibly strong, yet her movements were gentle, as if she were holding a fragile treasure, constantly mindful not to let Dong Yun’s body be jostled. She took great care of her.

Once inside the carriage, she didn’t let go, holding Dong Yun closely in her arms.

Dong Yun felt a little embarrassed and struggled to sit next to her, but Pear Blossom held her tightly and said, “The carriage is shaking, and your hand is already wrapped up. It’s not easy to support you. Your body can’t withstand any more bumps. It’s just a short journey; can we not make it any harder?”

The way she spoke made it sound as if Pear Blossom were the adult and Dong Yun was the mischievous child.

Dong Yun couldn’t argue, and given her still weak body and dizzy head, she gave up.

She nestled into the warm embrace of the girl, smelling the scent of grass on her, while thinking about how she would get her to leave once they reached home, otherwise, all her efforts and persistence these past days would have been in vain.

Pear Blossom had no idea what was going through her mind. Holding the precious treasure she had lost and regained, feeling the fullness of the body in her arms swaying gently, her heart trembled. She wanted to carefully hold her close like a treasure, but she couldn’t help but want to tightly wrap her arms around her waist, drawing her into her own body.

She wanted to question her about why she had been so heartless, pushing her away.

As the carriage moved along, suddenly there was a loud “clang” as it sank into a pit, and the carriage tilted to one side. Pear Blossom instinctively pulled Dong Yun into her arms, securing her, while her other hand went to cushion her head, preventing her from hitting it.

The expected pain did not come. Instead, she felt the warmth of a palm, and Dong Yun secretly reddened her eyes again.

The carriage soon arrived at the Zeng family, where Mrs. Zeng came to open the door.

When little Fubao heard that her mother was hurt, she was already anxious. Now, seeing Pear Blossom holding her down from the carriage, she cried and tried to rush over. Mrs. Zeng grabbed her, saying, “Your mother can’t walk yet. Let her rest first, we’ll talk later.”

After Pear Blossom placed Dong Yun on the bed and checked her injury, confirming that it hadn’t been exposed to the rain or opened, she added a pillow and covered her with a blanket.

little Fubao stood timidly at the side, watching Pear Blossom finish her work, and then carefully leaned against the bed. With tear-filled eyes, she looked at Dong Yun and said, “Mom… Boohoo… little Fubao won’t eat the little umbrella anymore…”

Dong Yun’s heart ached for her daughter. She wanted to raise her hand to wipe away the tears, but seeing the cloth wrapped around her own hand, she gently patted her little head and said, “Mom wants to eat the little umbrella too. It’s my fault for getting bitten by the snake. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

“But… but…” little Fubao stammered, struggling to get the words out. Her eyes were red with urgency, and finally, she blurted, “Does it hurt, Mom? little Fubao will blow on it for you.”

With that, she puffed her little cheeks and gently blew on Dong Yun’s hand.

Dong Yun remembered how someone had asked the same question earlier in the clinic. A faint smile appeared on her pale face as she said, “It hurts a little, but as long as little Fubao kisses me, the pain will go away.”

little Fubao’s big, dark eyes looked at Dong Yun seriously as she said, “little Fubao can kiss you many times, and you won’t hurt anymore.”

She tiptoed and leaned in to kiss Dong Yun.

Dong Yun felt the warmth of the little kiss on her cheek, and her heart softened completely. She turned her head and kissed her back.

However, as she turned her head, she noticed the young girl standing aside, eagerly watching their interaction, seemingly wanting to join in.

Dong Yun’s heart warmed, but remembering her earlier decision in the carriage, despite the suspicion of burning bridges, she decided to continue with her cold treatment to avoid undoing her efforts.

So she said to little Fubao, “Fubao, I want to rest for a while. Can you go to your grandmother’s place?”

little Fubao pouted, unwilling.

But thinking of her mother’s injury, she didn’t dare disobey and reluctantly went to the east courtyard.

After her daughter left, Dong Yun turned to the young girl in front of her and said, “Pear Blossom, thank you for today. If you need anything, feel free to ask. As long as I can do it.”

Pear Blossom’s heart was bitter. Apart from the woman in front of her, what else could she ask for? She lacked nothing, only her love.

But she knew Dong Yun had just been through a shock, and had made up her mind to distance herself. Now was not the time to argue or confess.

So she shook her head, saying, “I don’t need anything.”

Dong Yun sighed inwardly. The expected response saddened her even before she spoke the next words, but she still gritted her teeth and said, “I’m truly grateful for your help today, but now that I’m back, the family doesn’t need your help for now. You can go back.”

Pear Blossom replied with a simple “Okay” but did not move.

Dong Yun frowned slightly.

Pear Blossom stood there for a while before leaving the room.

Dong Yun watched her leave, and sighed in relief, but the sadness she tried to suppress soon overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes, silently lamenting, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

The soft sobs reached Pear Blossom, who had been hiding outside the door, causing her heart to ache like a knife.

She twisted the corner of her clothes, her eyes reddening, but after standing there for a while, she left.

Instead of going home, she put on a raincoat and headed back to the mountain where Dong Yun had encountered the incident earlier. Following the system’s guidance, she found the discarded backpack.

The mushrooms inside were still there, damp from the heavy rain.

She had the system direct her to a few more places with abundant fungi, filling her basket, and even catching a fat, unlucky mountain chicken. Only then did she head back down the mountain to Zeng’s small courtyard.

When she entered, Mrs. Zeng was just about to come over, ready to ask Dong Yun what she wanted for dinner. Now that her daughter-in-law was back, she felt it was her duty to take care of her.

Pear Blossom stopped her with a smile, “Mrs. Zeng, you have so many things to take care of. It’s been raining these past few days, and I’m just idle. Let me help take care of my sister.”

Mrs. Zeng was more than happy to hear this, though she felt a little embarrassed. After all, she had already paid back the thirty taels of silver she had spent buying this girl, and the money had ended up in her pocket. Now, remembering the kindness from before, Pear Blossom had been helping without complaint, and even though her face was thick, she still blushed a little.

But since she was used to taking advantage, and with so much work to do, she readily agreed. Her old face cracked a smile, “It’s said that you repay kindness, and I absolutely believe that. It’s just that spring is coming soon, and there’s a lot to do at home. The rain can’t stop, and if you’re willing to help, it would really be great. Thank you so much.”

Pear Blossom smiled and said, “It’s not tiring at all. You go ahead with your busy work.”

Mrs. Zeng (Grandma Zeng) seemed to have thrown away a hot potato and happily walked off.

Pear Blossom’s lips curled into a slight smile. She was indeed worried that the old woman might suddenly become overly affectionate and want to personally take care of her sister, leaving her with no place to intervene.

Fubao also ran over. Upon seeing Pear Blossom, she was overjoyed, chattering non-stop as she clung to her.

Pear Blossom had no intention of going inside to see Dong Yun. That woman had a tough mouth and a hard heart, so she didn’t want to bother arguing with her.

She held Fubao’s hand and headed straight for the kitchen, planning to cook for herself and her daughter.

Although she wasn’t very skilled in cooking, she at least had a system in her mind that guided her step by step, giving precise instructions. How could she possibly fail?

She rolled up her sleeves and got to work, but when she saw the broken axe handles and the chopping knife stuck in the wood, she couldn’t help but hold her forehead.

No wonder there were some straw stalks nearby—it seemed the woman couldn’t chop firewood and had to burn those instead.

With a little effort, she removed the chopping knife, swiftly carved a handle for the axe, and with a few quick swings, chopped a pile of firewood. Only then did she start the fire.

Fubao clapped her hands excitedly, saying, “Pear Blossom is amazing!”

Pear Blossom smiled and said, “Go see what’s in the basket?”

Fubao followed her gesture and her eyes lit up. “Wow, little umbrellas! Fubao loves these!”

Pear Blossom smiled again and quickly began boiling water to scald the pheasant and gut it. She worked with swift and efficient movements, tossing the pheasant and mushrooms into the pot. Before long, the kitchen was filled with an enticing aroma.

Fubao happily counted the mushrooms in the basket, muttering to herself. Whenever she found a particularly nice one, she picked it up and took it inside to show off in front of Dong Yun.

Dong Yun had already known that the silly girl had returned when she overheard the conversation between Pear Blossom and Mrs. Zeng outside. She felt a mix of anger, anxiety, and helplessness. The other party now played the game of pretending to obey while secretly doing whatever they wanted.

She couldn’t fight her, nor could she even get out of bed. How could she chase her away?

Seeing her daughter so happy, she didn’t want to discourage her. She could only comfort herself, thinking that after eating this small chicken stew with mushrooms, she would send her away. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t let her come again.