Chapter 20: Acts of Kindness, Accumulating Merit

The beautiful woman had tasted countless delicacies from mountains and seas, but the moment she bit into the pear, she knew this was no ordinary fruit.

An ordinary person might have simply remarked that it was delicious, but her body was unwell, burdened by a lingering illness. The sensation the pear brought was especially pronounced.

It suppressed the itch in her throat and made her feel considerably lighter—something even the most skilled doctors could not achieve!

Her nurse and two maids, concerned for her health, had anxiously watched her as she ate, fearing any adverse reaction.

Now, seeing her response firsthand, the three exchanged uncertain glances. “Mistress?”

“Take these last three pears,” the woman said with a smile. “Let Li’er have one, and keep the other two carefully. I’ll savor them slowly. A bite of pear is far more effective than a single cough suppressant pill.”

The nurse understood immediately, her hands trembling with delight as she nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! I will carefully store the pears right away—put them in the jade box the lord gifted you. It preserves freshness better, so the pears will last longer!”

The little boy sat on his mother’s lap, the sweet scent of the pear making his mouth water. Hearing that his mother would share one with him, he shook his head. “Mother, I won’t eat it. Leave them all for you.”

The beautiful woman smiled softly, her gaze tender. “But I want to eat them with you, Li’er. That would make me even happier.”

The boy thought for a moment, then gently bit the pear she held. “Now Li’er and mother can eat the pear together.”

“Ah, you stubborn little thing,” she sighed fondly. “I wonder who you get that from.”

The nurse and maids chuckled quietly. “The young master is truly filial. At first, I didn’t think much of the pears, but now it seems the jade pendant he returned as a gift was truly worth it.”

If the lady claimed that a bite of pear was more effective than a cough pill, then the pear was surely worth its price.

To put this in perspective, the palace doctors’ specially formulated cough pills cost at least ten taels each.

“Madam, since you find the pears beneficial, I shall send someone to fetch that family back! Whatever pears they still have, we will buy them all and make sure they don’t suffer any loss!” the nurse said eagerly.

The beautiful woman was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s unnecessary. Since they were en route to exile, they must have traveled quite some distance already. Yet look at these pears—so fresh, as if just plucked from the tree. It’s impossible, as they claimed, that they brought them from home or found them by chance along the way.”

She raised her eyes, a sharp gleam appearing. “It’s deep winter, long past the season for pears to ripen. That family must be hiding a secret.”

The nurse slapped her forehead in surprise. Of course—where would pears grow in December?

Even in the palace, pears were out of season at this time and only available in early autumn.

“That family—”

“Let them be. Where mercy can be shown, it should be. I sensed their household was warm and cheerful, which prompted me to help them out and receive their pears in return. As I said before, it was fate and chance; there’s no need to press the matter,” the woman said, lowering her head to gently stroke the boy’s hair. “Consider it a blessing for Li’er.”

The nurse and maids bowed their heads in agreement.

“This place is the border of Yuzhou. To reach Yongzhou, one must pass through Xiangzhou and Xizhou, then cross the ancient Yudu trail,” the woman continued. “The trail is rife with fierce bandits who burn, kill, and plunder without mercy. It will be difficult for that family to pass safely; casualties are unpredictable.”

“Madam?”

She glanced at the child in her arms, her red lips parting softly. “Send Zi Yi to escort them across the Yudu trail. There’s no need for secrecy during the escort. Once the task is done, Zi Yi will return. What happens thereafter depends on their own fate.”

“Yes, I will issue the orders immediately.”

At the border station in December, the landscape was blanketed with snow. The cold wind cut through the withered trees, sharp and biting against the skin.

The wind slipped through the window, making the little boy curl up in his mother’s arms, immediately embraced by her gentle warmth.

“Mother,” he said, his voice soft and childlike, looking up at her with complete trust.

She kissed his forehead, smiling tenderly.

Her child—she hoped that her small act of kindness would someday return to him, protecting him from harm and granting him a life of peace.

The Su family pressed on with their journey, resting only when necessary and avoiding busy roads to conserve strength before moving ahead.

They spent nights in desolate forests and caves. While ordinary families celebrated the New Year with joyful reunions, this family huddled in cold mountain woods, gnawing on dried vegetables—a hardship not easily borne.

The three young children, unable to fully understand their plight, would sometimes cry briefly when overwhelmed. After wiping their tears, they would pat their chests with determination—little men standing tall.

The most obedient was Sweet Treasure.

Though the youngest, she neither cried nor made a fuss throughout the journey. Fortunately, her robust health meant she did not fall ill despite the harsh conditions, easing the burden on the Su family.

One evening, as dusk approached and the sky darkened, they reached a narrow, winding mountain path. Traveling at night was too perilous.

The family decided to rest at the trailhead for the night and resume at dawn.

They found a natural earth pit sheltered from the wind. Liu Yuelan, He Daxiang, and Su Xiuer went out to gather dry wood for the fire while Su Da and Su Er prepared the stove and cooked the family’s meal.

“Mother,” Su Da approached the elderly woman quietly after setting the stove. “We’ve finished all the food on the cart. Only a small handful of cassava powder remains. It won’t last until Yongzhou.”

The old woman frowned, troubled.

No matter how much food the villagers had given them, they had counted carefully and supplemented their supplies along the way, barely managing to sustain themselves by rationing.

“Mother, what if... we eat some fish?” Su Da spoke with growing courage. “The adults can endure a few meals, but the three little ones might not hold out much longer.”

The old woman looked up at the three boys gathered around the fire, warming themselves by the stove.

When they left home, their faces still carried a bit of flesh, but now, one by one, their faces were gaunt and their chins sharp.

How could she not feel heartache?

She lowered her gaze again, looking at the quietly wrapped baby granddaughter in her arms, her eyes filled with fierce inner conflict.

The little granddaughter could produce fish.

She knew that everyone in the Su family, except the three little ones, was aware of this.

Even Su Xiuer had been given hints when the opportunity arose.

But they were no longer at home. If the little granddaughter were to conjure pears or fish again, there was always the risk of being discovered.

Since the incident at the border station, the old woman had grown more cautious and forbade the little granddaughter from playing around recklessly.

“Let me think about it,” she said, though she knew no solution.

Torn between not wanting the children to starve and fearing the little granddaughter’s powers being exposed, she was caught in a dilemma.

Sweet Treasure’s eyes shifted briefly in a certain direction, then withdrew indifferently. Her small hand moved slightly, and the empty, shriveled bag on the cart quietly swelled with something inside.