Zhenniang, the Three of Us (Twenty-Two)...

Lan Shuyan stared blankly at Zhao Zhenniang.

In traditional operas, there are many stories of devoted women sponsoring poor scholars to take the imperial examinations, and local gentry recognizing talent and giving silver to help impoverished students continue their studies.

But all of this was so that the student could repay her after passing the imperial examination. Why was Zhao Zhenniang helping her like this?

Zhao Zhenniang didn't know why, she probably just thought it in her heart.

She inexplicably wanted to do everything in her power to help Miss Lan, not even to gain anything in return, just to see her as she was before.

Her own life was simple, but Miss Lan's life was quite complex.

Sometimes you don't even need to do anything; just listening to her talk can make you happy.

Who who has seen the moon's brilliance would wish for it to be obscured by gloom?

Zhao Zhenniang hoped that she would always be the same as before.

Lan Shuyan: ...

Before this, Lan Shuyan had always thought of herself as very determined and clear-headed, but after such a valuable gift was presented to her, she suddenly stopped.

This is not only the weight of friendship, but also the weight she will have to repay in the future.

She had never considered the weight of her future, but Zhao Zhenniang had placed the weight of that future so clearly before her. Could she bear such a heavy future?

Lan Shuyan experienced insomnia for the first time. She did not take the things from Zhao Zhenniang's hands, but instead tossed and turned on her pillow.

No one expected Lan Shuyan to be so determined to go south. When they actually gave her the gear, she backed down.

But it doesn't matter. It's better for Miss Lan to stay. The world outside is indeed too chaotic. Zhao Zhenniang is actually worried about her leaving.

The gun won't be a waste of money; if she doesn't use it, she'll use it herself.

Ultimately, it's still better to be rich.

With money, she could do anything she wanted, even if it was meaningless.

...

Ye Xiqing's act of taking matters into her own hands once again infuriated Jian Yu'an, and also made Jian Yu'an realize that there was no misunderstanding at all; she was just that kind of person who acted on her own initiative!

But there was nothing she could do. When it came to possession, she couldn't compete with Ye Xiqing at all. Ye Xiqing was the original shareholder, and although Zhao Zhenniang worshipped two gods at the same time, her third aunt was clearly the main god.

Jian Yu'an, who couldn't compete with Ye Xiqing in terms of possession skills, could only sit there and watch while complaining. She had countless things to criticize as soon as the female lead appeared.

"See? I knew the female lead was just impulsive. Once we showed her the real deal, she wouldn't dare leave."

The next day, after careful consideration, Lan Shuyan decided to leave again.

Jian Yu'an got angry again: "You still want to go?! Don't you have a brain?! Do you think you're going to the city to work?!"

Her inconsistent behavior, such as drawing a target and shooting an arrow, made even viewers watching from outside the screen feel uncomfortable.

Although the system mostly shared the same opinion as Jian Yu'an, it couldn't miss such a good entry point and eagerly came over.

"Does the host still believe that women are allies? Sometimes, the malice women harbor towards each other is even greater than that of the opposite sex~"

The three souls were too crowded, and the system hadn't been online for a long time.

While watching the movie with Jian Yu'an, Ye Xiqing replied to the system that hadn't been online for a long time: "Really? But I think what she said is correct. How can it be considered malicious?"

system:……

"Host, in order to debate with me, you've even come to agree with viewpoints you originally disagreed with?"

Ye Xiqing smiled calmly, "Likewise, and who said I disagree? I've always thought she was right."

"She is right to accuse the female lead of being rash. The female lead is indeed very rash. She has not yet fully understood her own situation, but she hastily pursued the truths instilled in her by others based on their perceptions."

"She is absolutely right to say that women are in a difficult situation in this era. Anyone who is not blind can see that women are in a difficult situation in this era, so there is no need to question it."

“What she said was all true. At most, it was a well-intentioned reminder to a companion who was about to step into danger. How could it be considered malicious?”

system:……

"So you're going to tell me that you actually support the transmigrator's viewpoint?"

But Ye Xiqing didn't do anything according to the transmigrator's wishes!

Ye Xiqing chuckled: "Were you a diode before you awakened your consciousness? If you didn't support it, you were against it; if you agreed with it, you were in favor of it; it was either this or that; if you didn't think it was wrong, you thought it was right?"

system:……

So, are you a dolphin, host? You always seem to have your left and right brains fighting each other!

Ye Xiqing was too lazy to look at the system.

The consequence of communicating with a single-brained being is that when you teach it to look at problems dialectically, it feels like your left and right brains are fighting each other.

Have you heard the story of the blind men and the elephant?

"Three blind men had never seen an elephant before, so they went to touch it to see what it looked like."

"If you touch the trunk, you think the elephant looks like a rope; if you touch the ears, you think the elephant looks like a fan; if you touch the body, you think the elephant looks like a wall."

"None of what they perceive is right, and none of it is wrong."

"You ask me why I support this viewpoint and then that viewpoint. Is it possible that every viewpoint has its own inherent problems?"

system:……

"Does the host feel that he has seen the whole elephant?"

"I don't think so. I just saw different ways of dying."

"At every crossroads where a viewpoint is born, there are the corpses of different women."

"So at each intersection, different terrifying messages were being transmitted."

system:……

What is right? In feudal times, was it right to be prudent, think thrice before acting, and compromise if one could not resist?

correct.

Because along that road of resistance, the bodies of protesters were scattered everywhere.

Is it right for someone to stumble and fall on a new path before dawn, in pursuit of a vague ideal?

That's correct too.

Because that road called compromise was also littered with corpses.

Those who see the bodies of protesters will choose to compromise out of fear, while those who see the bodies of those who compromise will choose to resist out of fear. Which choice is correct?

Of course, they are all correct, because everyone saw the real corpse.

But who is truly right? None of them.

For some reason, those who ran back were describing the corpses on the road, but no one was describing the killer on the road, as if the corpses had appeared voluntarily.

But the real reason the corpses were created was because there was a serial killer who indiscriminately killed people at every intersection.

system:……

"Seeing danger doesn't mean you can avoid it. What makes you think your chosen path is necessarily more correct than others?"

"Hehe, of course it's because I'm not choosing a path, I'm choosing to live."

She didn't choose how to die; she chose how to live.

She doesn't need to know if the road is the right one; she just needs to reach her destination alive.

Many people will die on this road, but she will survive to the end.

As long as she survives to the end, the path she chose will naturally be the right one.

Who knows, I might even be able to take down a serial killer on the street and rid the world of a menace.

system:……

...

Ye Xiqing discovered that although people are human, they are sometimes like diodes. No matter what it is, they have to argue to find out who is right and who is wrong, and determine the only correct way to do things so that everything will be fine.

But there is more than one path in the world, and naturally, there is more than one problem; so it cannot be generalized.

Every path can produce heroes, and every path can also produce corpses. Some surrender and receive high positions and generous rewards, while others surrender and are all buried alive.

Why doesn't past experience always work?

Because the predecessors probably didn't even know how they got there. They just stumbled upon a stroke of luck, survived, and that became the new path.

In Ye Xiqing's view, it is equally foolish for someone to think they can succeed on a certain path, and for someone to think they cannot succeed on a path that is not successful.

Focusing all your energy on things whose outcomes are beyond your control often results in not finding the right path and having to give up many things you don't want to give up in order to achieve that path.

If that's the case, why not focus your energy on things you can control? You may not know if you can choose the right path, but you certainly know how you want to live.

Therefore, Ye Xiqing felt that choosing a path was not a matter of wisdom but of taste, and her taste had always been very high.

Although she is a person of good character, she doesn't want to look down on people who lack character. Why? Because the death rate in this game is really high.

Just how big of an elephant must it be for everyone to see a different carcass?

...

"A poor family needs a rich traveler," Zhao Zhenniang meticulously planned for Lan Shuyan's journey.

“I’ve issued you a police garrison permit. With this permit, you can carry a gun onto the official ship. It’s safer to use the official roads.”

"Don't tell anyone about the weapons you have. Don't be too honest when they confiscate your weapons. These days, nobody cares. They only surrender their guns for money. Just give them a few dollars and you'll get away with it."

"Don't rush in just because you have a weapon. You only have 12 bullets. Once you run out, it'll be hard to buy more. If you go to the black market, it'll cost you a dollar per bullet."

"Don't keep your money in one place; it would be terrible if you lost it."

"If you really encounter robbers, don't be greedy for money; spend money to save your life..."

Lan Shuyan cut her hair short, changed into men's clothing, and listened to Zhao Zhenniang's advice: by dressing as a man in public, she could at least avoid some basic malice.

Zhao Zhenniang's meticulous instructions were even more thoughtful than a mother's. Lan Shuyan couldn't help but shed tears and hugged her tightly: "What if I achieve nothing and can't repay you?"

Zhao Zhenniang immediately replied, "I didn't expect you to repay me anyway. Even if you can't accomplish anything, you must come back!"

Many people came and went at the dock, and they couldn't help but applaud when they saw this touching love story.

It's true that a man should marry a virtuous wife. With such a good wife, how can a man not achieve great things?

Lan Shuyan, who was focused on important matters, waved away his "virtuous wife" and solemnly declared, "Don't worry! I will definitely not let you down!"

...

Lan Shuyan boarded the ship and left, while Zhao Zhenniang and Zhang Ying stood there watching for a long time.

Zhang Ying was also seeing him off. Seeing this scene, she couldn't stop crying: "How come as soon as Shuyan changed into men's clothes, he seemed like a scumbag who was going to leave and never come back?"

Zhao Zhenniang: ...

"That's not a good way to put it..."

Zhang Ying immediately realized what she meant and spat, "Right, right, right! Come back, come back! Wild geese fly south, but they will fly back. The name Shuyan sounds like someone who loves home!"

Zhao Zhenniang: ...

So what kind of person is her name?

After saying goodbye to Lan Shuyan, only Zhao Zhenniang and Zhang Ying remained. The two wandered aimlessly through the streets, not taking a taxi, and chatted idly.

"Teacher Zhang, you're graduating soon, right? Have you thought about what you'll do after that?"

"What else can you do? Try your best to become a teacher. If you're lucky, you can stay at the school and a female teacher can earn thirty yuan a month. Or you can work as a layout editor or a reporter at a newspaper, or even become an editor-in-chief if you're really good at it!"

“I can read, so I can find a job no matter what.”

"If I'm lucky, I'll find a good job; if I'm unlucky, I'll marry a rich man and become a full-time housewife, haha."

Zhang Ying's smile was weak. People have different fates. Although she often played with Lan Shuyan, she knew in her heart that they were ultimately from different worlds.

She has a large family of younger siblings, some old and some sick, all needing to be fed, and eventually they all have to return to their own world.

All good things must come to an end; in the end, we must part ways.

Zhao Zhenniang looked at Zhang Ying, who looked dejected: "Didn't Miss Lan say you wanted to start a newspaper?"

"Listen to what she said, she hopes I will start a newspaper so that I won't have to accept submissions, but can submit them directly to internal publications."

Is it expensive to start a newspaper?

"Then it must be no cheaper than your family's oil mill."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhenniang withdrew her gaze, pondered for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Then when I have more money, I'll lend you money to start a newspaper."

Zhang Ying turned her head in disbelief: "What?"

Zhao Zhenniang, however, already had a plan and said with unusual determination, "I will become a very, very rich person in the future, and I will support whatever you want to do then!"