Council of Elders (3)

Silence returned to the forest. The Second Elder's lesson had finally come to an end. Mi felt her eyes had been opened; she had never imagined that men and women could play like this. The Second Elder was not only skilled in her methods but also very adept at it. She said nonchalantly, "Most men are no good. You, on the other hand, must act fearful and submissive so that men can be brave."

"Second Elder, women are faking it. Can't men tell? Are men stupid?" Mi couldn't help but mutter under her breath. "Besides, why should I pretend to be afraid and submissive for a man?"

"Ha, you're just like the Third Elder. You must be a girl, and a stubborn one at that." The Second Elder chuckled. "Child, a woman must be good at disguising herself; that way, she can better protect herself and get what she wants."

"Don't corrupt the children." The Third Elder pulled the Second Elder aside, then turned to Mi and said, "Women should also be upright. If we want something, we should work for it ourselves."

Mi nodded and was about to speak when the Second Elder suddenly said sharply to the Third Elder, "You're capable. You work hard to earn money and support your family, but in the end, your man handed over all your wealth to me. What did you get in return?"

Mi hesitated for a moment, looking at the sudden change in the scene, and asked Qiao beside her in a low voice, "Do you know these two?"

"Yes, the Second Elder and the Third Elder are from the same planet. The Second Elder said it was the Reed Plains Planet, where reeds grow everywhere and women are like reeds that can be blown away with a single breath. The Third Elder said it was the Bountiful Ears Planet, where the fields are full of crops and the fullest ears of rice."

"What does that mean?"

"Women of Ashihara Star have two different fates: one is like a reed flower, helpless and alone, and the other is like a rice stalk, able to grow in fertile fields."

How can there be two kinds of women?

"Yes, the women there are born into two categories. One type has property, like rice stalks growing in the fields; the other type has no property and can only depend on reeds by the water."

“That’s based on their birth,” Mi thought for a moment, ““The theory of noble bloodline?”

"Actually, no. They are distinguished by their abilities. One type is a woman who is as respectable as a man and can be married to have children. This kind of woman is smart, capable, and resilient, no less than a man. She can take over as the head of the family when the man can no longer support the family business. The Third Elder is such a person."

"What about the other one?"

“The other type is a woman like the Second Elder. This kind of woman can only depend on men and become—” Qiao hesitated for a moment before continuing in a low voice, “becoming the object of men’s desires, that is, a prostitute. The Second Elder was once a very popular courtesan, and she remained a courtesan until her death. She was a famous lifelong courtesan on Weiyuan Star, and it is said that her lovers were spread throughout the entire Weiyuan Star. The Third Elder’s husband stole all the family’s property just to see the Second Elder and make her smile.”

"Do they have a grudge?" Mi asked, looking at the Third Elder who was avoiding the Second Elder.

Qiao shook her head and whispered, "The Second Elder has bewitching powers. If she wants, no one can escape her grasp. It is said that the Third Elder earns money to support the family, but her husband stole money from the family, and the Second Elder used that money to buy the Third Elder."

"Ah—" Mi was stunned by how the story had taken such a turn. "How could this be?"

“Prostitutes on Weiyuan Star have no property rights, so no matter how much money the Second Elder has, it won’t end up in her own hands,” Qiao said after thinking for a moment. “The Second Elder entrusted her money to the Third Elder, who then made money for her. At that time, the Third Elder already owned an entire city on Weiyuan Star. The Third Elder asked the Second Elder to stop being a prostitute, but the Second Elder disagreed and continued to be the top courtesan until her last day.”

"Where is the Third Elder's husband?"

"That man squandered the Third Elder's fortune and was kicked out by the Second Elder. He stole the Third Elder's last jewelry and clothes, and finally died at the hands of a woman."

Mi stared at the Second Elder and the Third Elder. One woman was alluring, the other resolute; they were both enemies and allies. She was genuinely curious: "Have they had children? What exactly is their relationship?"

“No,” Joe shook his head. “When they’re happy, they’re like one person; when they’re angry, they ignore each other like this.” Joe pointed to the two in front of him. The Second Elder and the Third Elder were ignoring each other. The Third Elder stared at the sky for a while, then suddenly floated towards a purple flower. The petals gently closed, enveloping the Third Elder. The witches here can fly!

The Second Elder looked at Mi and said with a smile, "Little witch, let me tell you, men are the most unspoken people in this world. The more they lack something, the more they pursue it. As long as a woman admires him, he will only show off his power to her, and he will only make her scream 'No!' 'I can't take it!' 'You're too amazing!' Then he will immediately become omnipotent, as if he were a hero of this world."

Mi looked at the elder beside her, whose face was flushed, and asked her in a low voice, "Haven't you ever seen a normal man before?"

The Second Elder raised her hand and brushed a stray hair from her temple. Mi couldn't help but scream inwardly; she was so alluring and seductive. The Second Elder smiled at Mi, who immediately lost her composure, unable to hear what she was saying: "What else would a man who comes to me want besides satisfaction he can't get from others? Is such a man normal or abnormal?"

"Ah, oh, okay." Mi didn't know what she said, so she could only mechanically agree.

"Little witch, you're so cute. Come on, tell me, are you a man or a woman?" The Second Elder's eyes gleamed with a strange light, captivating Mi's entire mind.

"I... I don't know. If being a man could make me like you, I'd be willing to be a man." Mi felt completely captivated by the Second Elder. This woman truly possessed enchanting powers; how could anyone not be charmed by her? Even the Third Elder, whose husband she had stolen, was still taking care of her in every way.

"Oh, that won't do. I only like real men, but real men won't like me." The Second Elder's tone was melancholy. She lowered her eyes, her whole body filled with loneliness and sorrow. Mi couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

“How could that be?” Mi immediately comforted her. “Men love to play the role of savior and hero. Advising them—” Mi suddenly paused, bit her tongue, and changed her words: “Saving fallen women and helping them reform will give them an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.”

"A fallen woman?" The Second Elder lifted one of her feet, revealing a fair sole and five adorable toes like jade gourds. She asked, "Little witch, do you think my feet are pretty?"

"pretty."

“Such beautiful feet, she’ll walk very carefully and won’t slip.” The Second Elder looked at the gray clouds above and said after a long while, “Unless she only has one path to take.” The Second Elder also flew into a purple flower, letting the petals envelop her. The elders fell silent, and two more elders followed suit, flying into the purple flowers. The petals tightly enveloped them, blocking Mi’s view.

“The elders need to hibernate; they can’t stay outside for long.” Joe pointed to the purple flowers. “Those are consciousness flowers, also known as hibernation flowers, where the elders hibernate.”

Mi looked at the purple flowers. It was indeed very comfortable and warm inside. Mi had rested inside before, as if she had returned to her mother's womb, where gentleness always surrounded her.

“Child, don’t be frightened by them,” the elder said gently. “Not all men are as extreme as the men of Weiyuan Star. Even on Weiyuan Star, there are good men.”

“I know,” Mi nodded. “Nowhere can there only be one type of people. If Weiyuan Star has such a peculiar division, then the men and women on their planet must also be divided into four types.”

"Which four types of people?" Joe asked, puzzled.

“Men, women who act like men, women, men who act like women.” Mi repeated her words in her mind, then nodded again: “Yes, that’s how it should be.”

Joe shook his head: "On Ashihara Star, they don't say a man is like a woman. They just say, 'How come you're not even as good as a woman?' On Ashihara Star, a woman who is like a man is a very high compliment, while to say a man is not as good as a woman is the greatest insult to him."

The elder tentatively asked her, "You also come from Weiyuan Star?"

"Huh? No, I was just guessing."

“I forgot, you’re a witch.” The elder slapped his forehead in annoyance. “In a normal society, men act like men and women act like women. Don’t let them lead you astray.”

"What does it mean for men to act like men and women to act like women?" Mi thought she had been an adult for a long time and wouldn't be swayed, but she still couldn't help wanting to know what the difference was between men and women in the interstellar era.

“A man should be responsible and provide for his family; a woman should bear children and maintain a home.” The elder sighed. “Only such a home is warm and inviting.”

"Elder, your wife died during childbirth. Is your home still warm?" Mi hesitated for a moment before not asking him why his wife couldn't be saved. Childbirth can indeed lead to many unexpected events, but in places with good medical conditions, it is still possible to save one's mother.

“Of course, I took on the role of mother in my daughter’s place and gave her the most complete love.” The elder couldn’t help but smile as he thought of his daughter: “My daughter is very lovely and gentle, just like her mother.”

"Is your daughter alright?"

“She is just like her mother,” the elder said, bowing his head as he sank into grief once more. “Her body is inherited from her mother.”

"Don't they have doctors on Kabla?" Mi hesitated for a moment. Interstellar travel sounded very high-tech, and Kabla sounded very sci-fi.

"My wife and daughter both have genetic defects," the elder said sorrowfully. Their genetic defects made them unsuitable for pregnancy, which is why they experienced difficult childbirth.

"Then why have children?" Mi didn't understand. The elder seemed to love his wife so much. Couldn't they be together without children?

"How can a woman not have children?" the elder said righteously again, his face flushed.

"If giving birth means risking your life, why have children at all?" Mi couldn't understand how anyone could think like that. She looked at the Grand Elder, a man who didn't need to risk his life for a child. Their lives came from their mothers, so they thought it was only natural for a mother's life to be given to her child?

"How could you be so selfish?"

"I was just selfish, but you're a murderer." Mi suddenly didn't want to continue the conversation. Humanity has already progressed to the interstellar age, yet it's still full of people with this kind of reproductive addiction.

"How am I a murderer? How am I a murderer? I worked hard to earn money to support my family. I didn't abandon my child, nor did I find her a stepmother. I raised her with all my love and found her a good husband. How did I become a murderer?" The elder was agitated and suddenly became furious.

"You knew your wife would die from childbirth, yet you still forced her to have the child. What else could you be but a murderer?"

“My wife loves me as much as I love her. We would give our lives for each other. Our child is a continuation of our love for each other. You have no idea how much we love that child.”

"The truth is that she lost her life to give birth to your child, while you are alive and well, and can still commemorate your deep affection here."

"You don't understand. How can women not have children? If they didn't have children, wouldn't the world become extinct?"

Do all women on Planet Kabla have genetic defects?

"Of course not."

"Have all the women on Kabla given birth?"

“Of course not,” the elder said loudly, his voice trembling with rage as he waved his arms. “We cannot learn from those irresponsible women, those women who act like men, who take men’s jobs and their positions and refuse to stay home and have children. They have such good bodies, yet they refuse to have children. My wife is so gentle and loves children so much, yet she cannot give birth to a child safely.”

"You're so pitiful." Mi looked at the elder who was squatting on the ground, burying his face in his hands and crying. Where did this old relic come from?

“No, I am not pitiful.” The Grand Elder stood up. “I love my country, I love my wife, I love my daughter, and they love me in return. I am content.” The Grand Elder said no more. A dormant flower quietly came to his side, and the Grand Elder walked into it forlornly. The young black-haired man glanced at Mi, then climbed into a dormant flower as well, letting it envelop them.