Karin, the runaway bride

"Want to go take a look at the other side?" El encountered Mi, who was all alone, once again in front of the valley.

"I want to." Mi looked at the valley with almost fascination, wanting to know where the way out was.

“This is the Valley of Fallen Leaves,” Joe introduced to Mi. “You can call it ‘Butterfly Valley’.”

Is this the exit?

“Well, actually, there are exits everywhere here, as long as you have the Witch Body.” El looked around. “What’s preventing you from leaving is the River of Lost Paths. Once you cross the River of Lost Paths, the outside world is the same. Outside is a huge misty forest, and outside the Fallen Leaf Valley is also a misty forest. The reason you think the Fallen Leaf Valley is the exit is largely because you can see the path. People always feel that a path must lead to a certain direction.”

As he spoke, El reached out and pulled out Mi's witch's headband, then rolled Mi into a small, translucent black ball: "Let's go."

Al, carrying the small ball, and Joe crossed the barrier that had blocked their way countless times. The winding stream resembled ribbons, its waters dividing the blue-green pebble beach into various meandering paths. Beyond the pebble beach rose red cliffs, one after another. Al and Joe moved through the cliffs like ghosts, until they reached a narrow, linear canyon. Outside the canyon grew red broadleaf hazel trees, their red leaves fluttering in the valley like butterflies. Further along the canyon, at its end stood a small wooden cabin, wisps of smoke rising from its chimney.

“This is it,” Mi thought to herself, silently memorizing the route El and Joe had taken. “I’ve memorized the way out.” El and Joe weaved through the fallen leaves, reaching the end of the canyon.

“This is the best you can go; you can’t go any further.” El stood at the end of the canyon, holding a small ball formed from rice. Before Rice was a simple wooden house with a yard enclosed by a simple fence. In the yard, Rice couldn’t identify the species of plants. Through the fence, a patch of different shades of green spread out—perhaps flowers, perhaps vegetables.

Outside the fence, in a clearing near the canyon, lay a vast field of golden oats. The oat grains hung heavily from the stalks. A red-haired girl was harvesting oats with a hand knife, cutting handfuls of oat heads and placing them in a basket on her back. Al, Joe, and Mi watched as the girl harvested an entire basket of oats. This was the first time Mi had ever seen such a vibrant, living human being. The red-haired girl had strong arms and nimble hands; her oat-harvesting movements were full of power. Fine beads of sweat glistened on her slightly reddish skin under the sun. A large bunch of chestnut-red hair was tied back, the slightly curled ends fluttering gently in the wind. The sun? Mi looked up; a red sun shone on the horizon, its light not dazzling.

The red-haired girl, dressed in a long, greyish-brown dress with a blue apron tied around her waist, carried a wicker basket full of oats back to the cabin and opened the fence gate. A spotted puppy ran out and circled around her. The girl knelt down, petted the puppy's head, and took off the wicker basket from her back. Her wheat-colored skin shone with a healthy glow. She had a full and beautiful face, a delicate and straight nose, above which were a pair of bright, sapphire-like eyes, and below were full, rosy lips. Her teeth shone like pearls when she opened and closed her mouth—she was a flawless beauty.

“Her name is Karin, Karin who ran away from her arranged marriage. She came from the Grand Duchy of Roses across the way,” El introduced to Mi. “Because she didn’t want to get married, and knew she would have to get married sooner or later if she stayed in her hometown, she persuaded her parents to help her escape. She has been living alone in this valley for over ten years.”

"Why did you run away from the wedding?" Mi realized that although she was being held up and suspended in mid-air, it didn't affect her vision or speech at all. Mi even felt the gentle breeze brushing against her hair, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. The air was filled with a scent that was hard to describe—a fragrance of flowers or fruit. This was truly a vibrant world. Mi couldn't help but look around. To the left of the valley was a vegetable patch, with fruit that looked like cherry tomatoes, the branches laden with red and green fruits the size of a finger. Mi felt her mouth watering. To the right was a large field of golden oats, which Karin had only harvested a small portion of. A wide stone path, about two zhang wide, led to the cabin. Karin, whom El had mentioned about running away from the wedding, took out a mat and spread it on the stone path. She poured the oat ears onto the mat, squatted down, and stretched out her arms to scatter the oat ears. A spotted puppy happily bounced around beside the mat.

"DianDian, watch the wheat, don't let the birds eat it." Karin's slightly deep voice and DianDian's cheerful reply came from the wind.

“The closest country to here is the Grand Duchy of the Roses,” El said, bowing his head. “Don’t think it’s not far. It’s best not to go through the Grand Duchy of the Roses. The Grand Duchy of the Roses is the worst towards witches. Every Grand Duchy of the Roses has taken pleasure in burning a few witches.”

“They can’t catch real witches,” Joe said angrily. “They burn girls who refuse to compromise. Even if Karin, who ran away from her marriage, hadn’t escaped, she would have been framed as a witch.”

Are there many witches outside?

"No, the Grand Duchy of Roses doesn't know anything about feng shui. Every few years, they will give birth to exceptionally beautiful girls. These girls are often given to high-ranking officials and nobles for their amusement. Ordinary families will accept the gifts, but some families who love their girls are unwilling to give them away, so they frame them by saying that they are witches."

"Does this look familiar?" El asked, looking down.

"The Tragedy of Dou E?" Mi said softly.

"I am weary from the dew, how can I not travel day and night? I say I travel in the dew. Who says the sparrow has no horns? How can it burrow into my house? Who says you have no home? How can you hasten my imprisonment? Though you hasten my imprisonment, my family will not be well-off! Who says the rat has no teeth? How can it burrow into my wall? Who says you have no home? How can you hasten my lawsuit? Though you hasten my lawsuit, I will not follow you!" Qiao recited a poem softly.

"Forcing women into prostitution is a common occurrence in every world," Mi sneered. "Karin, who ran away from her arranged marriage, isn't she?"

“Her parents were unwilling to offer her to the powerful and wealthy, so they could only take her away from her husband. As long as she gets married, her husband can offer her up just the same way.” El sneered in return. “Didn’t you say that women and children are the easiest to sell?” Joe looked at El and Mi, who were radiating coldness, and couldn’t help but move a little bit to the side, then a little bit more, and then a little bit more.

“Her parents are good,” Mizan said. “In this world, how many people trade their children for personal gain? If they can’t bear to part with their son, why can’t they bear to part with their daughter?”

“Actually, there are very few parents in the world who don’t love their children,” Al sighed. “It’s just that they don’t know how to love their children, so they end up repeating the same path their parents took their whole lives. Women just learn how to be women from their mothers, so please don’t blame those women who didn’t have the opportunity to learn anything else.”

“You’re right. People who haven’t been truly loved don’t know how to love. And humans are the strangest creatures. Some people learn something and then treat it as gospel, never deviating from it in the slightest, and even going so far as to defend what they’ve learned.” Mi thought for a moment. “They may have rebelled when they were young, and even wondered if what the adults taught them was wrong. It’s just that the ancient Eastern patriarchal system, the husband’s authority, and the son’s authority encompassed a woman’s entire life, leaving her no room to breathe. If they don’t accept this harsh world, how can they survive?”

“Repetition is the simplest form of learning,” Al said. “When people don’t know what to do, they can only repeat the old ways of their elders generation after generation. Only a very few people can forge a new path, and it takes time for more people to walk that new path before new rules can be established. The vast majority of people are just repeating the simplest things. Blind obedience is a human dilemma, and it is also a dilemma for women.”

Is the Grand Duchy of Roses very close to here?

“It’s not close. It would take several years to walk there by human pace,” El said, pointing outside. “The forest outside the Lost River would also take several years to walk through if you don’t get lost, and even longer if you do.”

"How did she manage to travel such a long way to get here all by herself?"

“Her parents always sent her to the border of the Grand Duchy of Roses, and El and I brought her in by posing as herbalists in the Misty Forest.” Joe had somehow moved back.

"But what will she do all by herself?"

“She has a puppy named Spot, and a few chickens. She knows how to manage a household.” El watched as Karin brought out a plate of meat strips and placed it on a stone in front of the fence. A moment later, a hawk swooped in from afar, carrying a gray rabbit in its talons. The hawk dropped the rabbit, stood on the fence, and lowered its head to eat the meat from the plate. El pointed at the hawk and said, “I don’t know why, but the animals in the Misty Forest really like Karin. Every time I come, I see all sorts of small animals. Maybe living near the Witch Forest has given her some kind of spirituality.”

“It’s like a paradise,” Mi sighed. “I love this kind of life. It would be nice to come out and keep Karin company.”

"You're not going back?" El looked down at Mi. "You're too soft-hearted, which will put you in a passive position."

As the sun began to set, Erjo and Mi watched as Karin gathered up the oats that were drying in the sun and then fetched water to irrigate the vegetables by the valley. The three of them watched with great interest for a while before returning along the same route.

"Life goes on," Mi sighed. "Whether it's a good day or a bad day, it's still a day. Don't create trouble for yourself."

"You've come to terms with it?"

“Not letting go won’t make things better, and letting go won’t make things worse. An ordinary person’s role in this is limited.” Mi sighed. “Rather than living in a daze, I’d rather consciously wallow in it and witness how I got here step by step so I won’t regret it.”

"Then why do you want to do volunteer work?" El thought of the scene she saw in Mi's witch's headband, wearing a blue vest and wearing the most standard smile.

“I will try my best to smile at the world, no matter what bad things happen in the world, I will face them with a smile.” Mi smiled. “You know, before I came here, there was a place where there was a war, and women and children were dying every day. Those children were so small, they weren’t even as tall as an adult’s leg.” Mi stretched out her arms to show them, and then she discovered that she had grown two thin, long arms that could bend. “At that time, I listened to ‘Orphans of Asia’ every day. When I had enough, I would do volunteer work, watching all kinds of naughty children rushing around in front of me. When I looked at their innocent faces, the pictures of those children would always pop into my mind, and then I would smile with all my might. Those children would circle around me, giving me sweet, innocent smiles. I would tell myself, ‘That’s enough, that’s enough.’ I believe that these children who grow up rushing around will make the world a better place, because they grow up under the encouraging smiles of adults.”

“Congratulations, you’ve discovered another reason for reproduction.” El smiled at her.

"Is it love?" Mi was a little confused. "I didn't do volunteer work because of love. I just wanted to see the carefree little faces of those children."

“It’s a child,” Al said with a smile. “Children are the most beautiful angels in the world.”

"Oh, newborn babies aren't much to look at."

“That’s your illusion,” Al laughed. “Go ask the parents of newborns, and every single one of them thinks their child is the most beautiful child in the world.”

"Is it gender-neutral?"

“A child is a child,” Al smiled again. “If a child’s gender could overshadow a child’s cuteness, then there would only be boys in the world.”