"It was I who had developed a sense of separation."

In just a moment, An Zhengzheng defined her actions.

She is not an all-rounder, and she never thought that a girl had to be perfect.

An Zhengzheng knows that she also has shortcomings.

She can be arrogant at times and very protective of her own. Back then, when Zhou Yu'er deliberately approached her younger sister An Yirou, using the excuse of "for a man," An Zhengzheng subconsciously wanted to keep Zhou Yu'er far away from them.

After all, when the two sisters had just escaped from the An family and were in a very lowly position, Zhou Yu'er had the backing of the Zhou family, the most powerful clan in the country.

At that time, An Yirou was not yet fully aware of the situation, and the An family held the reins of Yirou's marriage. It was crucial to guide her younger sister at this time and not let her be led astray.

...A selfish desire to distance himself, coupled with a flawed judgment based on objective facts, led An Zhengzheng to let Zhou Yu'er go unchecked.

Just like how we treated An Qinghuan back then.

An Qinghuan insisted on planting the Gu poison, and An Zhengzheng tried to dissuade her, but she insisted on hurting herself. Even if An Zhengzheng was gone, she would find someone else.

The only kindness An Zhengzheng could offer was to grant her request.

Zhou Yu'er stayed in her cave for half a year without eating or sleeping, ignoring An Zhengzheng's previous advice, only asking An Zhengzheng to go see Zhou Xu.

The kindness that An Zhengzheng could offer was also a way of granting her request.

An Qinghuan took her words to heart, but Zhou Yu'er did not.

The two girls walked along the riverbank, the river washing over the stones on the road with a crisp sound.

Do you have any plans to go back?

An Zhengzheng suddenly gave her a choice, "Leave here or something."

Zhou Yu'er paused, a slight look of confusion on her face, but it quickly disappeared, and she simply shook her head gently.

"I'm not going back."

Why?

Zhou Yu'er said with a wry smile, "A few years ago, in order to marry Pei Lang and to avoid being targeted by demonic beasts when I came to Qingyang Village, I had already destroyed my cultivation."

Going back would inevitably mean suffering even more than before.

An Zhengzheng hadn't expected Zhou Yu'er to be so...resolute, but it seemed that in her past life, there were also girls who dropped out of school for love and became full-time housewives for love...

But she was still making a last-ditch effort, trying to offer Zhou Yu'er another way: "If you go back, you won't have to serve your in-laws, you won't be discriminated against by your husband, and you and your daughter can return to the path of cultivation. The Hundred Women's Pavilion will also accept you, and you can even become a role model for your daughter..."

"Teach her to be a strong woman who is not afraid of hardship and dares to start over."

As long as Zhou Yu'er is willing to work hard.

Zhou Yu'er fell silent.

"It's not that simple, I can't do it."

Finally, tears welled up in her eyes.

She covered her face and cried, "I need a home so badly." She also cried as she told An Zhengzheng many things from her heart.

Zhou Yu'er's father died early, and her family did not regard her as an heir, which further restricted her mother's prospects.

“Back when I was ostracized by the children in my clan, it was my cousin’s words that dispersed the crowd for me.”

Zhou Xu, who was regarded as a genius from a young age and valued by the elders of his clan, naturally earned the respect of the children. No one dared to disobey him when he appeared.

"He only said one sentence and solved my problem, just like a hero in a storybook. At that moment, I knew that he was the hero in my life."

Even if he said that in the name of so-called family righteousness.

An Zhengzheng felt that Zhou Yu'er's thought process was very familiar.

Just like in romance novels, the male lead can solve the female lead's predicament with a single sentence, a sum of money, a single appearance, and a single move.

For example, if a woman's mother, father, sister, or brother is seriously ill, a man appears, gives her a pen and wallet, makes her his lover, tramples on her dignity, and begins a life of being soft, abused, and ultimately finding love.

The woman was repeatedly framed by the vicious female supporting character, but in the end, the man came out and publicly humiliated her, showing his affection for her. From then on, the woman's life was filled with the glory of "being uniquely protected by him" and "he chose me without hesitation".

For example, a woman trapped in the inner quarters of a feudal society meets a man who truly loves her, who helps her escape all the misery and rise to a higher position, becoming someone who crushes other women.

This seems to say: "It's okay for a woman's dignity to be trampled on, it's part of perfect love," "Proof of being loved by a man is that I will crush other women," and "Women, just wait to be saved."

An Zhengzheng found it utterly ridiculous.

Men learn about women through pornography, view women as toys, and treat them as badges of honor in the male community... a trophy.

Women, however, learn about men through romance novels, yearn for men to see their inner world and soul, and even regard them as heroes who save them.

Zhou Yu'er talked about many things, and all she heard was the warmth and comfort they brought her.

This is a woman who lacks love, energy, or the will to make an effort.

An Zhengzheng felt powerless. She knew Zhou Yu'er's pain all too well—her loveless childhood and the harsh treatment women faced in society…

But there was nothing she could do.

Even if she took Zhou Yu'er to the Hundred Women's Pavilion, no matter how well she lived there, without a man to protect and love her, Zhou Yu'er's heart would always be empty.

...and might even resent An Zhengzheng for this.

Zhou Yu'er rambled on for a long time, finally looking at An Zhengzheng with pleading eyes, and asked, "...Besides, Zhao Di also needs a complete family. I can't abandon the child, don't you think?"

Zhao Di is Zhou Yu'er's daughter.

When An Zhengzheng heard this, the pity in her heart suddenly dissipated a lot.

It wasn't that I developed a sense of discrimination.

It was their own help that they received, not what they wanted.

Just like many years ago, when An Zhengzheng faced her grandmother and mother.

Have you read the magazine "Hundred Women's Pavilion"?

An Zhengzheng did not answer her question, but instead asked her in return: "In the past hundred years in the cultivation world, many self-reliant female cultivators have emerged, and they have all lived very well. Are you aware of this?"

Zhou Yu'er paused. How could she not know that back then, because of Zhou Xu, she had been paying close attention to the activities of Bai Nu Ge?

Moreover, she also understands the situation in the cultivation world over the past hundred years, otherwise she wouldn't know about An Qinghuan's current transformation.

"..." What else did An Zhengzheng not understand?

This silence shows that Zhou Yu'er is aware of those ideas and has seen those examples!

Yes, the Hundred Women's Pavilion has been a powerful force for over a century, and it has all the necessary publicity and employment opportunities.

Zhou Yu'er herself blindfolded and covered her ears.

“If this is what you want… then there’s nothing we can do.” An Zhengzheng replied to Zhou Yu’er, “In the end, we choose our own path in life, including both hardship and happiness.”

An Zhengzheng thought for a moment, what would she do if An Yirou, after seeing all the truths and witnessing all the examples, resolutely chose to follow the path of Zhou Yu'er and her mother Lin Jing?