Chapter 1332 The Returnee's Notes 406
After being busy for several days, Xie Ning finally had time to go home. He asked about Xiao Xi's recent situation and took care of some daily affairs before driving to Sect Master Fang's place.
She couldn't understand the book Yuexin left her at all. She had only seen the words in the books Xie Li had given her before. It would be very difficult for her to translate it herself, so she picked a small section to ask Sect Leader Fang.
Sure enough, the other party recognized these characters.
Moreover, the book was only just translated yesterday.
Wild grass sprouts from the cracks in the bluestone pavement, lanterns hang high, and tiny midges dance in the dim yellow light.
The already limited number of stalls in Japan has dwindled even further, replaced by elderly people lying in rocking chairs by their doorways, listening to children playing in the sunlight.
It was still peaceful, but the numbness of the past was gone.
A child hugged his slightly older sister and asked, "Big sister, when are Daddy and Mommy coming to pick us up? I want to ride in a big airplane too!"
"As long as you behave and eat well, when you grow up to your older sister's shoulder, we'll go on a big airplane and take your grandparents with us."
"But Grandpa and Grandma don't seem to like going out to play. Grandma even scolded Dad."
"But it was Grandma who packed Father and Mother's luggage."
It's just that I'm reluctant to leave; people always feel that unknown places are dangerous.
Where did you get this book?
Xie Ning withdrew her gaze from the desolate street, then pushed Sect Master Fang back slowly into the courtyard, with two children following far behind.
Since people were allowed to leave, many have left the Blue Stone Formation, especially young people, leaving only some elderly people and young children. Perhaps it won't be long before the children and elderly people here also leave one after another.
After all, they need to study outside, and the schools in Qingshi Town are ultimately limited. It's not feasible to leave only the elderly behind, as there will be no one to take care of them.
"The book was obtained from the Master of the Moon Gate."
Xie Ning ultimately decided against hiding the truth or seeking help from her elders. She figured it was better to explain things clearly, as there were many things she didn't understand, and perhaps Sect Master Fang would have a better understanding.
"Moon Gate?" Sect Master Fang was puzzled; she had never heard of this sect before.
"The script here was created by people in a small place a long time ago; you can call it 'Nüren' (女纫)."
The book records that at that time, women were not allowed to attend school to learn to read and write, so a group of women created these characters for communication and record-keeping, and they were passed down only among women through mother-daughter, sister, or sworn sister relationships.
Xie Ning was slightly taken aback. "Is it similar to Nüshu?"
Seeing the doubt on Sect Leader Fang's face, Xie Ning opened the tablet and showed Sect Leader Fang the records about Nüshu (women's script).
"Um."
Sect Leader Fang nodded. She recognized the text in the book Xie Ning had given her before, but she didn't recognize the text displayed on the tablet now, although the descriptions were similar.
"The records of the Nüshu script are even older than the Nüshu script you mentioned. The script is more focused on form. At that time, an elder from the sect happened to pass by, heard about this, and then recorded it."
Sect Master Fang gently turned a page. "Actually, this script didn't have a name at the time. The name was given by the elders of the sect, taken from 'Hu Jiangli' and 'Bi Zhi Xi,' and 'Ren Qiu Lan Yi Wei Pei.'"
The character "纫" in the seal script resembles the character "糸" (silk thread) and "刃" (blade). Its original meaning is "to twist and twirl silk threads to make them tight," and it also came to mean "to sew or connect."
It's like transforming fragmented, fleeting women's voices into enduring written words, year after year, allowing more women of later generations to see them and learn their stories.
From ancient times to the present, the idea of men farming and women weaving has been a fixed symbol. No one knows that women also participate in farming, but weaving is the main activity. Even so, although women weaving accounts for half of this phrase, few people acknowledge its importance.
The elder of this sect chose the name "Nüren" (女纫) to remind future generations of the importance of women.
The word "纫" in "Li Sao" is a soliloquy of the literati, and its use here is even more ingenious, as if to say that it is not exclusive to men, breaking the traditional gender shackles.
"That was a very accomplished senior."
"Yes, she is in charge of the affairs of the sect, and is specifically responsible for recording matters."
Just like a country has a history book, some aristocratic families or various sects would have people who would record historical events. However, as time went by, many of them disappeared in the wars and dynastic changes.
Just like Nüshu (women's script) and Nüren (women's sewing), over thousands of years, perhaps many more women have created their own unique cultural symbols, but very few have been passed down.
The sect leader pointed to the yellowed book and said, "There is a story inside."
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