Chapter 60 She said, "Wan Yi" was her confidant.
"My sister is absolutely right. The words in the article are indeed just parroting what others say, but that's just the way the world is. If you don't conform, you'll be labeled an outlier, so you'll hide your true feelings.
The so-called female virtues in the world are mostly praised as humility, which is ridiculous!
The Book of Changes once said, "One yin and one yang is the Tao."
To fireflies, the sun is to the moon, the sky is to the earth, and the day is to the night. They clearly complement each other, so why should men and women be divided into superiors and inferiors?
It's rare that my sister can see that what I wrote is not what I really meant. A true friend is hard to find. I'm so lucky and happy! "
Su Ying smiled as she wrote down her response, thinking, "If the teacher sees this, it will be disastrous." She then copied the comments from the front page in Wanyi's handwriting.
Homework is homework, and this booklet can be used as a place for the two sisters to have a heart-to-heart talk.
As the Lunar New Year approached, the Du residence became bustling with activity. This was the first year after the mourning period ended, so while extravagant decorations were still not appropriate, the atmosphere was more festive and festive than in previous years. Under Rong's care, even the servants changed into new clothes, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, hoping for a prosperous year ahead.
The two sisters became famous in the capital because of their Laba Sutra offerings. This year was also their coming-of-age year, so Rong took this opportunity to bring Wanyi and Suying to her side and let them learn how to manage the household.
Therefore, although Su Ying returned the booklet to Wanyi early, Wanyi was not available. By the time Du Heng received it, it was already New Year's Eve.
Du Heng sat alone in the study, with the sound of firecrackers in the distance. He turned the page and saw Su Ying's response.
In her writing, she is free from restraint and openly admits that she wrote the assignment for Mr. Bai simply to conform to the world. She scorns the idea of male superiority over female inferiority and is delighted that "Wanyi" can see that she is not sincere.
She said that "Wanyi" was her confidant.
The rumbling sound of firecrackers disappeared at some point, and Du Heng walked to the window with a book in his hand.
At this moment, fireworks burst, and the dark sky was illuminated by colorful fireworks. His eyes were also very bright because of the brilliant light.
I don’t know, does she like this kind of fireworks?
Driven by his heart, he quickly walked back to his desk and happily wrote down his reply:
“Fireworks are bright but fleeting.
Do not chase after worldly praise, do not fear worldly criticism, only by keeping your original heart can you achieve longevity."
He thought for a moment and then called out Qingquan.
Qingquan, who was outside the study, heard it and immediately went into the room.
He saw that the young man had put on a blue-gray cloak by himself. He did not ask the young man where he was going, but cleverly followed him with a lantern.
Du Heng walked steadily all the way without any hesitation, but Qingquan was unable to catch up.
Fireworks bloomed again and again in the night sky, as if illuminating what Du Heng was thinking. Only after he left the corridor and stepped onto the path did Du Heng stop and turn around to say to Qingquan, "Turn out the lights."
Qingquan obeyed the order and quietly moved from beside the young master to behind him.
The young man was seen striding briskly towards the side courtyard.
Sure enough, the fireworks were lit from the side yard.
Before he got close, he heard pleasant laughter, so pleasant that it made him feel happy too.
"Aunt, it would be great if we could call Wanyi over so we can set off fireworks together!"
Rong looked at her niece's bright smile, illuminated by the fireworks, and said with a smile, "When Wanyi was little, she accidentally lit a damp firework, and the sparks flew onto her face, and she got scared."
Su Ying smiled and said, "Wanyi usually laughs and plays, and I don't seem to be afraid of anything. After all, it's just a childhood thing. When we stay up late to celebrate the New Year, I'll talk to her about whether we can light fireworks together during the Lantern Festival. It's better to have a lively New Year's Eve, just like we did in Yandang."
She had also been hit by firecrackers when she was a child. After hearing what her aunt said, she missed the time when she celebrated the New Year with her grandparents in Yandang even more.
At that time, although she was the only one with her grandparents to celebrate the New Year, her grandfather's disciples came in an endless stream. Among them was Yuan Song, who was a year or two older than her. Every New Year's Day, he would come with his parents to pay New Year's greetings to the master and his wife.
He took Su Ying to set off firecrackers while the adults were not paying attention.
"Ying'er, my firecrackers are special. They are called Zhuangyuanhong and their sound is deafening. Come, let me light them for you to see!"
Su Ying was holding a stick of incense in her hand, which was taken from the incense burner where her grandfather worshipped Confucius.
She snorted, "Yuan Song, you're always boasting. How could a small firecracker make such a loud noise?"
When Yuan Song heard this, he became unhappy. How could he not believe him?
Then he folded his hands and said, "Don't believe me? Just click and you'll know."
This Zhuangyuanhong had a small mechanism shaped like a champion's hat. To light it, one had to remove the hat to reveal the fuse. However, because Su Ying didn't believe him, Yuan Song was stubborn and refused to say anything. He watched Su Ying circle the Zhuangyuanhong several times, unable to find the right place to light the firecracker.
He had thought that when Su Ying was frustrated by her inability to light the firecrackers, he would take the incense from her hand like a saint, light the firecrackers, and win back the favor. But he never expected that Su Ying would actually put the incense directly against the firecrackers and light them.
Sparks flew everywhere. Su Ying was looking down when the small reed in the top scholar's hat suddenly flew out and hit her right hand, which was holding the incense. A gash appeared on her palm, and blood gushed out.
Su Ying felt a pain in her hand. She looked down and saw blood on it. She cried out and burst into tears.
Yuan Songben had folded his arms, waiting for Su Ying to give up. Hearing Su Ying crying, he wondered, "Isn't it just that the firecrackers weren't lit? I don't see her cry much on weekdays, so why is she crying so hard this time?"
He looked at Su Ying impatiently and found that her hands were covered in blood. Yuan Song then ran over anxiously.
Just as he ran to Su Ying's side, the fuse inside the Zhuangyuanhong was finally ignited by the spark, and with a bang, it shot up into the sky.
Yuan Song was shocked and hurriedly protected Su Ying in front of him. It was not until the Zhuangyuanhong rose into the air and there was another bang that the sound stopped.
Yuan Song slowly let go of Su Ying and looked down. Su Ying's face was covered with tears. She said fearfully, "Yuan Song, my hand hurts. I won't be able to write in the future and I won't be able to become the top scholar!"
Yuan Song panicked when he saw her holding up her bloody hand, and hurriedly pulled her to find an adult.
Yuan Song held her uninjured left hand and comforted her, "Don't cry, Ying'er. If you really can't get the top spot because of this hand, the worst that can happen is that I get the top spot and then give it to you, okay?"
When Su Ying heard this, she nodded quickly and sniffed, "You can't cheat. If you don't give me the top prize, I will, I will..."
Seeing her bloody hands still trying to trick him, Yuan Song interrupted her and swore, "Just let me be alone and miserable for the rest of my life, without a wife or children, okay?"
How could a little kid like me understand what it meant to be alone and childless? All I learned were the sweet words between husband and wife from listening to my parents' jokes in their spare time.
Thinking back to that time, Su Ying still finds her childhood naiveté ridiculous. In the past few years, Yuan Song had been promoted to Hangzhou Prefecture with his father. She heard he was now a top scorer in the Zhejiang Provincial Examination. She wondered if she would have the chance to see him again next spring.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
