Chapter 82 Maybe he liked that woman, so they had physical contact
Not to mention Wanyi, Su Ying was also shocked.
Last night at the Lantern Festival, Jinniang had also snuggled in Du Heng's arms like this. But she was injured then, was she injured now as well?
Wanyi didn't dare to go forward, so she pulled Su Ying and found a place to hide.
If Su Ying were alone, she wouldn't want to hide. The cause and effect were unknown, and she couldn't just speculate based on what she saw. But somehow, as soon as Wanyi pulled her, she lost her usual composure and let Wanyi lead her to hide behind the pillars.
Although Wanyi panicked, her eyes never left her brother and Jinniang. She saw her sister's shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were sobbing. Her brother slowly lifted her from his arms and handed her to a nearby maid. Then, he said something, turned, and left. With the maid's help, Jinniang bowed to her brother's back and, upon rising, wiped away tears.
The scene before my eyes was just like a reluctant farewell in a play.
"Oh no, my brother is coming towards us!" Wanyi was suddenly startled and panicked as if she had done something wrong.
These columns can block the view of people from a distance, but if people get closer, nothing can be hidden.
Su Ying gently pulled Wanyi's hand and whispered, "Don't panic, we just arrived. We'll greet him later. Remember, you just stepped into the main courtyard, you don't know anything, and you haven't seen anything."
As soon as she finished speaking, Du Heng seemed to have noticed them. Su Ying took a deep breath, calmed her expression, and slightly narrowed her eyes, pulling Wanyi down the corridor.
When Du Heng saw Jinniang wake up, he handed her over to Biyu, and asked Qingquan to pass the remaining candy over.
He looked unhappy and said, "Three meals a day is human nature. I think my cousin is not a child, she should know this principle. The Spring and Autumn Annals and Zuo Zhuan may be too difficult for you. It would be better to skip a few pages these days. A proper diet will help you recover."
Jinniang had thought her cousin would pity her, but she had no idea that he would give her such a cold reprimand. Before he could finish his words, he had already turned and left.
She bowed quickly and said, "Goodbye, cousin."
The refreshing scent of his body still lingered in her nose. Jinniang looked at the receding figure with melancholy, tears welling up in her eyes. It turned out that the word "love" could move people so deeply.
Du Heng had only taken a few steps when he saw two figures on the corridor in the distance. He had an idea and quickened his pace.
"Why are you here to pay your respects to Grandma so early? Why don't you get a little more sleep?"
As he finished speaking, he realized that Wanyi and Su Ying each had a book bag in their hands. He suddenly realized and said with a smile, "I almost forgot that after the Lantern Festival, I should listen to Mr. Bai's lecture."
Seeing Su Ying keep her head down, not meeting his gaze, Du Heng assumed she was simply shy, and his heart softened even further. At the Lantern Festival last night, though they hadn't spoken explicitly, he felt a deep sense of affection. Seeing her again today, his heart still raced. If Su Ying looked up at this moment, she would surely see his eyes filled with joy.
However, Su Ying remained silent with her brows lowered. Du Heng was about to ask when he heard his sister say, "Brother, today is the first class after the New Year. Sister Ying'er and I want to prepare early."
Her younger sister looked nervous, as if she was worried about Mr. Bai's questions. Wanyi had always been terrified of studying, and Ying'er had lost her usual composure.
Du Heng smiled and said, "Go ahead, go ahead."
Wanyi seemed to have been pardoned, and she quickly pulled Su Ying away towards the flower hall.
It was not until she reached the flower hall that she patted her chest, gasped for breath, and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, my brother didn't notice that we saw him and Sister Jinniang."
Su Ying was being pulled along by Wan Yi, her heartbeat catching up with her frantic pace. Somehow, she felt a bit bored, so she opened her book bag and put some books and articles in it to calm her mind.
Not long after, Mr. Bai entered the flower hall and saw that Wanyi and Su Ying were ready. He nodded with satisfaction and began to review the work that had been done before the New Year.
Mr. Bai first read Su Ying's article. Her writing was always meaningful and her words were well-chosen. After reading it, Mr. Bai said, "Good."
Then she walked to Wanyi's desk. Wanyi didn't even dare to breathe. She held her breath and watched nervously as Mr. Bai picked up the article that Sister Ying'er had asked her to write years ago.
The teacher read silently, and Wanyi felt that the days passed by slowly.
After an unknown amount of time, Mr. Bai's stern voice reached him from above. She asked, "Wanyi, in your article, you quoted the verse from the "Instructions for Women," 'Before you marry, be respectful and cautious of your body, and avoid disrespecting it,' to justify the principle of 'men and women should not touch each other.' At first glance, it seems convincing, but in reality, it's empty talk, leaving readers with the impression that you don't understand the true meaning."
"Come, explain to me what 'Before you get married, be respectful and careful with your body, and don't be disrespectful' means. Why does this prove that 'Men and women should not touch each other'?"
Wanyi cried out inwardly, "Oh no!" and stood up reluctantly. She racked her brains, trying hard to think.
In a flash, the image of her brother holding Sister Jinniang in his arms flashed by. Without even thinking, she blurted out, "If a woman, unmarried and waiting to be married, casually leans on a man's arms, is this looking down on herself? Is this considered disrespectful?"
As she spoke, her tone became increasingly hesitant and her voice became softer.
Mr. Bai said, "Although your example is a bit explicit, it does explain the statement you quoted. However, you only discussed the woman and did not prove the man's side of the story."
Wanyi stammered, "The man, the man, that man is well-educated and always polite. He behaved like this, maybe, maybe he liked that woman, so he had physical contact with her."
Wanyi didn't understand what Mr. Bai was asking. Mr. Bai meant that to prove the principle of "men and women should not touch each other," men and women needed to be discussed separately. Her explanation only addressed the women's side, leaving the men's side untouched.
In her mind, she had already identified her brother with the man in the article, and she couldn't help but find an explanation for Du Heng's actions this morning.
Mr. Bai was both amused and confused. He took the article in his hand, rolled it up, and gently dropped it on Wanyi's head. He said helplessly, "Sit down!"
He then added, "Even if there is affection between a man and a woman, they must restrain their words and actions. If there is any inappropriate behavior, the man must take responsibility, otherwise both parties will be immoral."
Wanyi exclaimed, "Sir, are you saying that if an unmarried man hugs a woman, he must marry her?"
Mr. Bai smiled and said, "If you are a gentleman, you must do so. Haven't you heard the anecdotes about the Emperor and Empress of our Great Zhou?"
Wanyi's eyes widened, her face bewildered. Mr. Bai saw her innocent expression, smiled slightly, and then slowly said:
"Back then, His Majesty was still a prince stationed in the north. That spring, he was summoned to the capital to report on his duties. On his way back, he happened to meet the daughter of the Minister of War, now the Empress, who was accompanying her mother to the Bodhi Temple to burn incense. Passing a mountain road, she accidentally slipped and fell into the stream below."
"At that time, the Empress's clothes were soaking wet and she was in a state of great distress. The Emperor, upon hearing her cries for help, personally jumped into the water and rescued her. This matter concerned his reputation, so upon returning to the palace, the Emperor personally apologized to the Emperor, accepting responsibility. The Emperor, knowing his true feelings, granted the marriage, and the marriage became a beautiful story."
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