Deeply in love
After listening to what the mother said, Wu Qi smiled.
Her soft laugh drew everyone's attention, and she met the mother's fierce gaze without flinching.
The mother glared at Wu Qi fiercely, as if she had corrupted her daughter. But when Wu Qi looked at the mother, her eyes were open and honest, as if to say that she was right.
"Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you, what do you mean by 'it's okay for people to make a fuss and then just let it go'?"
Wu Qi tilted his head, seemingly puzzled, and said, "Do you think that all these women shouting about injustice are just making a fuss?"
These women had already experienced the days when Lord Zhou Lang explicitly forbade others from forcing women to draw the "many children, many blessings" line, and now they were forced to draw the "many children, many blessings" line again by the rumors spread by the woman in human skin. They were already dissatisfied.
At this moment, about half of the women threw off their veils. Was this angry and undeniable resistance just a game?
The mother was wearing a veil, so Wu Qi couldn't see her face clearly. He only heard her say, "Otherwise, what do you think they can change?"
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on a spark that was just beginning to ignite.
Yes, what can they change?
Just as the already weak fire was about to go out, Wu Qi said, "You're wrong. It's not that they can change anything."
"The question is, what can we change?"
Wu Qi looked around and saw many women, some with lines drawn on their faces indicating many children and much happiness, and some without, but this did not prevent them from being of one mind.
She was originally just one of many women.
Wu Qi said, "One person can't change anything, but a group of people can."
The mother snorted coldly and scoffed, "Overestimating yourself."
“Perhaps, maybe we’re still young and can still be a little reckless.” Wu Qi sighed, seemingly advising, “You should never hit your daughter again, even if you are her mother, you should never hit her.”
"Is it any of your business how I discipline my daughter?"
"It's just a suggestion. After all, even though you gave birth to her, you'll still need her when you're old, right? So be good to her. It's just that you need something from your daughter."
It's inappropriate for her to make sarcastic remarks about everyday family matters.
Wu Qi stopped talking about the matter and didn't want to say more. Instead, he tugged at Yi Shen's sleeve and said, "Yi Shen, Yi Shen, quickly pick the most beautiful flower from my hair."
The flowers in her hair were all real flowers, and you could smell their fragrance if you smelled them closely. However, Pingwu City was bitterly cold, so the flowers in her hair were not as varied as those in the capital.
Yi Shen lowered his head and, as she asked, plucked the most beautiful flower from her hair.
Wu Qi took the flower, smiled, and gave it to the woman who had been beaten, sincerely praising her, "You are truly a very beautiful woman. I hope you feel better!"
The woman took the flower in a daze, and carefully held it in her arms before her mother tried to snatch it away.
She looked at the flower and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome!"
Other women around followed Wu Qi's example and gave the woman what they had in their hands, including hairpins, handkerchiefs, and some pastries.
The woman accepted the gifts and tearfully thanked them one by one.
Yi Shen had already anticipated what Wu Qi would do.
He stood there, waiting for Wu Qi to return, and said gently, "I'll take you to buy flowers later."
She was missing a flower in her hair, and he wanted to replace it.
"Okay, thank you Yi Shen!"
Suddenly, a burst of firecrackers went off in the distance, and gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd.
"Lord Zhou Lang has arrived!"
"Master Zhou!!"
Aside from the praise, some people complained, "It's him every year, how can he be that capable! I think Lord Zhao is just fine."
The women retorted, "What's wrong with Lord Zhou? I think you think Lord Zhao is great because you want to emulate him with three or four wives and concubines. No, it should be eight wives and twenty concubines."
"I didn't!"
Wu Qi listened quietly, then pursed his lips and whispered, "This Lord Zhao is really no human being!"
He also had eight wives and twenty concubines...
The traditional family rules stipulated that men could only marry one wife and women could only marry one husband.
If a man dared to have three wives and four concubines, he would have been torn to pieces and expelled from his noble family long ago.
Who is this Lord Zhao?
What is your surname and given name?
How could someone do such a despicable thing?
Amidst the bustling crowd, several people slowly walked down the street, pulling on Zhou Lang's statue. People stood on the streetside shouting and waving, throwing flowers and pastries onto the vehicles; some even tossed lipstick into the cars.
As the sun rose, its light shone on Zhou Lang's statue, making it glitter like gold.
This statue of Zhou Lang is actually made of gold, and judging from the effort the people pulling the cart are putting in, it's solid!
Wu Qi had only seen Zhou Lang's horrifying death, and at the time he did not dare to look at him for long. He only remembered the two blood lines on his face and did not pay attention to his appearance.
Seeing Zhou Lang's statue today, I realized that he had a face like jade, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, a wide robe around his body, and was elegant and handsome. Under the light, his eyes were calm. What a graceful gentleman! No wonder so many women love Lord Zhou Lang, and no wonder they are willing to throw their lipstick and handkerchiefs on this statue.
People around cheered and threw the things they had prepared onto the car. If anything fell off the car, the person behind would pick it up and put it back on the car.
Wu Qi had nothing to give Zhou Lang, so she simply gave him nothing. She said, "Yi Shen, don't you think this Lord Zhou Lang looks somewhat like you?"
Yi Shen said, "I don't think so."
At first glance, Zhou Lang and Yi Shen do indeed look three or four parts alike, so there is some truth to the servant's deliberate mistaking of Yi Shen for Zhou Lang.
Hearing Yi Shen say it didn't look like him, Wu Qi looked at Zhou Lang's face more closely.
If you look closely, Zhou Lang and Yi Shen look quite different.
Different facial features result in different eyes.
Both men had indifferent eyes, but Zhou Lang's stubbornness was hidden beneath his indifference, like a raging fire concealed in a pool of water, while Yi Shen's indifference was like ice and snow beneath the pool, as if everything happening in the world had nothing to do with him.
Amidst the clamor of voices, Yi Shen asked, "Do you think I look like Zhou Lang?"
Wu Qi honestly replied, "It doesn't seem quite like it anymore."
Yi Shen has a cold and stern face, black hair and eyebrows, and thin lips that are slightly pursed. At first glance, one does not perceive him as cold and indifferent, but upon seeing him again, one will remember his face.
It's like a handful of moonlight shining on the first snow in the cold night, and then the red plum blossoms bloom.
The capital city often says he is a model of aristocratic young masters, and probably half of that is because of his face.
Wu Qi laughed and said, "Yi Shen is the best looking!"
This wasn't a lie or an attempt to flatter Yi Shen; Wu Qi genuinely thought Yi Shen was handsome. As for other men, even if they were celestial beings, as long as they stood next to Yi Shen, Wu Qi would still say, "Yi Shen is indeed handsome."
Wu Qi had praised Yi Shen's good looks since he was a child, at least eight hundred times, if not a thousand. He thought Yi Shen was tired of hearing it and wouldn't pay attention, but to his surprise, Yi Shen softly said "Mm".
The Fire Festival is to commemorate the great achievements of Lord Zhou Lang. Several people carried Zhou Lang's golden statue through several streets in the city, and then placed it in the center of Pingwu City. As for the things on the cart, poor families could share them.
A ragged child bowed to Zhou Lang's statue and then took a piece of pastry from the car.
Glass lanterns were hung up, people played musical instruments and sang, men and women danced and sang in the streets, and vendors shouted their wares with all their might, creating a thriving scene.
The golden statue watched the cheering crowd indifferently.
Wu Qi gave away the most beautiful flower in her hair, and Yi Shen stood in front of the flower shop to help her choose the most beautiful flower that was in full bloom during its season.
He hesitated for a moment between the purple and pink flowers, but ultimately chose the pink ones.
Seeing this, Wu Qi laughed so hard he bent over, and, holding his arm, asked, "Why does this young master like pink so much?"
Yi Shen placed the flower in Wu Qi's hair and said, "It suits you."
Why do I feel like pink suits me?
Yi Shen said, "Think for yourself."
The flower girl wearing a veil stared blankly at Yi Shen through the thin veil, forgetting even to take the money. It was only after Wu Qi reminded her that she came to her senses, hurriedly took the money, and bowed her head, saying, "I'm sorry."
Wu Qi said, "It's alright, we'll be going now."
The flower girl looked at Yi Shen's back; he looked so much like him, so much like that person.
She suddenly saw a refined man in a wide robe. He had just bought a flower from her shop and then turned and left.
But the two only look somewhat similar from behind.
Yi Shen looks like a child raised in a wealthy family, but that person actually climbed his way up from poverty to the top.
The flower girl looked at the golden statue, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Lord Zhou, are you really willing to accept this?"
Are you really willing to die like this?
There were so many people coming and going, it was incredibly lively.
Wu Qi smiled and whispered in Yi Shen's ear, "I know, you said pink suits me, is it because I said when I was little that the color of peach blossoms is the most flattering color for me in the world!?"
When she was little, after learning that her flower was the peach blossom, she took Yi Shen to the peach tree to see the blossoms. Pointing to the peach blossoms on the tree, she said, "The color of the peach blossom must be the most fitting color for me in this world. Of course, the color of the red plum blossom must be the most fitting color for you."
Yi Shen's emblem is red plum blossom, but he seems to have never worn red clothes, while she wears one pink dress after another.
"Is that right, Yi Shen?" Wu Qi asked.
"A part of it."
Wu Qi asked, "What is the other part?"
Yi Shen said softly, "My mother once said that if a woman can always wear pink clothes, then her life should be carefree."
When Wenru was young, she loved to wear pink clothes. After having three sons, she was carefree for many years, but she often had to worry about them. Her pink clothes were often dirty, and as she got older, she put away all the pink clothes and wore some more subdued colors instead.
She once told Yi Shen, "Pink clothes are light in color and easily get dirty. If you want the woman you admire to wear pink clothes all year round, then you must be deeply in love with her."
These words were etched in Yi Shen's heart.
At that moment, he finally spoke.
Wu Qi seemed lost in thought. Yi Shen, unaware of her thoughts, only heard her say, "Is that so? I've never refused the pink dress that Young Master Yi gave me."
Yi Shen said softly, "I have never given pink clothes to anyone else."
The two walked side by side on the street. In this bustling world, it was a blessing to have someone to walk alongside, as if all the unknowns were about to vanish into thin air.
As dusk fell, the streets became even more lively, with lanterns hanging high. Some women took off their veils and gathered in twos and threes in front of jewelry shops, picking up hairpins to examine them.
For some reason, several women started arguing loudly in front of the jewelry shop. Seeing this, the crowd immediately tried to stop them, saying, "It's the Fire Festival! How can you argue on the Fire Festival? It's a big festival, put aside your grudges, you can argue tomorrow!"
Yi Shen glanced back, fearing that the two men in black might be disguised and hiding among them and harm Wu Qi.
A moment later, Wu Qi pointed to the lanterns on the tree and said, "These lanterns are so bright!"
Yi Shen was about to speak when he looked down at her hair. Suddenly, his expression hardened, and without hesitation, he drew the soft sword from his waist and held it to her neck, asking sharply, "Where did she go?"
Wu Qi said, "What are you talking about? Who went where?"
Yi Shen's sword drew an inch closer, blood flowing down her neck, but he showed no mercy, coldly asking, "Wu Qi, where did you take Wu Qi?"
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