During the journey from Hegou Village to the county seat, Zheng Quchi occasionally caught a glimpse of Liu Fengmian's expression, but immediately looked away, remaining cautious in his words and actions.
Ever since he learned that she had invited Master Li in addition to him, a gloomy and unapproachable aura has settled on his sickly face.
Even the friendly and gentle smile that was always on his face had turned into a shallow, listless one, devoid of warmth.
She didn't want to bring Li Shi along either, but it was her brother's order. If she didn't take Li Shi with her, how could they fabricate a story and claim that "Sang Xuanqing" had returned home to carry out the replacement plan?
However, she didn't expect that although Teacher Li seemed aloof and stern, he was actually so approachable and would come whenever someone invited him, without exception.
She felt quite pressured walking between the two tall people.
One of them, in particular, seemed to harbor more resentment than the other when they were not smiling, and they all seemed to be stabbing her in the back.
When she arrived in the city, she found that there were more people on the streets than she usually saw. There were vendors hawking their wares and haggling over prices in the streets and alleys, children running and playing, couples strolling hand in hand, and elderly people chatting and joking under the trees.
She also overheard the conversation, which mentioned that there would be a "Nuwa exorcism" activity on New Year's Eve.
"What is exorcism?" Zheng Quchi asked the two people next to him.
Yuwen Sheng glanced at her and saw her with her big, blinking eyes, looking pitifully at him waiting for him to answer her questions. His heart softened immediately, but before he could speak, Li Shi, oblivious to the interruption, began to give Zheng Quchi a detailed explanation.
It turns out that this "exorcising Nuo" activity has a long history. Not only in Ye State, but also in several other states, there are similar folk activities.
The difference is that the people of Ye perform mysterious exorcisms by wearing masks painted with special pigments and dressed in eye-catching and bright costumes. They chant and recite poems with verses, intending to drive away unseen plague demons and other ominous things to ensure peace and well-being in the new year.
In the Northern Abyss Kingdom, his nation plays the role of the twelve divine beasts. At the end of the year, when the stars return and yin and yang interact, a festival is held to welcome the gods and drive away plague demons.
These gods and ghosts, aren't they just pure feudal superstition in modern times?
Yes, superstition.
But she loves watching it.
Zheng Quchi listened with great interest as Teacher Li explained those simple yet exotic explanations. In fact, apart from superstition, it also contained political, religious, and folk elements, which were very characteristic of this era and various countries. She believed that it had great research value.
I want to see it.
However... Hegou Village is quite far from the county seat. Even if you walk fast, it takes an hour. If you finish your New Year's Eve dinner at home, you might miss the "exorcising Nuo" performance.
"You really want to see it?" Yuwen Sheng asked her.
Zheng Quchi suddenly turned his head, opened his big, bright eyes and looked at him, nodding repeatedly: "Yes."
But he smiled innocently and gently: "Then keep thinking about it."
Zheng Quchi: "..."
If you didn't bring her, don't ask such misleading questions. You're just teasing her and not satisfying her. Isn't that a problem?
After muttering a few complaints to herself, Zheng Quchi knew that he was expressing his dissatisfaction to her. She wasn't angry, thinking that Liu Fengmian's eyesight was poor, and the scenery along the way was probably just a passing breeze to him, leaving no impression.
So Zheng Quchi stopped just watching the fun himself and started to use all sorts of tricks to pull him along and describe the various scenes and things they had encountered along the way.
"Can you smell it? This area is full of farmers selling vegetables. That guy said he's selling something called 'Sa Fu Hua,' which sounds nice. He also has leeks, lettuce, mint, and walnuts. Oh, and there's some maltose over there. Wait here, I'll go buy some more for you to keep on hand."
She let go of Yuwen Sheng because she was in a hurry to queue up to buy candy and didn't notice that Yuwen Sheng subconsciously grabbed her hand and tried to stop her from leaving.
But Li Shiyu saw it.
"I didn't realize that Young Master Liu also enjoys eating malt candy?"
Yuwen Sheng smiled sweetly: "I used to dislike it, but Qu Chi said that eating candy can make people feel happy. She hopes that I can be happy at any time. My wife has always been concerned about my affairs."
Teacher Li: "..." Suddenly I feel a little full.
"Is Master Li married?"
"not yet."
"You're not getting any younger, it's time for you to get married. Otherwise, if you miss the prime marriageable age, it might be hard to find someone later," Yuwen Sheng said with a "kind" word of advice, then sighed with a smile.
"You're all alone, so you naturally don't understand the benefits of being together with someone. Look at how Quchi always thinks of me and takes care of me in everything he does. Whenever he sees something I like, he rushes to get it for me without hesitation. You probably can't understand these things since you're not married yet."
Teacher Li is not only full now, but also feels stuffed.
He didn't want to talk about these things with Liu Fengmian anymore, and he spoke bluntly, like a sharp blade: "Young Master Liu, are you really blind?"
Yuwen Sheng's expression remained unchanged; he even asked with interest, "Who told you I can't see?"
"So you... have been deceiving the Sang family all along? Including what you just said about being wholeheartedly devoted to your wife?" Li Shi's words were delivered without any hushed tone, ensuring they reached Zheng Quchi's ears completely upon his return.
"What are you talking about? What deception?" Zheng Quchi asked, tilting his head.
Master Li looked at Yuwen Sheng, like a fair judge, and bestowed divine punishment upon the one who had committed the sin of speaking ill of others.
“I have seen people who are born blind and people who become blind later in life, but no matter which type of person they are, they are not like Young Master Liu, who reacts to the outside world so naturally, just like a normal person.”
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