Really?
Not again?
For Zheng Quchi, this ball of paper, which she didn't know where it came from, was like a hot potato; she wished she could throw it far away immediately.
In fact, she did just that.
She cupped her hands together, and using her soft sleeves as cover, first tore them to shreds, then threw them piece by piece onto the dark street.
Even if someone finds some of the paper scraps that weren't blown away by the wind tomorrow morning, it won't be enough to piece together a complete sentence.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Yuwen Sheng turned to her and asked.
After going downstairs, he put on a gilded mask to cover the upper half of his face.
After throwing away the triangular ruler, Zheng pushed the wheelchair back to him and said, "No, I'm just a little tired and want to rest..."
He held her hand: "Are you tired? Then don't push anymore."
"I'm fine after resting. It's rare for the two of us to be out and about tonight, and I want to see more of the world," she said with a smile.
“Look, there seems to be a bonfire dance ahead.” Zheng Quchi didn’t want him to pursue the matter further, so he deliberately changed the subject: “What kind of dance is this? Why are they wearing animal skins and no shoes, and circling around the bonfire with torches?”
Yuwen Sheng raised his eyes, stared at it for a moment, and said, "This is the Yilong Dance. Since the most primitive times, people have had an inexplicable awe of fire. They dance around the campfire, firstly to commemorate the grace of their ancestors in discovering fire, and secondly to praise the flame."
Zheng Quchi nodded in realization, but then asked, "In the middle of the bonfire, there is a woman with her hand raised to the sky. Why is that?"
"Sacrifice".
"Sacrifice? Why would we need to sacrifice?"
"Where there is fire, there will naturally be water, which counters it. But since ancient times, floods have caused suffering to the people. So some people have proposed to sacrifice a person to heaven in the midst of a raging fire, in order to ask heaven to protect the people and bring them peace."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Quchi immediately lost interest in the dance.
"Can sacrificing a human life really bring divine protection? And why must it be a woman?"
"It's just a bunch of ignorant people comforting themselves. As for why it's women, it's only because in a patriarchal world, women have always been just appendages. Losing one woman, one wife, one sister can bring stability to the lives of more people. Nobody thinks it's not worth it."
Zheng Quchi didn't seem too angry after hearing this. She simply asked, "What about you? Do you think so too?"
Yuwen Sheng thought for a moment and did not deny it: "If you are asking about obtaining the greatest benefit at the lowest cost, achieving a certain goal through sacrifice, I think anyone would do the same."
Zheng Quchi walked around to him, squatted down, and looked up at him with her small face: "What if the person who needs to be sacrificed is me?"
Yuwen Sheng lowered his eyes and frowned slightly: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
With him around, no one dared to sacrifice her to the heavens.
"Feng Mian, if I were among the women you speak of who are subservient to men, would you still think it's worth it to exchange one person's life for some kind of benefit?"
Seeing that she insisted on comparing herself to others, Yuwen Sheng was secretly annoyed: "Zheng Quchi, it can't be you."
She chuckled softly and said slowly, "What's so special about me? Why can't I be myself? If you look down on women like everyone else, then I won't earn respect either."
Upon hearing her words, Yuwen Sheng suddenly recalled what Fu Rong had said not long ago: how his subordinates viewed Zheng Quchi depended entirely on his attitude.
Now Zheng Quchi also feels that he will treat her with the same attitude he has towards women in the world.
In fact, Yuwen Sheng was very fair.
His words just now mean that everyone, regardless of gender, is of the same importance to him.
Only because she is his wife will things be different.
He suddenly seemed to understand the meaning behind her self-deprecating words.
Everyone has their own unique qualities, but others cannot see them. Therefore, what Zheng Quchi wants is not his own recognition, but to prevent women from being sacrificed and despised at will in this world.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zheng Quchi stood up, forced a relaxed smile, and said, "Alright, I was just casually remarking that this dance doesn't seem to be very interesting. Let's go somewhere else."
The two continued strolling around. Zheng Quchi saw an old man teasing birds, a skill that had long been lost. She stared in astonishment, laughing and clapping along with the others. She also watched young men and women performing acrobatics, balancing bowls on their limbs and walking on ropes on their tiptoes...
Along the way, she would stop and go, occasionally sharing her thoughts with Liu Fengmian and asking him about things she didn't understand.
Although Liu Fengmian was not interested in these things, he was infected by her high spirits and kept smiling, forgetting everything else, and kept talking to her all the way.
Just then, another stranger, taking advantage of the bustling crowd, secretly slipped her a wad of paper.
Zheng Quchi froze.
She took a deep breath.
This time, however, she didn't act impulsively and threw it away.
"Fengmian, wait for me here for a moment. I just ate some fried dough sticks and I think I have an upset stomach. I'll be right back." She made up an excuse.
The county has public toilets, mainly to prevent people from relieving themselves indiscriminately and causing the spread of disease and mosquitoes.
Yuwen Sheng sighed helplessly, "I told you not to eat random street food. If you're feeling unwell, then go ahead and eat."
She pushed him under the eaves, where the flow of people was not "rushing" and would not bump into him. Only then did she run away and untie the crumpled paper that someone had insisted she see.
Under the long bridge, by the willow-lined embankment, we'll meet there.
What?
The contents of this paper don't seem like a secret code for a spy rendezvous; they seem more like a rendezvous between a man and a woman at dusk...
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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