An Ning: "Ah! That's brutal! Let me see, are you still injured?"
Lei Ting: "It's all gone. It was all internal injuries. I drank a lot of herbal medicine and it healed. It's nothing. My grandfather said that when I take you back, he will open the ancestral hall and punish you according to family law."
An Ning: "Open the ancestral hall, invoke family law? Are you going to beat us?"
Lei Ting: "Well, in my memory, there have only been two ancestral halls. One was my second grandfather's family, when his grandson attempted suicide. Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Suicide is a serious crime, so the ancestral hall was opened. The other time was my third grandfather's family, when his granddaughter seduced a married woman and became pregnant out of wedlock. My grandfather opened the ancestral hall. Whenever the ancestral hall is opened, family law will be applied to three generations. When I go back this time, they will open the ancestral hall for me."
Anning: "Our family has a very strict tradition. How do we enforce family discipline? Do we use a stick?"
Lei Ting: "Take the whip, the bone-piercing whip. My parents, grandparents, and I will all kneel in the ancestral hall, kowtowing as we enter from the doorway, and then go to the ancestral tablets. Someone from another family who is in charge of the household will take the whip and give each of us one lash. Alternatively, one person can bear all the lashes. I've already decided that no matter how many lashes I take, I will bear them myself. I won't let my parents and grandparents be punished."
An Ning: "The Bone-Seeing Whip? Is it a very powerful one?"
Lei Ting: "You can imagine it as a cleaver. At best, it will tear the flesh out; at worst, it will break tendons and bones. That's why it's called the Bone-Seeing Whip. My third grandfather's granddaughter had her spine broken and paralyzed with just one lash."
An Ning: "What? No, no, if that's the case, I won't go back with you, and you shouldn't go back either. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Lei Ting: "I had already thought it through when I came here. When I get back, my grandfather will be the one to whip me. I will take all their whips, a total of five lashes. I will absolutely not cry out in pain. An Ning, I will not be whipped because of the ancestral rules. I have many ways to avoid the ancestral rules. I choose to face it because I want to give you an explanation and repent for the harm I caused you in the past. This is my attitude towards you."
An Ning: "No, what if I cripple you? No way..."
Thunder: "If I become crippled, you'll bake bread and support me for the rest of my life..."
Anning: "No..."
An Ning nestled in Lei Ting's arms. The execution hadn't even begun yet, but just hearing about it was terrifying. What's more, Lei Ting was fair-skinned and had no scars on his body. Five lashes would leave him crippled, if not dead! An Ning absolutely refused to agree.
Lei Ting: "An Ning, when the time comes, it won't be you feeling sorry for me. You'll have to look at me and see my repentance."
Anning: "I don't remember anymore, I don't want to, it hurts my heart."
Thunder: "Don't think about that, it's not time yet!"
Anning: "If I get whipped, I'm your wife, and as your wife, I'll get whipped too. I can't let you be the only one who gets whipped."
Thunder: "Peace..."
Anning clung tightly to Leiting, shouting that they would face it together, as if someone was about to drag Leiting away to get beaten. Leiting returned her embrace, and the two on the bed remained silent for a long time. The curtains were drawn, and the evening sky above Tianjin cast a glow of sunset, reflecting on the curtains and streaming into the room, its orange hue offering hope like the rising sun. Anning closed her eyes and thought about how Leiting had once given her a special kind of warmth; she could still remember it—a song. Anning hummed it.
Anning: "The dark sky hangs low, the bright stars follow, the insects fly, the insects fly, who are you thinking of? The stars in the sky are weeping, the roses on the ground are withering."
Thunder: "The cold wind blows, the cold wind blows, as long as you are with me, the insects fly, the flowers sleep, and pairs of people are beautiful. I am not afraid of the dark, but I am afraid of heartbreak. No matter how tired I am or how far away I am, as long as you are with me."
Thunder/Anning: "As long as you're with me..."
When Anning first arrived at Leiting's house, the unfamiliar environment made her very uncomfortable, and she often couldn't sleep at night. One time, Anning was looking at the stars in the yard, missing her family. Leiting came home from get off work and saw Anning sitting in the Qianyue Pavilion, missing her family. He sat down next to her and hummed this song to her. From then on, Anning often hummed this song. Even when she lost her memory and forgot Leiting, she never forgot this song.
Thunder: "You still remember?"
An Ning: "Yeah, I can picture you humming this song in my mind."
As their feelings deepened, the two had just begun exchanging saliva when Liao Qian's phone rang. Lei Ting, reluctant to let go of An Ning, who was as docile as a deer, impatiently walked out of the house to answer the phone.
Liao Qian: "What are you doing!"
Thunder: "None of your business! What is it?"
Liao Qian: "So, do you still remember Yaheng, your mentor from Anning University...?"
Thunder: "Yaheng, the blond, blue-eyed one? You've almost forgotten him, so what..."
Liao Qian: "He just told Allen that he's going to set up a love confession scene, saying he wants to propose to An Ning. I'll call you as soon as possible! An Ning rejected him in college, but who would have thought he wouldn't give up after all these years. Don't bring An Ning with you tonight."
Thunder: "I'm going to assert my sovereignty. Anning is mine."
Liao Qian: "Whatever you want! Anyway, I've told you, this Yaheng is a bit paranoid, so be careful. Call me if anything happens tonight."
Lei Ting: "Don't worry, you've seen my Bagua Palm before. Since that's the case, do what you need to do. Why not make money when it's free? I have a plan for tonight."
Liao Qian: "Alright, your suitor Juliet is here too, my goodness, tonight's going to be lively..."
Thunder: "Who? Who is Juliet? I vaguely remember Yaheng, but I have absolutely no recollection of Juliet."
Liao Qian: "You've forgotten Julie, the one with blue eyes and that 'duang duang' walk. For the past six months, all our classmates have been criticizing you, but Julie has been the one defending you!"
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