Chapter 32 Yuanniang's Story (Part 1)
The wind chimes at the door chimed softly, and a clear female voice reached my ears: "Can you please send a pot of peach blossom wine to my home?"
Yuanniang turned around and saw a woman in a black silk dress with dark patterns walking in.
She was very beautiful, with slightly upturned eyes that exuded a rebellious air.
There is a tabby cat following beside him. Its bright eyes seem a little careless, but if you look closely, you can see the wisdom in them.
Yuanniang greeted him with a smile: "I'm sorry, my husband hasn't returned yet, so there's no one to deliver the goods. If it's just a pot of peach blossom wine, it's not heavy, so you can take it away."
"Take it away by yourself?" Lin Qingyue looked at her hands. "I have hands, but I just don't want to carry it myself. Since your husband is not here, why don't you help me carry it."
Yuanniang said with some embarrassment: "Sorry, I still have to look after the store. If you really want to deliver the goods, why not wait for my husband..."
"But what if he doesn't come back?" Lin Qingyue laughed. "I mean, he never comes back."
The smile on Yuanniang's face faded immediately, and a hint of vigilance appeared on her face. "What do you mean? Miss, you don't sound like you're here to buy wine, but rather to cause trouble."
Lin Qingyue said: "You are right, I am here to cause trouble."
Immediately, she showed her token: "I am Lin Qingyue, the Deputy Envoy of the Xuanjing Division. I would like to ask Madam to come with me."
Although the Xuanjingsi was established only ten years ago, it has penetrated into all parts of the people, so the common people have some knowledge of this government office.
Yuanniang said, "I've heard that the Xuanjing Division exorcises evil spirits and keeps the people safe and healthy. But my husband and I have always been honest and dedicated people, and have never done anything that would harm the world. Why would the Xuanjing Division come after us?"
Lin Qingyue said, "Why? We'll have to talk to find out. Let's go."
Yuanniang said, "If you have anything to say, just say it here. I have to wait for my husband, so it's inconvenient for me to go out."
Lin Qingyue said, "You probably won't be able to wait for him today. Why don't you come with me? Maybe I can take you to see him."
"What do you mean? Did you capture Ah Heng?"
"Please get in the carriage and we'll talk while we go."
Yuanniang pondered for a moment, but finally got on Lin Qingyue's carriage because she was worried about Ah Heng.
The carriage was very stable and filled with a faint fragrance.
Lin Qingyue poured a cup of tea for Yuanniang. "We still have a long way to go. Why don't you have a cup of tea and tell me how you escaped the fate of ephemeral life and death and became a demon. And why are you willing to grow old and stay in the mundane world as an old woman selling wine for a living?"
Yuanniang picked up the teacup and when she lowered her eyes, she saw an old face reflected in the rippling tea water.
"I've been a human for so long that I almost forgot I'm a monster..."
A sad sigh falls into the past, slowly sweeping away the dusty past.
Most people think of mayflies as living creatures with only one day to live, but few know that they spend months or even years dormant beneath the riverbed to survive this day.
Yuanniang is no exception.
When she was a larva, she had no concept of time and lay dormant in a daze, accumulating energy.
Until one day she grew thin wings, and driven by instinct, she climbed out of the riverbed, jumped out of the water with all her might, and rushed out of the water.
Then, the colorful and beautiful world appeared before our eyes.
That day, the first ray of morning light shone on the water, casting a gentle halo on her wings.
The breeze, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers, brushed her face, helping her fly higher.
She looked at this new world infatuatedly, her heart full of joy.
Suddenly, when she looked back, she found that her companions who were born with her were now flapping their wings, looking for mates, and busy completing the reproduction of their species.
She knew that the life of a mayfly was extremely short, so short that it didn't even have time to take another look at the world.
Driven by instinct, females and males entangled together to complete mating and laying eggs before sunset, and then end their splendid yet tragic life.
Only she developed a different consciousness, a self-awareness that overrides primitive instincts.
She knew that her life should not be spent in such a hurry.
She wanted to see more and farther scenery, not just be a breeding tool.
So she left the tribe, landed on the shore and transformed into a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old.
That day, she entered the mundane world as a human being.
Unlike plankton, whose lives are short and every minute and every second counts, humans live for decades and seem to be unable to perceive the passage of time.
So some people stroll leisurely in the streets and alleys, while others spend half a day watching plays and listening to music.
She even saw someone wasting half a day queuing just to buy a pot of peach blossom wine.
Mayflies feel the passage of life with every flap of their wings. They desperately emerge from the water, and in just one day, they must complete mating, giving birth, and ultimately death.
Why do humans have such a long life but don’t know how to cherish time?
Why is fate so unfair?
As soon as a thought arises, greed, anger, and ignorance will follow: Since some people don’t know how to cherish time, then leave the time to me!
She was a mayfly demon, and even after gaining intelligence and becoming a human, she was still born and died every day.
The only way to prolong life is to seize.
She set her eyes on a little boy who was queuing to buy wine.
The little boy was only about seven or eight years old, thin and small, standing at the end of the crowd, staring intently.
It was finally his turn, but when she stood on tiptoe and handed over a few coins.
The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "You are too late. The last pot of wine is sold out."
"Ah, why are they sold out? I've been waiting in line for a long time. Please sell me another pot!"
"It's really sold out! If you want to buy it, come early tomorrow to queue up."
The boy was a little disappointed, but he nodded obediently: "Okay, then I'll come again tomorrow. Tomorrow, you must leave me a pot of wine."
The mayfly demon followed the boy, a greedy look in its eyes: "Such a naive human, you still have decades left to live. So, you can just waste your time without scruples, just to satisfy your appetite?"
On a secluded path where no one could see, she slowly reached out her hand and, without the boy's knowledge, sucked away his life force.
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