Chapter 88: Chance What kind of person do you want to marry?
"Why did you run into this?"
Ji Shubai thought for a while and asked a question.
"Chance." Song Jin's answer was simple and clever: "Just like the two ships I just mentioned, compare them to two worlds. One of the ships collapsed and fell apart, and the wood flew everywhere. One of the pieces collided, and that was chance."
"Opportunities cannot be sought, desired or rejected."
Ji Shubai was speechless.
"The Ji family pond can't hold a large boat. If the boat really collapses, the floating wood will be surprised when it sees this boat. It will be surprised that there is such a boat in the world. It has never seen such a boat in its life."
"Don't you think so, my Lord?"
Song Jin's words blocked all of Ji Shubai's paths. He wanted to go and see, but that was impossible. He also wanted the boat at home to float out on its own for him to see, but that was also impossible.
But he couldn't deny Song Jin's words. There was an irrefutable logic in the absurdity.
"Then according to what you said, you were illiterate in the Bai family. Did you learn to read in that world?"
Song Jin nodded: "Yes."
"Then I want to ask, why are there Huo Guang and Huo Xian in that world?"
"My Lord," Song Jin said patiently, "Flowers are similar, leaves are similar, and although they are not cut from the same mold, they are still the same in essence. Just like the ants in the capital and the ants in Suzhou, although they have never seen each other, their behavior and fate are roughly the same."
"You can compare the Ming Dynasty to a small river in Suzhou, and the world to the river. The water is all flowing to the sea, but the river is faster, so it reaches the destination earlier and sees the sea earlier. But all these waters originate from the same place, which is Taihu Lake. They have the same source, but at different speeds, that's all."
Ji Shubai did not refute her, but asked: "Since you have stayed there for so long and your fate is roughly the same, then you can also know the fate of Mr. Zhang, right? That's why you came to remind me."
He thought, if Song Jin had not lied to him, then she had lived there for thirty years, was much older than she was now, had more experience, and should have known even further back.
Song Jin blinked twice and asked him a question: "Sir, do you still remember that sheep?"
Ji Shubai nodded.
"You once advised me that the sheep would eventually become a dish on the table. What I can do is actually to change the way it dies, not to save its fate."
"Have you forgotten all the words you used to persuade me?"
Ji Shubai suddenly became speechless.
"Sir," Song Jin advised him with a faint smile, "It is most comfortable to follow your heart."
"What about you?"
"You ask me?" Song Jin pointed at himself and Ji Shubai nodded.
Song Jin laughed out loud: "I never regretted starting that fire, nor did I regret framing you."
She refused to repent.
Ji Shubai was a little sad at first, but seeing how openly she acted as a villain, he suddenly laughed out loud, and both of them laughed so hard that they fell backwards.
What follows the laughter is emptiness.
Ji Shubai looked at Song Jin, and his eyes were different from before. It was as if he was looking at a difficult puzzle.
"Can you tell me about your life during those thirty years? What was your status? What kind of life was it like?"
He felt that since Song Jin could read and write there, he must be living a good life, but he found it strange that he was not familiar with poetry or prose.
Song Jin thought for a moment and said, "Sir, the worlds are similar, but not exactly the same."
"What's the difference?"
Song Jin thought about it again before saying, "For example, they don't use oxen to plow the land."
"If you don't use oxen to plow the land, then what do you use to plow the land? People?"
Ji Shubai became curious and sat leaning towards Song Jin.
Song Jin also moved closer to T and said mysteriously, "They use machines."
"Chicken-anger?"
Song Jin scratched his head, thinking that this concept was too mysterious. It was difficult for people to understand things they had never seen, and it would likely lead to more questions. It would be better not to worry about it.
So she thought about it and changed her words: "It is a machine, but this machine is not that chicken."
This completely confused Ji Shubai.
"Don't worry about the chicken. Anyway, you can think of that world as what this world will be like a few hundred years from now. Then they no longer use cows to plow the fields, but use something else."
"What about the cow?"
To the people of the Ming Dynasty, cattle were very precious animals. Privately slaughtering cattle for farming was a violation of the criminal law and would be punished.
To some extent, his status and position are comparable to those of house slaves like Song Jin.
Therefore, from Ji Shubai's perspective, he really found it difficult to understand why cows no longer plowed the land.
"As for cattle, they are no longer used for farming, but there are dairy cattle, beef cattle, and all kinds of cattle."
Ji Shubai's mind was greatly shocked: "Beef cattle? Raising cattle for beef?"
Song Jin nodded.
Ji Shubai curled his lips, not understanding what was so delicious about beef. It was dry and hard to chew, and kept getting stuck in teeth. It was even less expensive than chicken, yet they actually liked to eat it.
"That's all? Only the cows are different?"
"Of course not. Take me for example. Girls can also go to school."
"School? Girls' school?"
Song Jin shook his head: "It's the school where everyone is together."
Ji Shubai frowned, not even knowing how to ask.
"Isn't this...this...inappropriate?"
Song Jin thought about it, how should he explain it?
"Have you ever heard of Zhuo Wenjun? The Zhuo Wenjun who sold wine at the bar, the Zhuo Wenjun who eloped with Sima Xiangru."
Ji Shubai frowned even more.
Of course he had heard of Zhuo Wenjun, but Confucianism was not so popular at that time, and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism did not exist, so the many requirements for women were not as strict as those in the Ming Dynasty.
"......I've heard of it." Ji Shubai hesitated, fearing that Song Jin would give him another shocking piece of news.
"You see, different dynasties have different customs. The customs of that world are different from those of the Ming Dynasty. For example, in that world, going out to study is the right thing to do, and not studying will lead to punishment."
Ji Shubai had no way to continue. He didn't even know what to ask and could only look for the answer in history.
"So do you guys elope there, too?"
Song Jin burst out laughing, making Ji Shubai feel a little embarrassed.
"Don't laugh at me."
It really annoys me.
Song Jin quickly stopped smiling and asked seriously, "Does your Excellency still remember Gao Ce?"
"Of course I remember."
"Then let me ask you, if it was Emperor Hongwu who ruled the country, would Gao Ce still dare to look like that? Would you still dare to wear that purple brocade robe for me?"
Ji Shubai was a little angry: "If I had known that you would laugh at me, I would not have done it for you that day."
Song Jin coaxed him with a smile: "Don't be upset, sir. I just want to say that even in our Ming Dynasty, the customs and habits will change in different periods. In the Western Han Dynasty, there was Zhuo Wenjun eloping, and in our Ming Dynasty, there was Ye Wenfu's affair."
"Who is Ye Wenfu?"
"The fourth lady of the Bai family, you have been involved with the master of the Bai family before you even got married. What does this count as according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty? Adultery?"
When Ji Shubai heard that it was someone close to him, he immediately became serious again: "If they end up getting married, then it can't be considered adultery. Besides, no one reported it, so how can it be considered adultery? The most that people talk about is moral corruption."
When Song Jin saw that he was serious, he interrupted him quickly to avoid him from being taught the law.
"Sir, what my Fourth Lady meant is that no matter what dynasty or culture, there is always a lack of people who don't follow the rules. There was Zhuo Wenjun in the Han Dynasty and Ye Wenfu in the Ming Dynasty. There is no shortage of such people in that world either."
After hearing this, Ji Shubai suddenly had a question in his mind, but he didn't know how to ask it, so he could only struggle with it in his heart.
He was silent when he was troubled. Seeing that he was silent, Song Jin thought that he had frightened him and asked happily:
"Is there no problem, sir? If there is no problem, I will send the chair back."
Ji Shubai still remained silent, with his head down, wanting to ask something but not knowing how to.
The awkwardness of a scholar is fully reflected in him.
Song Jin knew that there was a conflict in his mind and didn't want to guess. Seeing that he had no problem, she stood up and was about to go into the cabin with the chair in her arms, but Ji Shubai grabbed her wrist.
"I haven't finished asking yet."
"Then why don't you ask? If you miss this opportunity, you will never find it again."
Song Jin put down the chair and sat back down, waiting for him to ask questions.
"You study, and you also take the imperial examination to become an official?"
Ji Shubai felt awkward for a long time and still didn't ask the question. Instead, he asked a question that seemed very unconventional to him.
"Not necessarily. As long as you can read and write and distinguish right from wrong, you can do a lot of things. You don't have to become an official."
"What about you? How did you survive in that world for thirty years?"
Song Jin's cunning face suddenly dimmed. Ji Shubai suspected that he had said something wrong and apologized quickly: "If you don't want to say..."
"It's okay to talk about it. It's not something shameful. It's actually no different from the rest of the world. Just open your eyes, work, make money, and support yourself."
"Then what?"
"Then?"
Ji Shubai nodded: "Support yourself and then what?"
Song Jin thought about it, and then what?
Then she absconded with the money and died without even having the chance to enjoy her life for half a day.
"Nothing happened. I did something bad and got my retribution. I died and came back again." When he said this, Song Jin smiled bitterly: "Didn't the lord ask me what I did wrong? I just made a mistake similar to that of this world, and then I was beaten to death."
"I have no chance of finding someone like you to be threatened by me, so it's a dead end."
Ji Shubai murmured, "It's not good to threaten people. Don't do it again in the future."
Song Jin bit her lip and didn't answer.
"If you have any problems in the future, you can come to the government office to find me. If it is not convenient, you can go to the Ji family's old house. Mother Chen will pass the message on your behalf. I will help you in any way I can."
Song Jin sat there without moving, his eyes staring at the river surface. The mist gradually dissipated, but the river surface became even more blurry.
"Aren't you married?"
"Hmm?" Song Jin was in a daze when Ji Shubai suddenly asked him a question without thinking. He was unable to react for a moment.
"I said, you have been there for thirty years, haven't you got married?"
Song Jin chuckled: "No, we are not married."
Ji Shubai felt a surge of feeling in his heart, he couldn't tell what it was, but it was probably a feeling similar to joy.
"Why?"
"I haven't met anyone I want to marry."
"What kind of person do you want to marry?"
Song Jin was urged to get married in her previous life, and she was asked again in this life. She was so annoyed that she turned around and asked unhappily, "How old are you now?"
Ji Shubai was stunned. He was the one who asked her the question, but why was she asked back in an impatient tone?
"...Now I'm almost thirty."
"Thirty? Your good friend Mr. Chai already has two children, how about you? If you don't work harder, he will have grandchildren soon."
Song Jin's mouth is sometimes really annoying.
Ji Shubai was annoyed for a moment, and after a long silence, he asked, "Do you hate being asked this question?"
"My Lord, please ask me why you haven't gotten married yet at your age?"
Ji Shubai was silent, and suddenly became serious: "I don't like it."
This confused Song Jin. She didn't expect him to answer this question seriously.
"At my age, unless one is poor or ugly, almost everyone is married. Since I have not married, there must be my reasons."
Song Jin was stunned: "You want to exchange reasons with me?"
Ji Shubai shook his head: "No, you don't have to tell me."
It was obvious that he didn't want to say it, but it did save Song Jin a lot of trouble.
"Are you happier over there or here?"
Ji Shubai was extremely curious today, but Song Jin didn't know how to answer him.
Mancao's fate has changed since she arrived. She has passed the age of being young, ignorant, helpless and frightened, and can now accomplish things on her own.
So it was difficult for her to truly understand Mancao's suffering, but it was hard to say for Song Jin himself.
Those heavy sufferings once weighed on her shoulders, making it difficult for her to breathe for a long time.
"Sir, who do you think has a better fate, the oxen of this Ming Dynasty or the beef cattle of that world?"
"I don't know." Ji Shubai had never seen that world, so he couldn't answer.
Song Jin was silent for a while, and suddenly put on a relaxed look.
"Actually, I'm a little better in that world, but I'm not sure about being an Aussie, hehe."
When Ji Shubai heard this answer, a trace of loneliness flashed across his heart.
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