The period of terror soon passed, and the rule of peace was restored. People went on with their lives peacefully (at least on the surface) as usual, treating the war as a nightmare. In reality, however, change is beginning. Commander Zhang was elected as the military leader by the generals of the coalition army, and thus became the political leader. He took power into his own hands and openly stated that he wanted to implement a new policy. There was a new atmosphere in society, and the students were active. Three new publications were published. Several of Brother Kyawmin's classmates also founded a kind of "Dawn Weekly" that carried news of the New Culture Movement, introduced new ideas, and criticized and attacked the irrational old system and ideas. Jue Hui enthusiastically participated in the work of the weekly newspaper, and he often published articles in the weekly newspaper. Naturally, most of the materials and arguments in these articles were found in new magazines in Shanghai, Beijing, and other places, because he had not yet done a profound study of the new ideas, nor had he made a detailed observation of the social situation. All he had was some life experience, some knowledge from books and the enthusiasm of youth. As for Juemin, he was busy with his school homework during the day and went to Qin's place to teach at night on time, and he was not enthusiastic about sponsoring the work of the weekly newspaper.

The weekly newspaper is popular with young people. The first issue of 1,000 copies was sold out in less than a week. The same is true for the second installment. By the third issue, it already had two or three hundred subscribers. The backbone of the weekly newspaper is Zhang Huiru, who is in the same class as Juehui, and Huang Cunren, who is in the same class as him, and Zhang Huanru, who is studying in the "high teacher", is Zhang Huiru's brother. They are all Jue Hui's beloved friends.

After the launch of the weekly newspaper, Juehui's life has changed somewhat. For the first time, he saw before him a work in which he could give vent to his passion, and saw his thoughts become words printed on paper, spread out in a thousand copies, and his thoughts were understood everywhere, and some even sent echoes of sympathy or response. This kind of happiness actually carried an ethereal and sublime nature in his eyes. He wanted to spend his spare time entirely on the weekly newspaper, but he was afraid that his grandfather would interfere or cause some trouble to his eldest brother, so he had to hide his relationship with the weekly newspaper.

But it's also useless. Finally, one day, Keming read the weekly newspaper and Juehui's article in Juehui's room. Ke Ming didn't say anything, just sneered and left. However, he did not report to his grandfather. From this time on, Juehui became more careful at home. His activities, his work, his volunteering, he didn't let anyone in his family know, and he didn't even tell Juexin because he knew that his eldest brother was not fully sympathetic to his actions.

His interest in this new way of life grew stronger, so he tried to show the zeal of young people in his actions. In a short period of time, their weekly newspaper office developed into a group for the study and dissemination of new cultures. Every Sunday at the weekly meeting in the tea shed by the pool in Shaocheng Park, one or twenty young people sit around several tables and discuss various social issues enthusiastically; Or every Monday or two evenings three or five members of the community gather at the house of a certain classmate to talk about their future plans and how they can do something to help others, because this new group of sowers, who are not yet twenty years old, have been infected with the spirit of humanism and socialism. Even in these meetings, they have exaggerated the responsibility of reforming society and liberating the masses on their shoulders. There are also page-by-page proofs, the regular movements of the printing press, and finally the beautifully printed newspapers that come out of the printing press, and the letters sent by people I don't know—all of this is so fresh and interesting in Juehui's existence. He had never dreamed of them before, but now they came, unpretentious and powerful, and captured the hearts of his active youth.

In this environment, he gradually moved into a new garden, while at the same time he became further away from his family. He felt that no one in his family could understand him. Grandfather always put on an unkind and serious face, Aunt Chen always had that cunning red and white pink face, and stepmother was polite and uncaring to him. The eldest brother still practices his "pretentiousness" every day, and the sister-in-law's plump face also looks haggard, and her belly grows bigger day by day. Uncles and aunts have been reproaching him behind his back, for being too arrogant to them lately, and not having the slightest politeness for his nephews. On one occasion, they criticized his actions in front of his stepmother and asked her to discipline him well. The only person who was close to him in this mansion was Juemin. But Juemin has his own hopes, his own work, and even his thoughts, and there is a significant distance between them. And then there was another person, and every time he remembered his name, his heart became very soft. He knew that there was at least one other person in this mansion who loved him. This young girl loved him purely and selflessly, and blessed him all the time. Every time he saw the eyes that were more talkative than the mouth, the eyes that were burning with pure love, he felt a desire grow in his heart, he wanted to find everything in these eyes, he could even find the purpose of his life. Occasionally, when emotion and passion hit him one after another, he really wanted to give up everything for the sake of this pair of eyes, and he thought it was worth it. However, once he went outside, entered a new environment, and came into contact with new friends, his horizons widened again. He felt that there was a great world ahead of him, where the blood of his youth could find a place to be vented, and where there was work worthy of his dedication. He understood that the meaning of life was not so simple, and that the girl's eyes were too small compared to the vast world. He couldn't give up everything just for those eyes. He recently read an enthusiastic article in the bimonthly magazine Struggle, published in Beijing. In the article, the author said that Chinese youth born in modern times are not luxuries, they are not here to enjoy themselves, they are here to suffer. They live in such a dark society, and they have a great responsibility, and they should put all the social problems on their shoulders and solve them one by one. They certainly don't have the energy to care about anything else. In the end, the author advises young people like a lesson: "You should oppose love, and you should not provoke love lightly." Although the theoretical basis of this article is very weak, it did touch many young people at the time, especially those who were willing to serve the progress of society with dedication and enthusiasm, and even had the ambition to reform society. It also has a great influence on Juehui. Jue Hui read it with a trembling heart, and he was extremely moved and vowed that he would like to be the kind of youth the author had hoped for. At this time, the face of a concretized and beautiful society came to his mind. He completely forgot about the love of that pure maiden.

However, this is only temporary. He did forget Mingfeng when he was out and about, but when he returned home, back to a home as lonely as the desert, he couldn't help but miss her, and he couldn't help but be distressed by missing her. Two thoughts are fighting in his head, or rather, "society" is fighting with Mingfeng. Mingfeng is isolated, and she has the entire Rite Sect and the entire Gao family as her enemies. So in the battle in his head, Ming Feng completely lost.

Needless to say, Mingfeng herself didn't know any of these things, she still loved him passionately, secretly blessed him, and sometimes she looked forward to it, praying that he would one day save her and save her from the sludge. Her life was no longer as difficult as it had been, her master was much gentler with her, and the purity of love inspired her, and gave her wonderful dreams that made her forget all about reality. However, she was always very humble, and even in her dreams, she was not very bold, she could not even think of living with him on an equal footing, she only wanted to be his loyal slave, but he was a slave alone. In her opinion, as long as she can achieve this level, it will be her great happiness. But the truth is often the opposite, and it ruthlessly destroys the hopes of many people. It won't be long before Ming Feng will know what kind of ending is in front of her.

After the fourth issue of the Dawn Weekly was printed, one evening Juehui went to Qin's house with Juemin.

Mrs. Zhang and Qin were sitting on the steps under the window and chatting, and when they saw them coming, she asked Sister-in-law Li to bring out two chairs and let them sit there and gossip.

"I saw the third issue of your weekly report. That article attacking the old family must have been written by you. Why did you use such a strange name, Blade Song? Qin said to Juehui with a smile.

Juehui laughed and said, "How do you know I wrote it?" I prefer to say that I didn't write it. ”

"I don't believe it. I think that tone is exactly like what you wrote. If you don't admit it, I'll ask the second cousin! As she spoke, she turned her face to look at Juemin, who smiled and nodded.

"So would you like to write an article or two for our weekly report?" Juehui took this opportunity to ask Qin Yang.

"You know I can't write, so why bother me to be ugly! Let me be a reader," Jean replied modestly.

"The fourth issue of the weekly report has been printed. In this issue, there is an article advocating for women to cut their hair, but it is written by men. This issue has also been discussed in Shanghai newspapers. In big places like Beijing and Shanghai, there are already people who practice haircuts. No one in our province has talked about it yet. It would be better for you to make a little difference in yourselves. We are happy to publish it in our weekly newspaper. ”

Jean smiled slightly. Her big beautiful eyes sparkled at Jue Hui, and she said enthusiastically, but her voice was not high: "This issue has been discussed very enthusiastically in our school these days. Naturally, most of us are in favor of haircuts. Two or three students wanted to cut off their braids, but they were afraid that other problems would happen, so they didn't cut them. There was no determination and no courage. Xu Qianru also decided to cut her hair, but she hasn't implemented it yet. It is indeed not easy to be a pioneer. We should preach more in the newspapers......"

"What about you?" Jue Hui still asked with a smile, as if she was deliberately forcing the piano.

Jean glanced at her mother, and Mrs. Zhang was lying on a wicker chair with her eyes half-closed and smiling, seemingly unaware of their conversation. This is the norm for Mrs. Zhang. Therefore, Brother Kyawmin was not surprised, and did not pay attention to their aunt.

"Me? Just wait and see. Another smile belied Jean's facial expression. She's so clever that she doesn't give a definite answer, but at the same time she doesn't show herself to be cowardly in the slightest. - Jue Hui can't help but think so.

"What about the article?" Juehui asked with a smile, still refusing to let go of her.

She smiled, didn't answer, thought for a while, and then whispered, "Okay, I promise you to write one." …… I would like to explain the benefits of cutting hair, which of course have many aspects, such as hygiene, saving time, making work easier, and reducing the psychology of discrimination against women in society,...... These layers can be brought up. I wonder if the article in your weekly newspaper is exactly the same as mine? If it were, I wouldn't have to write it. ”

Juehui looked very happy, and hurriedly said, "It's not exactly the same. Hurry up and write it, and it will be published in the next issue. ”

After a while, Qin suddenly asked Juemin, "When will your school's amusement party start?" This semester is coming to an end again. ”

"Probably not, no one even mentions it now," Kyawmin replied; "We spent a lot of effort last year to master "Treasure Island", and now we don't even have the opportunity to go on stage, which is really wronged. This is completely knocked out by the war. I still remember how my third brother and I were worried that when we went on stage, we wouldn't wear suits that wouldn't fit, or that I wouldn't wear them at all. In our school, except for Mr. Zhu, who is an Englishman who wears a suit all day long, only the principal has a suit, which he wears once a year when he holds an amusement party, and he doesn't see anyone wearing a suit. ”

"Not only acting, but also the opening of the ban on women has also been defeated by the war. Now the semester is almost over again. No one mentioned the recruitment of girls, and the principal was silent. Actually, the headmaster is a person who likes to talk empty words," Juehui said with indignation. Juemin glanced at him dissatisfied, as if he blamed him for not revealing the news to Qin.

Jue Hui's words really worked, and Qin's face suddenly darkened. She suddenly whispered in concern to Juemin, "Is it true?" She eagerly awaited his answer. She hoped that he would come forward and prove that Jue Hui was lying to her.

Juemin didn't dare to look her eyes, afraid to see her expression after being struck. He turned his head and replied in a melancholy voice, "I don't know what it is. However, as things stand, there is probably little hope. It was not easy to do something that started with it, and it took a lot of courage. He knew that his words would disappoint her, so he comforted her and said, "Sister Qin, in fact, we can't say how well our school is doing, and it's not a pity that you don't go in." If you have the opportunity, I would like to advise you to go to Shanghai and Beijing to further your studies. And you won't graduate until next year. Although our academy also admits students with the same qualifications, it is more certain that you will take the exam after graduation, and at that time it may be open to women. He said these words only to comfort her, and did not delve into the possibilities of his own words.

Jean also understood this meaning, so she didn't say anything more. She knows that there are many visible and invisible obstacles around her that stand in her way to happiness, and that she will need more courage and more energy to conquer them.

Less than three days after this conversation, Jean wrote the article. The white manuscript paper was covered with Juanxiu's handwriting, and the writing was unusually neat. Jue Hui took the article as if she had a treasure. In the fifth issue of the weekly newspaper, Qin's article was published, and Juehui's note was added. Then Xu Qianru's article appeared in the sixth issue of the weekly newspaper. More than 20 female students have written letters to express their consent. In a short period of time, the issue of women's hair cutting caused a sensation in society. In the meantime, it is Xu Qianru who leads by example and is a pioneer despite all obstacles.

One morning, when Qin arrived at the school, in the corner of the playground, she saw Xu Qianru standing under a willow tree, and many classmates were talking and laughing around her. Jean plugged in. She saw that everyone's eyes were focused on Qianru's head, so she also sent her eyes there. She was surprised to see that Qianru's head was particularly beautiful today. Qianru was turning around to answer a classmate's question, the back of her neck shook in front of Qin's eyes, as if something was shining there, Qin saw a piece of snow-white flesh, exposed on the short collar, and then on top was a row of neatly cut hair loosely behind the ear, just as close to the ear, the old smooth braid was gone. This head looks fresher, more cute, and even more touching with the ethereal expression of Qianru when she talks about it.

In the past, although Jean advocated cutting her hair, she was still a little worried, afraid that she would not look good after cutting her hair. Now that she saw Qianru's head, she was relieved. However, she suddenly felt that she was aggrieved in front of Qianru. She looked at the back of Qianru's neck with envy and admiration, she talked to Qianru cordially, she felt that it was an honorable thing to be friends with Qianru.

"How did you cut off the braids?" Jean asked with a smile.

Qianru looked at the piano with a smile, she made a gesture and said in a clear voice: "A pair of scissors, a pair of hands, and the braid will fall off." At this point, she used her hand as scissors to make the appearance of cutting her hair at that time.

"I don't believe it's that simple," one classmate said. "Which one cut it for you?"

"Which one do you want?" Qianru smiled, "Needless to say, it's my old nurse." There is no one else in my family. Of course my father wouldn't cut it for me. ”

"Old granny? She's willing to cut it for you? Jean asked in surprise.

"Why not? I want her to cut it, and of course she'll cut it for me. She always listened to me. My father sympathized with my claims, and naturally he did not object. In fact, even if he objected, it was useless. I can do whatever I want, and no one else can control me. When Qianru spoke, her attitude was very firm, and she still had a smug smile on her face.

"Well said, I'm going to cut my hair off tomorrow too," said a petite classmate with a red face.

"Wen, I know you have the guts," Qianru nodded to the classmate, approving. Wen is the name of that classmate. Qianru swept her eyes over everyone's faces again. She wondered if no one came out to respond to Wen's words. "Who else has the guts to cut their hair?" She asked mockingly.

"I," a shrill voice sounded in the back, and a thin-faced classmate squeezed into the circle. She loved activities at school and was the oldest, and her classmates nicknamed her "Old Miss". She is also a person who can say and do.

Qianru's eyes fell on Qin's face again, and she asked, "Yunhua, what about you?" ”

Qin suddenly felt that she couldn't stand Qianru's eyes, her face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head and couldn't say a word for a long time. At this time, she was not sure if she had the courage to cut her hair.

"Yunhua, I understand you, you are in a difficult situation," Qianru said in a loud voice, Qin didn't know if Qianru was laughing at her or sympathizing with her. "In a gentleman's family like yours, it is only right to recite some poetry, to do some drinking, to play cards, to quarrel, and so on; Going to the academy to study is already an exception and an exception, and if you want to make any new tricks, cut your hair like a man, I'm afraid everyone will have to oppose it with all their might. There are too many people defending the way in your house. ”

Everyone burst into laughter, and they all shot their eyes at Jean's face. Jean felt ashamed and remorseful. Her tears flowed uncontrollably. She walked away silently alone.

Qianru continued: "It does take a lot of courage to cut your hair now. When I came to the school just now, I was followed by some students along the way, fellow hooligans, and gods. What 'little nun', 'duck ass', and many other obscene words, they laughed and said. I acted like I didn't care, just as I walked forward. Originally, when I went out, the old grandmother advised me to take a sedan chair, so as not to let such people be entangled on the road. I'm not afraid, I'm deliberately trying my mettle. Why should I be afraid of them? I'm also a human being, what do my things have to do with others? Do what I want. …… They can't do anything about me. Then she gritted her teeth and said with a look of resentment: "That kind of pervert is really hateful, entangled with you, and refuses to relax at all, how can a person with a slightly weaker will withstand it?" In short, men are all bad things, and there is no good one. ”

"Then you won't marry in the future?" A classmate who usually likes to joke the most said and laughed promisingly.

"Me? I don't marry," she said proudly, sarcastically mocking, "I'm not like you who dream day and night of marrying a wishful 'black lacquered bench' [note 2]. This one has a cousin, that one has a cousin, and that one has a godbrother. Rong, do you still have a letter from your cousin? She couldn't help but laugh out loud when she said this.

Rong is the classmate who likes to joke the most, she blushed, the first one didn't follow, shouting to twist Qianru's mouth, and then everyone had to settle accounts with Qianru. Qianru hurriedly escaped from the crowd with a smile. She was about to run to class when she suddenly saw Jean standing alone under another willow tree next to her. She remembered that Fang Cai shouldn't have said those words to Qin, and she couldn't help it, and planned to go and explain it to Qin. But she had barely taken two steps when the class bell rang.

In class, Xu Qianru and Qin sat behind a small desk. A nearly 50-year-old Chinese language teacher with old glasses held a copy of "Guwen Guan Zhi" and explained Han Yu's "Shi Shuo" on the podium. The students also work very hard. Some are spreading out novels and reading, some are reading in whispers with English textbooks, some are knitting things, and some are biting their ears and talking to their peers. Qianru saw Qin silently looking at the "Guwen Guan Zhi" spread out in front of her, so she tore off a page from the exercise book, wrote a few lines with a pencil, and sent it to Qin without a sound. She wrote: "Do you hate me? I said that all out of intent. I don't want to be sarcastic. I knew these words would make you miserable, so I won't say it. I beg your pardon. ”

After reading the note, Qin slowly picked up the pen, and also wrote some words on it, and sent it to Qianru, which read: "You misunderstood, I don't hate you." Instead, I praise you and envy you. You have the courage anyway, I don't. My hope, my will, you know; You know my situation, too. What do you think I should do? ”

"Yunhua, I believe you are not a woman without courage. Don't you remember that you also said that we should fight resolutely and resolutely against all odds to open a new path for the sisters who come after us? ”

"Qianru, I know myself now. I am indeed a woman without courage. I made a hope for myself, and I was determined to go to it against all odds. But when that hope approached, I was a little timid. There are also more concerns. I didn't dare to move forward resolutely. ”

"Hua, don't you know that this will put you in an even more unfortunate situation?"

"Qian, I love my future, and I love my mother. She is against things like male and female classmates and women's haircuts. I usually feel that I should ignore my mother's opposition and the ridicule and criticism of my relatives, and go it alone. But when it came time to do what I wanted with a single hand, I thought of how hard my mother would be hit by such an act, and my heart softened and my will wavered again. I think she raised me as a widow, and loved me so much and was considerate of me, but I attracted her the ridicule of society, the reproach of relatives, the disillusionment of her own hopes, and so on. The blow was too big for her to bear. For her sake, I would rather sacrifice my own future. ”

"Hua, don't you know that this kind of sacrifice doesn't make much sense? If we really should be sacrificed, we can't sacrifice for one person, we should sacrifice for countless future sisters. If we sacrifice, they will be happy in the future, and this sacrifice will be worthwhile and meaningful. Judging from the handwriting of Qianru's wild grass, you can know how indignant she is. Two pages have been written.

"Qian, this is the difference between the two of us, your reason can conquer feelings, and my reason is often conquered by feelings. Theoretically I can't say that what you're saying is wrong, but in reality I can't do what you say. When I think of my mother, my heart softens. And really, it seems to me that it is more practical to sacrifice for the mother who loves me and loves me than for the future sisters whom I will not even meet. ”

"Hua, is this your heartfelt remark? I ask if your mother wants to marry you to an illiterate businessman, or a middle-aged bureaucrat, or a squirrel, won't you resist? Can you sacrifice for her like that? Answer me quickly. Don't run away! "It's still the handwriting of wild grass.

"Qian, don't ask me this question, don't ask me this question, I beg you." There were a teardrop or two on the paper.

"Hua, let me ask you again: I know that you and your cousin are very good. If your cousin is a poor child and a rich man proposes to your mother, and you insist on marrying your cousin, your mother will say to you with tears in her eyes: 'I have brought you up so hard that I hope you will marry into a rich family and enjoy happiness.' If you refuse to listen to me, and you must marry into a poor family and endure hardship, then you will not be my daughter. 'What do you do?' Yes, I know that every mother asks her daughter when choosing a son-in-law: 'Would you rather be blessed or suffer?' Mother's choice is naturally to be blessed. As for loveless marriage, mental anguish...... All this is something that the mother does not care about. Does a mother have a right to demand this sacrifice? No, she doesn't have that right. For example, you told me about your eldest cousin and Sister Mei. If your mother decided on the same fate as Sister Mei for you, would you also obey it? Are you willing to let others play around for nothing like your sister Mei? Qianru added six or seven question marks in a row at the end.

"Qian, don't ask me this question, I beg you, my heart is very upset. Let me think about it. ”

"Hua, you still haven't opened your eyes at this time? Don't hesitate. I see that you have been in the old family for too long, and the old habits have been dyed too deeply. If you don't think about getting rid of it completely sooner, you will be the second Sister Mei in the future. ……”

This time Jean didn't answer. Qianru tilted her head to look at Qin's face. She saw tears in Jean's eyes. Her heart softened. She reached out and held the hand on her lap and held it tightly, and she felt it tremble, so she held it tighter. If it weren't for the class, she would have wanted to hug the piano. She swept her eyes to the podium and saw that the Chinese language teacher was writing on the blackboard with his back turned around, so she put her mouth to Qin's ear and whispered, "Yunhua, maybe my words are too much." But I love you, I want you to be a brave new woman, I don't want you to get the same fate as your sister Mei. I urge you to summon up the courage to fight. Those who follow the times will finally be rewarded. It's sad to be a laggard and hold a grudge for life. ”

Qin didn't answer, but turned around and glanced at Qianru with gratitude, and nodded silently.

After two hours of continuous Chinese language lessons, it was not long before it was over. Qianru stood up and played the piano and walked outside, and as soon as she walked to the door, she saw that the Chinese language teacher was going out, so she stopped and let him go first. His head was suddenly noticed by him, and he cast a terrifying glance at her short hair, and fled in a hurry, as if he had met a demon. Qianru raised her head and followed him out, she didn't even blush, just sneered a few times in succession. Then she pulled the piano down to the willow tree on the playground and talked until she was in the fourth class, because the instructor of the third class of their class was on leave.

In the afternoon, when Qin and Qian were about to go home after class, Wen and "Old Miss" kept them and asked Qianru to cut their hair.

More than a dozen students crowded into Wen's dormitory, they closed the door and let Wen sit in front of the window, and a pair of scissors quickly cut off the smooth braid. Qianru took the scissors and proudly trimmed Wen's hair again and again, until Wen looked in the mirror and said satisfied. "Old Mies" was not as careful as Wen, and Qianru quickly got it for her.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, which was a sign that the wardener was approaching, and the people opened the door and dispersed.

Qin and Qianru walked a few streets together. Jean felt that people's eyes were on their heads and faces. As if she had cut off her braids herself, she was exposed to contempt and insult. At the same time, unsavory obscenities came from the mouths of the men who followed them. Her face was flushed, she didn't dare to raise her head, and she was embarrassed to talk to Qianru, so she just accelerated her pace and walked forward.

At the crossroads, Qianru was about to break up with Qin, but Qin struggled to keep Qianru and asked Qianru to accompany her home. She said that it is not convenient for one person to walk on the street, and two people can make people brave all the way.

In fact, Qin invited Qianru to her home with another intention, she wanted to observe her mother's attitude towards women's haircuts, and she also hoped that Qianru would use arguments to persuade her mother. Although Mrs. Zhang didn't say anything in front of Qianru, it seemed from Mrs. Zhang's conversation and attitude that Qin knew that her mother was against a woman's haircut.

After Qianru went that night, Mrs. Zhang sighed and said: "Such a good girl also learned to make new tricks, making the young lady not like the young lady, and the nun not like the nun, she simply lost everyone's boudoir style." She's also pleasing to people. It's a pity that her mother died early, and no one disciplined her, leaving her alone, and she doesn't know what will happen in the future. What a pity. Mrs. Zhang sighed as she spoke, she felt that the world was getting stranger day by day, and she didn't know what it would become in the future. She's reminiscing about the golden age that passed. Suddenly, she blinked her eyes and saw Qin's pleading, eager expression, so she asked in surprise, "Qin'er, what is the matter with you?" ”

"Mom, I want to learn to cut off my hair like that," Qin said, burying her head.

"What do you say? Do you want to learn from Qianru? Do you want people to laugh at me for not having a tutor? Mrs. Zhang said in surprise that she seemed to have been hit by some accident, and she didn't even believe her ears.

"There's nothing wrong with being like Qianru!" Jean blushed, and although she felt that hope was half gone, she still mustered up the courage to speak. "A lot of the students in the school have their hair cuts. It's easy to cut your hair, it's good-looking, and it has all sorts of other benefits. ......" She was about to explain in detail, but was stopped by her mother.

Mrs. Zhang waved her hand impatiently and said, "I don't want to listen to your reasoning. Of course I can't talk about you, you have a lot of reasoning. You have a lot of tricks, you want to do it today, and you want it to be like that tomorrow. …… There's one more thing I didn't tell you. A few days ago, your aunt Qian came to be a matchmaker for you, saying that the man's family is very rich, and the children are still beautiful, although he has not read many books, but the money he has in his family is enough for him to eat all his life, and he can enjoy it very happily if he marries there. Aunt Qian encouraged me to agree to this family affair, but I thought you would be unwilling, so I simply declined. I said that you are still young, and I only have one daughter of yours, and I plan to mention marriage in a few years. …… But as it stands, I think it's better to marry you off early, lest you make some new tricks every day, and your reputation will be ruined in the future, and no one wants you," Mrs. Zhang said slowly, with no expression on her face, only a tired smile. Jean didn't know what was going on in her mother's mind.

But these words were enough to give Jean a big blow. "The family is very rich", "The children are still beautiful", "I haven't read much", "It's better to marry you early", these words rang in her ears in turn. Immediately, a long, long road appeared before her eyes, and on it lay the corpse of a young woman. The path stretched out before her eyes and into infinity. She understood that the road had been built thousands of years ago. The ground was soaked with the blood and tears of the women, who were shackled and chained, and rushed to the road, where they knelt and watered the land with their blood and tears, and let the wild beasts tear and devour their bodies. At first they wept and prayed, hoping that someone would save them from the road. But it didn't take long for their hopes to be dashed, and their blood and tears were gone, so they collapsed and took their last breath there. From thousands of years ago to the present, on this road, I don't know how many women's youth have been ruined, and I don't know how many women's blood and tears have been soaked in. Looking closely, there was not a single clean corpse on the road, and the women were all in tears, vomiting their hearts, making a final struggle, and then falling down, closing their eyes that were still burning with fire. Yes! I don't know how many and how many heartbreaking painful histories have been buried!

A feeling of longing for justice takes place within Jean's body. Several big questions swirled in her mind: "Sacrifice, who does such a sacrifice bring happiness?" "Is it because this road has been soaked in women's blood and tears for thousands of years, so women now and in the future will continue to be there to ruin their youth, shed their tears, and vomit their hard work?" "Are women just men's playthings?" Finally, the bigger question: "Are you willing to abandon your loved one and become someone else's plaything?" She felt that she was already kneeling on that road at this time, and there was a ** in her ears, and there was a bloody scene in front of her. What courage does she have to answer the question above? Justice is so elusive! Her hopes were completely dashed. She couldn't support it, so she held her face and cried.

"Qin'er, what's wrong with you? What words break your heart? Mrs. Zhang stood up in astonishment, walked to Qin's side, and gently comforted her.

Jean cried even more sadly, she broke free from her mother's hand, as if she was struggling with someone, and she murmured sadly, "I don't go that way." I want to be a man, a man like a man. …… I'm not going to go that way, I'm going to take a new path, I'm going to take a new path. ”

[Note 1] Gods: i.e., young people who specialize in molesting women.

[Note 2] Black lacquered bench: English husba

The transliteration of d means husband.