​​Chapter 38: "The Village of Chaste Women"​

​Li Zhi handed out the rock sugar to the children and told them to come find her at the quadrangle courtyard by the village entrance after dinner—she would teach them her secret iron-hoop-rolling skills.

After sending the kids away, the two of them approached a tightly shut courtyard gate. The peeling, weathered wooden doors were locked from the outside, indicating the owners were out. Li Zhi peeked through the gap and saw a small farmyard with a few chickens leisurely pecking at the ground.

Pink Hair stood behind her, nervously scanning the surroundings, afraid someone might come by.

If the villagers caught them sneaking around like this, they’d definitely get a beating.

Just as he was getting anxious, Li Zhi said, "Xiao Fen, give me a boost. I’m climbing in."

Pink Hair: "...My name isn’t Xiao Fen."

Li Zhi patiently asked, "Then what is it?"

Pink Hair: "...Never mind. Just call me Xiao Fen." He was sweating from nerves, feeling like a thief. "Zhi-jie, are we really going in? What if we get caught? The door’s locked—there’s probably no one inside anyway."

"We’ll know once we’re in." Li Zhi tested the height of the wall. "Can you whistle?"

Pink Hair immediately demonstrated.

Li Zhi nodded in approval. "Good. I’ll go in. You stay hidden outside and keep watch. If a villager passes by, whistle twice. One whistle means the coast is clear. If the owners come back, whistle three times in a row."

Pink Hair nodded nervously.

As an idol from a boy band, Pink Hair was tall—easily over 180 cm. He crouched, wrapped his arms around Li Zhi’s calves, and lifted her high. She braced against the wall, did a pull-up, and hoisted herself over, making Pink Hair’s heart race. "Zhi-jie! Be careful!"

A soft thud sounded from inside.

Pink Hair glanced around and hid behind a haystack across the way, keeping diligent watch.

Inside the courtyard, the chickens scattered in alarm at the sudden intruder. Li Zhi moved quietly, surveying the ordinary farmhouse. Farming tools lay scattered in the yard, and unprocessed vegetables were piled under the eaves.

The main house’s door was open. Li Zhi crept over and peeked inside—only to freeze when she met the gaze of a man’s face.

Her breath hitched, but she quickly realized it wasn’t a real person. It was a black-and-white funeral portrait.

The portrait hung prominently in the room, the young man in it staring sullenly ahead, his expression eerie in the dim light.

So this family had indeed recently held a funeral.

But the portrait was unnervingly large—at a glance, it almost looked like a real person standing there.

Li Zhi searched the main house but found nothing noteworthy. She moved to the other rooms. Outside, two sharp whistles sounded. She crouched low, waiting until a single whistle signaled safety before continuing.

The audience was on edge:

​​[Help! That funeral portrait scared me to tears!]​​

​​[The man in the photo looks so hostile! Feels like he’s about to jump out and strangle Li Zhi!]​​

​​[This courtyard is so creepy, and Li Zhi’s just casually strolling around—I’m sweating bullets!]​​

​​[Xiao Fen trembling while whistling is hilarious.]​​

After quickly checking the other rooms, Li Zhi reached the last locked door. Unlike the others, this one was secured with a padlock. She knocked lightly.

Movement came from inside, followed by a wary voice: "Who’s there?"

Li Zhi called out, "Zhenzhen?"

"Who are you?" The voice grew more guarded. Then a figure appeared at the small window—rough hands gripping the iron bars as a young face peered through the gap.

Li Zhi stepped closer. The girl had freckles from years of labor under the sun, her skin weathered but glowing with health. Her bright eyes brimmed with vitality, though they were now filled with suspicion.

But since Li Zhi was also a woman, she relaxed slightly. "I’ve never seen you before. How did you get in?"

Li Zhi softened her voice. "Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I’m with the opera troupe that came to your village yesterday."

Perhaps because of her friendly demeanor, Zhenzhen’s guard lowered a little. "An opera troupe came? No wonder—I thought I heard singing last night." She hesitated. "But why are you here? Are you looking for me?"

Li Zhi nodded. "I came to invite you to the opera. Everyone in the village went yesterday. Our performance was wonderful—it’s a shame you missed it."

Zhenzhen lowered her eyes and shook her head. "Thank you, but I can’t go."

Li Zhi stepped closer. "Why are you locked up? Did you do something wrong?"

Zhenzhen shook her head again, whispering, "You should leave. If my in-laws see you, they’ll scold you."

Li Zhi smiled. "Don’t worry. I have someone keeping watch outside. I’ll climb back over the wall before they come in."

Zhenzhen blinked, then laughed, revealing small, adorable canine teeth. "Did you come just to invite me? But I don’t think I know you."

"I’m Li Zhi." She extended her hand, grinning. "Now we do."

Zhenzhen stared at her before tentatively reaching through the bars, only her fingertips touching Li Zhi’s hand. "Li Zhi… which characters?"

"Li as in ‘dawn,’ Zhi as in ‘knowledge.’"

Zhenzhen flushed. "Sorry, I never went to school. I don’t know how to write those. But your name is beautiful." She repeated it softly. "Zhi for ‘knowledge’… you must’ve studied, right?"

Li Zhi nodded.

Zhenzhen’s eyes shone with envy. "That’s wonderful. Last time a peddler came, he said girls outside can go to school now—elementary, middle, even university. Is that true?"

Li Zhi asked, "Does your village not have a school?"

"We do, but only boys can attend. Girls here aren’t allowed to learn."

Li Zhi met her gaze. "Why?"

"The village chief says women don’t need to read. We just need to serve our husbands and raise children." She smiled again. "But I’ve ‘read’ a few books—the chief read them to us. Admonitions for Women, Women’s Virtues, and Biographies of Exemplary Women. They’re full of little stories. Have you read them?"

She immediately flushed. "Of course you have. You went to school."

Li Zhi shook her head. "I’ve never read those books." Under Zhenzhen’s stunned look, she continued, "Women outside don’t read those. They’ve long been discarded—they’re wrong, harmful books. No one reads them anymore."

Zhenzhen stared, wide-eyed. After a long pause, she asked softly, "Then… what do you read?"

"We read Lu Xun. Astronomy, geography, math, biology, foreign languages, history—so many things. Everything except the kind of books you mentioned."

Zhenzhen gazed at her silently before murmuring, "That sounds wonderful."

Li Zhi asked, "Do you want to go to school? To study?"

"Of course!" Zhenzhen answered without hesitation, then deflated. "But I can’t. I’m going to die soon."

Li Zhi’s voice softened. "Why?"

"Because my husband died. I must die for him—to preserve my chastity." Zhenzhen said it without a trace of reluctance. "A woman who loses her husband cannot live on alone. In four days, I’ll be gone."

Before Li Zhi could respond, three sharp whistles came from outside—followed by three more, as if Xiao Fen was blowing his lungs out. Heavy footsteps stopped at the gate, and the sound of a lock turning echoed.

Zhenzhen’s eyes widened in panic. She pointed urgently. "Go around back—there’s a rear gate! Run!"

Li Zhi whispered, "I’ll come back," and dashed off.

Just as she vanished from the window, the gate swung open. A middle-aged woman stormed in, tossing down a basket and marching straight to Zhenzhen’s locked room. She banged on the door. "Zhenzhen! What did you do? Why are those outsiders asking about you?"

A meek voice replied, "How would I know? I’ve been locked up this whole time."

The woman snorted. "You’d better behave! My son’s barely cold in his grave. If you’ve dishonored him, even your death won’t earn you a place in the Chaste Women’s Shrine!"

A dull thud came from the rear gate.

The woman’s face darkened as she hurried over. Zhenzhen pressed against the window, terrified Li Zhi would be caught. But moments later, only the woman returned, suspicion lingering in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi—having climbed out using a water bucket—circled back to the front, where Xiao Fen was hopping anxiously behind the haystack.

"Xiao Fen."

He whirled around, relief washing over his face as he sprinted over. "Zhi-jie! You scared me to death! I thought you got caught!"

Li Zhi said, "Let’s go."

Xiao Fen wiped his sweat. "Zhi-jie, did you meet Zhenzhen?"

Li Zhi nodded silently.

Xiao Fen perked up. "Did you find out her wish?"

Li Zhi replied, "We’ll talk back at the courtyard."

When they returned to the troupe’s quadrangle, the other players had also come back empty-handed—none had learned anything about Zhenzhen.

Xiao Fen puffed up proudly. "We met her!"

The group perked up. "Where? Did you learn her wish?"

Xiao Fen pointed at Li Zhi, who had been quiet since leaving. "Zhi-jie sneaked into the yard and talked to her."

Everyone turned to her expectantly.

Li Zhi finally looked up, her voice calm. "This village has a tradition where widows commit suicide to follow their husbands in death. Zhenzhen’s husband recently passed. She’s locked up now and will die in four days."

"So her wish is for us to help her escape and survive?"

Li Zhi paused. "She seems willing to die."