Chapter 32: Yuan Niang's Story (Part 1)

The wind chime at the door made a crisp sound, and a clear female voice entered her ears: "A pot of peach blossom wine, can you help me deliver it home?"

Yuan Niang turned her head and saw a woman in a black dark-patterned dress walking in gracefully.

She was very beautiful, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes, possessing a natural air of arrogance.

A tabby cat followed her, its bright eyes seeming a bit indifferent, but if you looked closely, you could also see the wisdom in the cat's eyes.

Yuan Niang greeted her with a smile: "Sorry, my husband hasn't returned, there is no one to deliver the goods for the time being. If it's just a pot of peach blossom wine, it's not heavy, you can take it yourself."

"Take it myself?" 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 deliver it for me."

Yuan Niang said with some difficulty: "Sorry, I still have to watch the shop. If you really want delivery, why don't you wait for my husband..."

"But what if he can't come back?" Lin Qingyue laughed, "I mean, never come back."

The smile on Yuan Niang's face disappeared, revealing some vigilance: "What do you mean? This young lady, I don't think you look like you're here to buy wine, but rather like you're here to find trouble."

Lin Qingyue said: "You're right, I am here to find trouble."

Immediately, she showed her token: "I am the Evil-Appraising Deputy Envoy of the Xuanjing Division, Lin Qingyue. I would like to ask you to come with me."

Although the Xuanjing Division has only been established for ten years, it has gone deep into all parts of the people, so the people have some knowledge of this yamen.

Yuan Niang said: "I heard that the Xuanjing Division drives away evil and suppresses demons to protect the people's health. But my husband and I have always been law-abiding people, and we have never done anything harmful. Why is the Xuanjing Division looking for us?"

Lin Qingyue said: "Why? We'll know after we talk, let's go."

Yuan Niang said: "If you have anything to say, you can say it here. I still have to wait for my husband, it's not convenient to go out."

Lin Qingyue said: "Today, you probably won't be able to wait for him. Why don't you come with me, maybe I can take you to see him."

"What do you mean? Did you catch A Heng?"

"Please get on the carriage, we'll talk as we go."

Yuan Niang pondered for a moment, and finally got into Lin Qingyue's carriage because she was worried about A Heng.

The carriage was very stable and filled with a faint fragrance.

Lin Qingyue poured a cup of tea for Yuan Niang: "There is still a long way to go. Why don't you have a cup of tea and tell me how you jumped out of the fate of living in the morning and dying in the evening, and transformed into a demon. And why are you willing to grow old and stay in the red dust to be an old woman who sells wine for a living?"

Yuan Niang picked up the tea cup, and as she lowered her eyes, she saw an aged face reflected in the rippling tea.

"I have been a human for too long, so long that I almost forgot I was a demon..."

A cool sigh fell into the past time, slowly swinging open the sealed past.

In the perception of ordinary people, mayflies live in the morning and die in the evening, with only one day of life. But they don't know that for this day, they have to hibernate under the riverbed for months to years.

Yuan Niang was no exception.

During her larval stage, she had no concept of time, hibernating in a daze, accumulating energy.

Until one day she grew thin wings, driven by instinct, crawled out of the riverbed, jumped with all her might, and rushed out of that water area.

Thus, that colorful and charming world was revealed before her 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 blew on her face, helping her fly higher.

She looked at this novel world foolishly, full of joy.

Suddenly looking back, she found that the companions who were born with her were all flapping their wings, looking for partners, busy completing the reproduction of the race.

She knew that the life of a mayfly is extremely short, so short that there is no time to take another look at this world.

Females and males, driven by instinct, entangled together, wanting to complete mating and egg-laying before sunset, and then end their splendid but tragic life.

Only she developed a different consciousness, a self-consciousness that transcended primitive instinct.

She knew that her life should not be spent so hastily.

She wanted to see more and farther scenery, not just be a breeding tool.

So, she left the group, landed on the shore, and transformed into a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl.

That day, she walked into the fireworks and red dust as a human.

Unlike mayflies, because life is short, every minute and every second cannot be wasted. Human life lasts for decades, and they seem unable to perceive the passage of time.

So some people stroll slowly through the streets and alleys, and some spend half a day watching plays and listening to music.

She even saw some people who, in order to buy a pot of peach blossom wine, did not hesitate to waste half a day queuing.

And every time they flap their wings, mayflies can feel the passage of life. They desperately float to the surface, and in just one day, they have to complete mating, production, and final death.

Why do humans have such a long life, but don't know how to cherish time?

Why is fate so unfair?

Once a thought arises, greed, anger, and ignorance follow: Since some people don't know how to cherish time, then leave the time to me!

She is a mayfly demon, even if she has opened her wisdom and turned into a human, she still lives in the morning and dies in the evening.

The only way to extend life is to take it.

She set her sights on a little boy queuing to buy wine.

The little boy was only seven or eight years old, thin and small, standing at the end of the crowd, looking forward eagerly.

It was hard to get to him, but when she tried her best to stand on tiptoe and hand over a few copper coins.

The shopkeeper shook his head: "You're late, the last pot of wine is sold out."

"Ah, how is it sold out? I've been queuing for a long time, please sell me another pot!"

"It's really sold out! If you want to buy it, come and queue earlier tomorrow."

The boy was a little disappointed, but still nodded obediently: "Okay, then I'll come again tomorrow. Tomorrow, you must save me a pot of wine."

The mayfly demon followed behind the boy, her eyes revealing greed: What a young human, with decades left in his life. So, he can waste time without any scruples, just to satisfy his appetite?

On a quiet path where no one could see, she slowly reached out and, without the boy knowing, sucked away his lifespan. ===== CHAPTER 33 =====