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The Disappearing “Goddess“ and the Eternal “Hammer“

· 5 min read
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Li Ersao has been a little annoyed lately.

It's not because her man is flirting with Widow Wang at the village entrance again, nor is it because her old sow has lost her appetite recently. She's annoyed by all the "Goddess Day" and "Queen's Day" celebrations that are making her head spin.

"Damn it, I've been alive for over forty years, and this is the first time I've felt like a rare commodity," Li Ersao spat as she chopped pig feed. "In the past, it was 'women can hold up half the sky,' now it's 'women can empty their wallets.' These bastards are finding new ways to torment us."

Li Ersao's husband, Li Tiezhu, was squatting at the base of the wall, smoking his pipe. He glanced up at his wife but didn't say anything. He knew in his heart that he shouldn't get involved in this, or he'd face a "series of deadly blows."

"Tell me, what is this 'goddess'? Can you eat it or drink it? And 'queen'? If I were really a queen, the first thing I'd do is castrate you, you lazy bum!" Li Ersao became angrier and angrier, and the sound of her chopping knife became deafening.

Li Tiezhu shrank his neck, thinking: This woman, her mouth is a butcher knife, but she understands more than anyone else. Nowadays, anything can be sold for money, even "festivals" have become businesses.

"Do you think these people are bored out of their minds?" Li Ersao dumped the chopped pig feed into the pigsty and patted the dust off her hands. "They spend all day thinking about how to make women spend money. Can't they do something useful?"

"Maybe...maybe..." Li Tiezhu knocked the ashes out of his pipe, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

"Maybe what? Maybe they want to celebrate 'Goddess Day' too? In their dreams!" Li Ersao glared at him. "If they dare to celebrate, I'll let them know what 'a woman's iron fist' is!"

Li Tiezhu chuckled and didn't respond. He knew that his wife was venting. There are many absurd things in this world, how can you take them all seriously?

Li Ersao was tired of cursing and didn't bother to continue. She walked to the courtyard and looked up at the sky. The sky was gray, like a huge rag, covering the sun.

"Do you think, calling them 'goddesses' and 'queens' over and over, will they really start to believe it?" Li Ersao suddenly asked.

Li Tiezhu was stunned. He didn't expect his wife to ask such a question. He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe...maybe they will. People, after all, can't resist flattery."

"And if they really start to believe it, what then?" Li Ersao's voice lowered, as if she were talking to herself.

Li Tiezhu was silent. He didn't know how to answer. He only knew that this world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

"I think," Li Ersao suddenly raised her voice, as if she had made up her mind, "we still need a 'hammer'!"

"A hammer?" Li Tiezhu was puzzled.

"Yes, a hammer!" Li Ersao's eyes sparkled. "A hammer that can wake people up, a hammer that can smash this absurd world!"

Li Tiezhu looked at his wife and suddenly felt that she was a little strange, yet a little familiar. He seemed to see the young Li Ersao, the Li Ersao who dared to love and hate, dared to speak and act.

"Where is this hammer?" Li Tiezhu asked.

Li Ersao smiled, a smile that was a little bitter, but also a little relieved. "It's in the heart, in everyone's heart. As long as there's still this hammer in the heart, this world isn't over yet."

"Frowning, I coldly defy a thousand pointing fingers; head bowed, I willingly serve the children." Between the frown and the bowed head, perhaps we should add, "Holding a big hammer in hand." Li Ersao suddenly recalled a sentence she had read in a book, although she couldn't quite remember the name of the book. But it didn't matter, who cares what a damn book is called. She only knew that this hammer must not be lost. If it's lost, she'll truly become a "goddess" and "queen" at the mercy of others.

And those "festivals" are nothing more than cages carefully designed by merchants, using words like "pamper" and "reward" to firmly trap women inside.

Li Ersao took a deep breath. She knew that this battle between the "hammer" and the "cage" had just begun. And in this battle, it's still uncertain who will have the last laugh. But at least, the "hammer" in her hand was still firmly gripped. She understood that this hammer must be used to smash this absurd world, but also to constantly strike herself, so as not to get lost in the sweet calls of "goddess" and "queen".

Because, there are no "goddesses" and "queens" in this world, only living people, individuals who need to constantly resist and constantly search for themselves. And this, perhaps, is the true meaning of "Women's Day," only this meaning has long been forgotten in the hustle and bustle of commerce, drowned in the false revelry of "goddesses" and "queens."