Women can hold up half the sky.

 　　Don't underestimate women; women can hold up half the sky.

　　—Reflections on reading "Red Dust Like Mud"

　　Recently, I reread "Red Dust Like Mud," a book I bought before. It's one of my favorite books, mainly telling the story of a woman's experiences from childhood to adulthood, how she managed to break free from the mire of worldly life and soar to new heights amidst chaos.

　　The author of "Red Dust Like Mud" is Chen Qiling. It's a historical and military novel. I don't know much about the author, Chen Qiling; I only vaguely saw on the first page that he's a contracted author. The story tells of the protagonist, Fu Shanxiang, who learned to read at three and poetry at five, traveled extensively in Jiangnan with her father at six, ran away from home to England at eight but failed, and then devised ways to protest foot binding. At fifteen, she became famous in her hometown for her erudition and large feet. At sixteen, after being rejected by the Zhang family, she vowed never to marry and plotted to make her fiancé, Zhang Jigeng, experience the pain of foot binding. At the age of twenty-two, her life took a dramatic turn. Separated from her mother and sisters amidst the chaos of war, she rose from adversity, winning first place in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's women's examination and gaining the trust of the Eastern King. She used her wisdom to assist him, though she was once torn between love and freedom. Ultimately, she broke free from the mire of worldly life

　　and soared to new heights. After reading this novel, I deeply admire the heroine's wisdom, talent, and decisiveness. The reason I read this novel was because the heroine's outstanding qualities moved me. Frankly, the heroine's spirit of daring to fight against the backward feudal ideology of the time is commendable.

　　Initially, upon hearing that she too would have her feet bound, she was extremely unwilling. Hearing her elder sister's screams during the binding process, and failing to reason with her mother, she vowed never to have her feet bound again. Back then, which woman dared to pursue her desires as boldly as the heroine? Hearing that foot binding would grant her her own private room, most would probably have compromised with foot binding!

　　Two scenes in this novel left a deep impression on me. The first is when the female protagonist pranks her ex-fiancé, giving him the so-called "Miraculous Lotus Powder" to make him experience the pain of foot binding. The second is when the Eastern King falls in love with the female protagonist and tries to get her to become his queen (wife). However, the female protagonist doesn't agree because of love, as the Eastern King already has other queens. Faced with love and freedom, the female protagonist, knowing this love isn't the only love she desires, resolutely chooses freedom.

　　Reading this novel made me realize that we shouldn't underestimate women. Women can hold up half the sky. Not only are modern women able to go out and earn money, supporting themselves single-handedly, but even in ancient times, there were women who disguised themselves as men to protect their country, such as the well-known Hua Mulan and Mu Guiying.

　　Therefore, don't underestimate women; women can hold up half the sky too.

　　(The End)