"...what, about not touching them? It doesn't seem like it calls for that much thought, it's not like people are routinely waving them in my personal space."

He blinks and tilts his head. 

(After) (that) (part) (he) 

(Sometimes) (he) (has) (trouble) (communicating) (clearly) (with) (people) (who) (haven't) (known) (him) (for) (years) 

(You) (are) (a) (Lan) (disciple) (but) (not) (an) (ordinary) (one) 

(He) (was) (suggesting) (that) (you) (could) (decide) (whether) (to) (wear) (one) (or) (not)

"Oh! Uh, what's the - significance of that decision?"

(The) (ribbon) (is) (a) (symbol) (of) (the) (self) (discipline) (of) (the) (Lan) (sect) (and) (of) (great) (traditional) (signficance)  

(You) (could) (take) (it) (without) (attaching) (the) (meaning) (to) (it) (that) (is) (typically) (assigned) 

(But) 

(It) (would) (be) (reasonable) (to) (not) (want) (to) (make) (a) (promise) (you) (don't) (intend) (to) (keep) (even) (if) (nobody) (is) (going) (to) (hold) (you) (to) (it) 

"Yeah, I think I should like... at least know all four thousand rules before I announce I'm going to have a go at them."

(There) (is) (a) (cliff) (face) (where) (all) (of) (them) (are) (written) 

(Which) (would) (be) (more) (useful) (if) (you) (could) (speak) (the) (language) (fluently) (yet) (let) (alone) (read) (it)

"Yes. I'm working on it. Do you perhaps have a medium-sized child handy who can read and is still working on learning them and might as well read them to me."

(Sorry) (I) (did) (not) (mean) (to) (offend) (only) (observe) (that) (my) (suggestion) (was) (less) (than) (ideally) (useful) 

(Probably) (that) (can) (be) (arranged) (to) (happen) 

"Thanks."

It is arranged to happen. This medium sized child is SO FOCUSED AND SERIOUS ABOUT THIS TASK. It's adorable. 

Awwww. Okay, what are all four thousand rules.

Most of them fall into the categories "trivial, at least for her personally" (she doesn't drink anyway) or "arguable enough to live with" (she never laughs for literally no reason and is prepared to assert this if anyone finds themselves confusing their ignorance of a reason for a lack of one) or "genuinely admirable principles" (sure, she will aspire to embrace the entirety of the world!). It's a long, long list, but she can remember it all.

The ones she goes to Lan Wangji with questions about afterwards are mostly questions of definition and detail (does building wealth by using others actually rule out all interdependent economic practices? how is she supposed to be filial when her parents are a world away and do not themselves subscribe to ideals of filial piety?) But there's one she's a little more stuck on -

"The five posions thing - I got him to explain that and it seems like it's very, uh, Buddhist. I am not a Buddhist and do not in fact hold not wanting things as a virtue."

(Ordinary) (transactions) (are) (fine) (that) (rule) (refers) (to) (taking) (unfair) (advantage) (of) (people) 

(As) (long) (as) (you) (respect) (them) (according) (to) (your) (own) (culture's) (standards) (it) (should) (be) (fine) 

(Nobody) (wants) (nothing) 

(To) (want) (something) (so) (much) (that) (you) (lose) (sight) (of) (more) (important) (things) (is) (wrong)

(To) (want) (acclaim) (so) (much) (you) (lose) (sight) (of) (what) (is) (right)

(To) (want) (sex) (so) (much) (you) (lose) (sight) (of) (loyalty) (to) (a) (spouse) 

(There) (are) (things) (I) (want) (very) (deeply) (and) (have) (no) (intention) (of) (ever) (wanting) (less) 

(I) (do) (not) (think) (I) (am) (breaking) (that) (rule) 

(If) (I) (am) (I) (do) (not) (care) 

(Nobody) (follows) (all) (four) (thousand) (rules) (perfectly) (at) (all) (times) 

"Okay, cool, as long as I am not in fact required to convert to Buddhism I think we're good."

(You) (are) (not) 

"I'm not sure the headband will work very well with my haircut but I'd accept one now if it's on offer."

He pulls a folded ribbon out of his sleeve and hands it to her. 

"You just have spares around?" she wonders, taking it and attempting to get it on straight without a mirror. "- what is it that you want so much anyway?"

(I) (have) (been) (carrying) (that) (one) (since) (shortly) (after) (you) (arrived) 

(I) (want) (Wei) (Wu) (xian) (not) (to) (be) (hated) 

"Like, in a high-minded hatred-corrupts-the-soul sort of way or like, uh, massacre in response to attempted murder with collateral damage is understandable sort of way?"

(In) (a) (whether) (or) (not) (it) (is) (understandable) (it) (does) (not) (erase) (everything) (else) (he) (ever) (was) (or) (did) (way)

"Yeah, I get that."

(You) (are) (the) (first) (adult) (I) (have) (been) (able) (to) (speak) (of) (him) (with) (since) (he) (died) 

"...really? That sucks. Also I'm confused about how I managed to indicate I'd be a safe audience when I wasn't specifically aiming at that."

(It) (was) (a) (gamble) 

(Based) (on) (how) (you) (reacted) (to) (the) (knowledge) (of) (a) (self) (aware) (fierce) (corpse) 

Nod. "I hope, uh, history is written by more compassionate victors in the future. - we have a saying that goes 'history is written by the victors'."