Jingle was a rather unique country. It and the Scalien, all operated under a democratic system, which, compared to other countries with military rule, civil war chaos, and weak governments, made Jingle's government much stronger. With skilled internal governance, a stable populace, and a flourishing economy, the country presented a picture of prosperity.
However, one striking feature of Jingle was its extreme patriarchy. While most inland countries were chaotic, making women's lives difficult and harsh, no other country had explicitly stated that women were not allowed to enjoy the same rights as men.
Jingle had very clear legal distinctions between the positions of men and women. How exalted were men in Jingle? Men were considered the rulers of the entire country, from the highest rulers and elite classes to the common people, only men could enjoy the benefits of society.
How subjugated were women in Jingle? Women across the entire country had no human rights; they were the property of the men. Even women from the upper nobility had no rights; they were kept in seclusion and, upon reaching adulthood, were merely tools for upper-class men to bear children. As for ordinary women, they had no autonomy from birth and were simply possessions for men. Legally, women could be bought and sold, used only for childbearing and for satisfying men's desires.
Although women in Jingle were almost never allowed to leave their homes, in poor families, women still had to go out to support their men. Going out didn't mean they could actually work, because in Jingle, women were forbidden from holding official jobs, leaving them relegated to the role of the city's mobile latrines—serving as convenient vessels for men in the streets and alleys to relieve themselves or spit, attending to their most basic and degrading needs. As compensation for their degrading role as mobile latrines, these women would earn only a small sack of rice at the end of the day. Yet, that rice was meant to be offered to the men they served. To be allowed even a few scraps of leftovers was considered a rare privilege.
The main reason for the severe gender disparity in Jingle is that for centuries, the nation has been known for its handmade industries. The people of Jingle excel in innovation, construction, refinement, and intricate craftsmanship, with great emphasis on passing down skills through generations. All industries in Jingle follow a family inheritance system, which explicitly dictates that only males can inherit these skills, not females.
This system of passing skills only to males has caused the entire country's work opportunities and societal perceptions to favor men. Over time, women were completely excluded from social groups, deemed incapable of creating value, leading to an unequal economic status, which in turn became an unequal social status. This has resulted in the current, terrible societal environment.
Due to the horrific social customs in Jingle, foreign women seldom ventured there. Marriage was out of the question, as was any prospect of employment. Jingle was hardly a tourist destination, and thus, the number of women who ever set foot in the country was exceedingly rare.
To project an image of peace and democracy, the Jingle government enacted certain protective measures for foreign women. For instance, to distinguish them from local women, foreign visitors were required to wear a unique silver headpiece, a symbol of their status. The headpiece came in three colors: gray for commoners, silver for government officials and foreign dignitaries, and gold, a rare hue worn only by a few high-ranking members of the national council. Any Jingle man who dared lay a hand on a foreign woman would face swift and severe punishment, with no mercy shown.
When foreign women enter the country, they are advised to wear a veil, though it is not mandatory. This is out of goodwill, as the men of Jingle, accustomed to dominating in their own land, often view women as inferior. Even when facing foreign women, their glaring, aggressive stares can feel invasive, and wearing a veil provides some psychological comfort, shielding them from such piercing looks.
On this day, the weather in the capital, was sweltering. Jingle is located deep within the mainland, with scarce water resources. Fortunately, the country's advanced technology has set up systems that purify rainwater into drinkable water. Additionally, the country imports large quantities of mineral water, sufficient for the consumption of its male population. However, women in Jingle are not allowed to drink purified water and must survive on rainwater or canal water.
The afternoon streets were so hot that people felt dizzy. Jingle's family-based work system allowed for a higher degree of job freedom, and the focus on craftsmanship meant that the standard was to seek perfection rather than quantity. Therefore, during the afternoon, the alleys, beverage shops, restaurants, and shopping centers were filled with men enjoying the cool air in comfort.
Gradually, there was some commotion on the street, though the cause was unclear. However, there were always those eager for gossip who went to investigate. When they returned, they looked somewhat puzzled, gossiping while drinking: "Up ahead—there's actually a foreign woman walking alone!"
A foreign woman? What's so special about that?
The men around them suddenly lost interest. What was so surprising about a foreign woman? Although their country rarely saw foreign women, they viewed women as little more than objects, hardly worth mentioning.
Before long, the men in the shopping mall saw the foreign woman they had been gossiping about—and indeed, she was rather strange.
The woman was dressed in Jingle's traditional attire, with a silver headpiece adorning her head—an emblem issued by the state to foreign women on temporary visits. It served as an invisible shield, a constant reminder to local men not to overstep their bounds. However, most foreign women, aware of the customs in Jingle, are usually accompanied by men when entering the country and wear a veil. They practically wear a sign saying, "I'm a foreigner, don't touch me."
But this woman was alone, not wearing a veil, strolling down the street with a lively air. Her brows were arched, her eyes sparkling with a playful glint. She was a very young girl, not particularly beautiful, but her skin was fair, and her features were somewhat different from the typical appearance of Jingle women.
The men's gazes were all fixed on the woman, not out of lust, but because they felt uncomfortable. In their world, where men were superior, women had no right to exist, and if they did, they were only meant to crawl on the ground, certainly not to walk freely in a domain owned by men.
Even though they logically knew she was a foreign woman, their ingrained habits made them look at her with disdain.
The woman, likely thirsty after shopping for a while, entered a drink shop, looked up at the menu on the wall, and said in slightly broken Jingle language, "I'd like a drink. Thank you."
The young man at the counter glanced at the woman, then disdainfully turned his gaze away with a cold snort, ignoring her. An elderly man sitting nearby paid no attention to the woman, his ears deaf to her presence as he moved on to collect the payment for drinks from the next customer.
In Jingle, due to family traditions, even in drink shops, the father's craft is passed down to the son, who helps at the shop from a young age, and when he comes of age, becomes the one making the drinks while the father assists.
The woman seemed oblivious to the indifference of the old man and the young man, and repeated her order once more. The young man slammed the cup down heavily, making a loud noise, and then scowled at her angrily, shouting, "Shut up! Can't you see I'm busy?"
In truth, the woman's voice was soft and gentle, barely above a whisper. Yet, in Jingle, men had long been accustomed to walking over women with impunity, using them as stepping stones to assert their power. Even though there were regulations that foreign women should not be mistreated, it didn't mean the men would treat them with any respect. If a foreign woman had a man by her side, things might go smoothly out of respect for the man. But a young single woman like this, in Jingle, was hardly seen by any man.
The woman smiled and stared at the young man, who met her gaze for a moment. His expression suddenly changed slightly, and he quickly snatched the money from her hand, growling, "Wait over there for your number to be called."
The woman quietly stepped aside, seemingly indifferent to the sharp stares of the men around her.
"Why bother giving something to a bitch?" The old man muttered unhappily as he saw his son take the money. Men of this age in Jingle had deeply ingrained views about women, often calling them derogatory names like "bitch" or "slut."
The young man didn't say anything, not admitting that his heart had just shuddered. The woman's smile as she looked at him was strange, her gaze not one of living recognition, but rather the cold scrutiny one might reserve for an inanimate object. There was a strange, murderous gleam in her eyes that made his skin crawl, and without thinking, he reached out instinctively.
