Spring scenery in the fields

Shen Rongshan thought for a moment: "My parents didn't tell me how much money the village head gave when they got married, but it should be the same as Aunt Lan's."

The amount of money given as gifts by villagers to each household is almost the same.

"We'll give eight cents, too."

Ji Wenhe responded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

If they give too much and others see it, they will think that their family has become rich.

After lunch, he said goodbye to his three brothers and went to Lan Qiuhua's house with a basket.

"Aunt Lan, I'm here."

"Hey, come in, I'm waiting for you."

She came today to ask for advice on how to make a menstrual belt.

"Oh, you bought white cloth." Lan Qiuhua looked into the basket, "White cloth will do."

Ji Wenhe wondered: "Can it be made in other colors?"

She subconsciously felt that dirt on white was easier to see and could be washed more cleanly.

"Yes, there are also some made by patching together scraps of cloth." Shen Suya took off her shoes and sat on the inside of the bed.

"I like white because it can be seen if it's a little dirty, so it can be washed more cleanly."

"Wait a minute." Lan Qiuhua went out and closed the gate.

They believe that making menstrual belts is a very private matter that cannot be seen by outsiders, especially men.

There is also a very bad saying. If you want someone's family to be unlucky, throw a used menstrual belt of a woman on the roof of their house, and that family will be constantly unlucky.

Some say it was thrown under the bed or buried behind the house. There are all kinds of stories.

Ji Wenhe thought, if this could bring bad luck to people, there wouldn't be so many fights in the world. If someone was disliked, they would just throw a menstrual blood on the roof of their house.

Lan Qiuhua took out a pair of scissors and handed them to her, then gestured on the white cloth: "Cut from here to here."

Cut out two rectangles.

The sanitary belt is made of two layers, and one end is not sewn shut so that it can be filled with wood ash.

"Aunt Lan, aren't the two layers too thin? Will they leak?"

If this leaks, it will get all over your clothes.

"Be careful." Lan Qiuhua glanced at the strips of cloth she had cut. "If you're worried, add another layer underneath."

Ji Wenhe nodded: "Add one more layer. If it leaks, it will be embarrassing for people to see it on their clothes."

It was easy to see that her clothes were stained.

In my previous life, my menstrual flow was heavy and would last for seven days. I would have to use at least two packs of sanitary napkins, not counting night use.

Cotton cannot be reused after washing. She doesn’t know yet whether the amount is large. If it is, a lot of cotton will have to be used.

"Aunt Lan, what did farmers use before menstrual belts were invented?"

"I've heard that some are made of bark and hay. The hay is woven into a strip and tied around the waist with thin ropes at both ends. But it leaks easily and is not comfortable."

Lan Qiuhua sighed.

"It's not easy for us women. We have stomach pains during menstruation and even more pains when giving birth. Look how easy and happy men are. It's us women who suffer."

Ji Wenhe picked up the needle and threaded it: "Yes, if we don't get married, people will probably talk about it for the rest of our lives."

From ancient times to the present, few women have had an easy life.

"Sister-in-law, if a woman doesn't get married, she will be targeted by second-rate people."

Shen Suya turned her sore neck and continued.

"A widow is surrounded by gossips, and an unmarried woman is surrounded by even more gossips. How many bachelors are staring at you?"

"It's terrible." Ji Wenhe finished sewing the two sides and asked, "Aunt Lan, how do you sew the two ends?"

"Sew it like this." Lan Qiuhua gestured, "Or there should be a man in the family. It's not easy for a widow to raise a daughter."

"Fortunately, in our Linyue country, widows can remarry, unlike before, when a husband died, a widow could not remarry and had to keep her chastity."

"My grandmother told me that the situation was very chaotic at that time. The widow was raped when she was alone at home. She hanged herself that night."

"Ah." Ji Wenhe looked up, "It's obviously not her fault."

And even if she wanted to die, why didn't she take the person who abused her with her?

"What can we do if she doesn't hang herself? What if she's pregnant? If the villagers find out, they'll put her in a pig cage."

Lan Qiuhua sometimes feels fortunate that she was not born in her grandmother's time.

"Mom, she can keep it a secret and abort the baby quietly without telling anyone."

The government has not banned abortion.

"It's not that easy. The surrounding villages know exactly which village has a widow within a radius of 100 miles."

"Can she hide it if she wants to? The doctor won't keep it a secret for her. If it gets out, the doctor will also be implicated. People will think the child in the widow's belly is the doctor's."

Ji Wenhe was helpless: "People's words are scary. Everyone wants to protect themselves. It can't be said that not helping to keep a secret is wrong. When encountering problems, one's own family is the most important."

Put yourself in her shoes. If it were her, her family would be implicated because of her concealment, and she would not help the other party.

As long as it does not harm themselves and is beneficial, everyone will be willing to help.

Lan Qiuhua agreed: "Yes, after all, your family is the most important."

She looked at the almost finished embroidered menstrual belt and said: "Go back and use some unused clothes to make a belt, pass it through both sides and tie it around your waist."

Remembering that she had nothing to wear, she stood up and walked out the door.

After a while, he took out an old piece of clothing that had been cut into shape.

"I'll make you a belt. It's old, but it can be tied around the waist. You won't have to worry about getting infected."

Ji Wenhe smiled and agreed: "Aunt Lan, please make me three. Two are not enough. What if it rains and doesn't dry up, there will be no replacement."

In fact, she wanted to make a few more, but she was afraid that there would not be enough fabric to make small clothes, so she made a few more when she had some leftover fabric.

There was an extra piece of cloth sewn on the menstrual belt, so there were two layers of cloth covering it, but she was still not at ease, so she sewed three layers of cloth on it.

Seeing that it was almost dark outside, Ji Wenhe took the finished menstrual products home and happened to meet Shen Rongshan coming down the mountain with a thick branch in his arms.

He has been busy building a shed these days, working from morning to night, walking around the fields before going to the mountains.

"Wen He, there will be a market tomorrow. I will go to the town and buy a hundred catties of black flour. I will see how many eggs I can buy. They are three cents each."

"Cut another pound of pork. If you don't like fatty meat, buy another pound of pork belly, which is pure lean meat."

Ji Wenhe waited for him to come over and stayed one step behind him to avoid being hit by the branch in his arms.

"What's the price difference between fatty pork, pork belly, and pure lean meat?"

"Fat pork is 35 cents a pound, pork belly is 33 cents a pound, and lean pork is 30 cents a pound."

Shen Rongshan placed the branch in the yard, dusted himself off, and continued.

"Fat pork is high in fat and is more expensive. Eating the fat gives you the strength to work. Otherwise, I'd like to buy half a pound of pork belly and half a pound of lean meat."

There’s still plenty of oil at home, and I haven’t finished it, so I don’t need to buy fatty pork for the time being.

"Okay, don't buy too many eggs, twenty will do."