The end of natural disasters: the daily life of child brides in ancient times

The Lu family doesn't have much food, so every day they stay at home means they have one more day's worth of food.

After receiving the engagement food from the Qin family, Old Lady Lu decided to marry Lu Qingqing to the Qin family half a month later.

At this time, the old village chief found out that Old Mrs. Lu had sold her granddaughter to the Qin family as a child bride. He was so angry that he ran over and scolded Old Man Lu.

Let him return the grain. The Lu family cannot sell their granddaughter and ruin the reputation of the entire Lu family.

Unexpectedly, Old Man Lu acted like a rogue this time.

He said that the family had lost all their food and money for the third son, and if not, the whole family would starve to death.

If the old village chief is willing to provide food, he can continue to support his granddaughter.

The old village chief was so angry that he trembled and was helped back home by his youngest son Lu Tianxin.

Lu Tianxin kept comforting his father, saying that Grandma Qin was a good person, and Daya's life might be better if she went there.

After hearing this, the old village chief felt less angry.

But when I think about what Old Man Lu did, I can't help but want to beat him up.

Lu Qingqing didn't know the situation of the old village chief's family, but she was grateful to him.

He is a fair person and has helped me more than once. I will definitely repay him if I have the chance in the future.

These days, Boss Lu felt a little guilty towards Lu Qingqing and didn't dare to look her in the eye.

Old Mrs. Lu occasionally prepared special meals for him and secretly left some for her.

Lu Qingqing accepted it all. Since she had already been sold, she had to accept it since he gave it to her. But this was far from enough.

Thinking of the eggs, rice, flour and oil that Old Lady Lu had taken out of the house before, Lu Qingqing decided to collect some more interest.

These days, when Lu Qingqing was chased out by Old Lady Lu to dig wild vegetables, she kept sneaking back to observe nearby.

Finally, when the wedding day was approaching, Lu Qingqing got the chance. That day, all the members of the Lu family went out.

She took the opportunity to sneak into Old Lady Lu's room, where she found a large cabinet on the kang.

Thinking back to the eggs, rice, flour and oil that Old Lady Lu had taken out of the house before, I guess they were all locked in this big cabinet.

There was no other place to hide things in the room, so they must have been put together.

There was a big, tight lock on the cabinet, and Lu Qingqing couldn't open it after pulling it twice.

He put his hand on the cabinet, and the moment he took in the space, he felt what was placed inside the cabinet.

A purse containing one or two taels of silver and a dozen copper coins.

A small basin of eggs, a large bag of white flour, a small bag of millet, a bag of cakes, a large bowl of lard, a small bag of coarse salt, a few feet of cloth, and a small wooden box with exquisite carvings stuffed on the edge of the cloth.

I entered the space, touched the cabinet, took out a small wooden box, and opened it to find a gold hairpin inside. It looked very exquisite, so I took the box away without hesitation.

Without bothering to wonder how the Lu family could have such a good treasure, he just wanted to put away all the food in the cabinet.

Suddenly I remembered that usually Mrs. Lu would ask Mr. Lu to open the cabinet to get things for her.

So he put away most of the things in the cabinet, and left the rest untouched because he thought the color of the fabric was too old-fashioned.

I felt it was almost done and was just about to put the cabinet out.

I saw a handkerchief placed against the wall where the cabinet used to be on the kang. It was very similar to the one that Old Mrs. Lu used every day.

After opening it, there were more than a dozen copper coins and two small pieces of silver inside. It was probably Mrs. Lu's private money, so she took it away without hesitation.

After putting the handkerchiefs back to their original place, he put the cabinet back to its original position.

He looked around and saw that there was no one at the door, so he quickly slipped out.

Soon, it was Lu Qingqing's wedding day.

When it comes to getting married, Lu Qingqing just carries a small bag on her shoulder and follows Qin Lang, who came to pick up the bride, to the Qin family.

The children in the village gathered around and shouted loudly.

Qin Lang followed his grandmother's instructions and carefully protected Lu Qingqing, preventing the children from bumping into her.

Lu Qingqing's only dowry was a small bundle containing a set of replacement clothes.

According to the marriage customs in the village, the woman's family will keep half of the betrothal gifts, and the remaining betrothal gifts plus some other things will be regarded as dowry.

By the time Lu Qingqing came to her, the Lu family had already treated her as a sold maid.

Naturally, the betrothal gifts from Qin Lang's family were kept by Old Man Lu.

Lu Qingqing didn't even put on a red dress, and was still wearing the patched clothes.

This might be the most simple wedding Lu Qingqing has ever seen.

Fortunately, Lu Qingqing did it herself and added a lot of "dowry" to the space.

When she got married, Da Zhuang was the only one in the Lu family who came to hug her, unwilling to let Lu Qingqing go. After a while, she was dragged away by Lu Li who came rushing over.

No one cared whether Lu Qingqing, who married empty-handed, would be tortured.

Before she got married, Mrs. Lu Li kept telling her not to forget her parents' home after she got married, and that her younger brother Dazhuang would be her support in the future.

Lu Qingqing didn't want to quarrel with them today, so she just nodded silently.

But she knew clearly in her heart that no matter what they did in the future, these people who sold her would have nothing to do with her.

On the day she married into the Qin family, the Qin family set up two tables of food and invited the village chief, the old village chief, clan elders and several familiar families.

During the meal, Grandma Qin asked Qin Lang to pick up a large bowl of vegetables and bring it to her with a whole grain steamed bun.

Lu Qingqing didn't eat much that day. People kept coming into the house, and she didn't find a chance to eat.

When he saw the food, he started eating it with big mouthfuls.

There is still a lot of meat in the bowl. I picked up a piece of pork belly and took a bite. It was so satisfying!

At night, after Lu Qingqing saw that all the guests had left, she came out to help Grandma Qin clean the table.

Looking at this diligent girl, Grandma Qin felt that the betrothal gift she spent was worth it.

Although she didn't bring much dowry, as long as this girl can live a good life with her grandson and give birth to a few more children in a few years, this family can develop like other families.

Lu Qingqing was lying on the kang at night, not knowing that Grandma Qin was already thinking of letting her have more children in a few years.

Now she couldn't help but sigh that after traveling through time for so long, she was finally lucky enough to choose a kind in-law family.

Yes, Lu Qingqing slept alone today.

Qin Lang heard that Grandma Qin had specifically told him not to sleep with Daya until she grew up.

Grandma Qin's house has many rooms, and before Lu Qingqing got married, she cleaned out one of them in advance.

Today, when Lu Qingqing was helping to clean the table, she discovered that although the Qin family had more elders than children, their financial resources were much richer than the Lu family.

The house is fully equipped with all necessary appliances, and there is even a well in the yard.

Although there is no water now due to drought.

But in this era, most villages only have one well. In some cases, several villages even work together to dig a well. The Qin family's well is very impressive.

Lu Qingqing closed the door and was finally able to enter the space in the house with peace of mind.

After the harvest in the past few days, all the wheat in the space has been harvested, and there is still some corn left.

He deftly broke off the last corn cob and put all the corn into a basket.

Looking at the space full of food, the tension and anxiety that had been with me since I traveled through time finally subsided a little.

The food in the space now is enough for her to eat for seven or eight years.

The peach saplings that were transplanted earlier have grown a lot taller, and the peach pits that were planted have also grown out.

Lu Qingqing kept the two thickest ones and pulled out the rest.

Three peach trees are enough for food, but this kind of peach tree takes up too much space when it grows up.

The sweet potatoes are also growing well and will be ready for harvest soon.

Thinking that Qin Lang particularly liked sweet potatoes, Lu Qingqing cooked some sweet potatoes and chestnuts.

While cooking, Lu Qingqing took a bath in the space. After washing, she felt refreshed all over.

I didn't dare wash my hair because I was afraid of being discovered. I just combed it with a comb and water, which made my scalp feel much more comfortable.

Since the village began to control water supply, the water each family draws from the well is only enough for their own food and drink.

It’s easy to sweat in the summer, and the smell on everyone’s body is quite unpleasant.

After the sweet potatoes and chestnuts in the pot were cooked, Lu Qingqing tasted a few, then packed up and left the space. She had to get up early to cook tomorrow.

Lu Qingqing thought she might suffer from insomnia after such a sudden change of location, but she fell asleep within a short while of closing her eyes.

After a dreamless night, Lu Qingqing got up early the next day, thinking about cooking.

As soon as I walked out of the door, I saw Qin Lang standing in the yard, holding a thick stick and practicing attentively.

His movements were vigorous and powerful, and his breathing matched his movements rhythmically.

Lu Qingqing didn't disturb him. There were leftovers from yesterday on the stove, as well as a few whole grain steamed buns. She added a little water and heated them up.

When Grandma Qin got up, she saw Lu Qingqing was already heating up the meal. Knowing that Lu Qingqing was diligent and sensible, she told her that she didn't have to get up so early in the future.

There is no work in the fields now, so I can take a good rest.

After breakfast was ready, Qin Lang had already put away his stick, washed up and came to eat.

Qin Lang has a big appetite. He eats more than Lu Qingqing and Grandma Qin combined. No wonder he has grown so tall.

When the three of them finished breakfast, Lu Qingqing took the initiative to clear the table.

Grandma Qin asked Qin Lang to go out and see if there were any wild vegetables nearby, and if so, to dig some up.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqing quickly finished the work in her hands and followed Qin Lang out.

Lu Qingqing looked at Qin Lang, who looked innocent and naive, and was completely different from when he was practicing martial arts in the morning. She took the initiative to talk to him.

"Brother Qin Lang, were you practicing martial arts this morning?"

Qin Lang nodded seriously.

"Yes, my grandfather used to practice with me in the morning. Later, he passed away, but my grandmother told me to continue practicing, saying that I would be stronger and could protect my family."

Having said that, he lowered his head and looked at Lu Qingqing, his eyes sparkling.

"Sister Daya, do you want to practice with me? Grandpa said I'm very good at it. I can teach you."

“Can you teach this to others?”

Lu Qingqing was worried that this was the Qin family's martial arts heirloom and was not allowed to be passed on to outsiders.

"You are not someone else. Grandma said we are a family from now on."

Listening to Qin Lang's words, Lu Qingqing curled up the corners of her mouth and pulled him towards the valley.

There were fewer people picking wild vegetables on the road. Most of them were severely dehydrated, their lips were sunburned and cracked, and they looked frighteningly thin.

The two of them went around several places, but there were no wild vegetables left. Most of the wild vegetables had been sun-dried to death, and even some trees had died in some places.

Lujia Village is next to a mountain, and there used to be groundwater on the mountain.

The situation might be more serious in other places, and Lu Qingqing was a little worried that something might go wrong.