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

That afternoon, when Lu Qingqing was learning needlework with Grandma Qin in the house, she heard Qin Lang's excited shouting in the yard.

"Snow! It's snowing! Grandma, Daya, come and see! It's snowing!"

Lu Qingqing ran to the yard and found a layer of snow on the ground.

The sky was gray and large snowflakes were still falling, and they seemed to be getting heavier.

Qin Lang ran in the yard, looking back at the footprints he left on the snow, and called Lu Qingqing to play with him.

But they were stopped by Grandma Qin and called into the house.

I watched them put on their thick cotton jackets and trousers, and helped them put on their hats and gloves before letting them out.

At this time, the snow had covered the ground.

Qin Lang pulled Lu Qingqing to the low slope in front of the house, wanting to play some sliding there.

The two of them held hands and squatted down to slide down, and when they reached the bottom of the slope they rushed forward a little further.

Zhuzi’s house is in front.

When I got closer, I heard Da Ni and Er Ni from Zhuzi's family crying. The two children were crying so hard that they were out of breath.

Lu Qingqing was worried that something might go wrong, so she pulled Qin Lang over to take a look.

The door of Zhuzi's house was open. Lu Qingqing shouted and saw Zhuzi's wife rushing out.

When he saw that it was not a pillar, his expression instantly became gloomy again.

"Sister-in-law, what's going on?"

Lu Qingqing looked at Zhuzi's wife who looked anxious and asked,

"Dani's father went to the mountains to chop firewood this morning and hasn't come back yet. The snow is getting heavier and heavier. What should we do?"

"He came back before this time yesterday. I was worried that something might have happened to him."

As Zhuzi's wife spoke, her back bent.

"No, I have to go up the mountain to find him."

As Zhuzi's wife said this, she was about to go to the back mountain. The two children saw their mother was about to go out, and ran up to hug her crying.

Looking at the situation in front of her, Lu Qingqing had to calm Zhuzi's wife down first.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Brother Zhuzi often chops wood in the back mountain. He is familiar with that piece of land. I'm sure nothing will happen to him."

"It's probably because of the heavy snow. The mountain is so big that it's hard to find it by yourself. Why not ask Uncle Wang and Brother Erxi for help?"

Zhuzi's wife looked sad and angry.

"It's my father-in-law's family who insists that Da Ni's father help them chop more firewood. Because of this, we don't even have enough firewood for our own family."

"Dani's father saw that the cold weather had arrived early this year and was worried that the two children at home wouldn't be able to endure it. Even though it was cloudy today, he still went."

The more Zhuzi's wife spoke, the more upset she became.

"No, I have to go find them. Daya, please help me look after the two children."

After saying that, she pushed the two children away and ran towards the village. Da Ni and Er Ni cried loudly, shouting for their mother.

Lu Qingqing was helpless. After coaxing them for a while, it was of no use, so she had to take the two children to the village.

......

Zhuzi's wife ran to Wang's house and found that the gate was closed.

Zhuzi's wife had no choice but to call for help from across the yard. Seeing Zhuzi's mother coming out, she hurriedly shouted:

"Mom, Zhuzi went to the mountain to chop firewood and hasn't come back yet. Can you guys help me go up the mountain to look for him?"

Zhuzi's mother hid her hands in her sleeves, blaming Zhuzi and his wife in her heart for making such a fuss in such cold weather.

"Eldest wife, Erxi and his father have been feeling unwell these past two days and can't stand the cold. I guess Zhuzi will be back soon, so please wait and see."

Zhuzi's father stood behind the door without saying a word, letting Zhuzi's mother take the lead.

When Zhuzi's wife heard this, her eyes turned red with anger.

"Mom, Zhuzi was chopping wood for you, which delayed our own firewood. He is also your son, how could you bear to watch him die?"

When Zhuzi's mother heard this, she became angry.

"He's my son. Isn't it his duty to chop wood for his parents? I was wondering why Zhuzi has become less and less filial after getting married. It's all because of you, a troublemaker."

Seeing her mother-in-law's unreasonable behavior, Zhuzi's wife ignored her. She saw a shadow behind the door and shouted towards it:

"Dad, Zhuzi is up in the mountains and no one knows whether he's alive or dead. Why are you hiding in the house and not coming out?"

As the noise spread, nearby neighbors came out to watch.

Seeing that more and more people were coming, Zhuzi's father felt embarrassed, so he came out and wanted to send the eldest brother's wife away.

Before he could open his mouth, he heard Zhuzi's wife say with a look of grief and anger,

"My dear uncles and aunts, every year, Daddy and I have never failed to pay the annual and festival gifts that are due to filial piety. We also do the housework at my father-in-law's house and even chop firewood for my younger brother-in-law."

"Now he's up in the mountains and we don't know whether he's alive or dead, but my father-in-law and mother-in-law don't care and want to watch us die."

Zhuzi's mother was so angry about this that she picked up the broom next to her and was about to open the door and hit someone, but Zhuzi's wife dodged her.

"I'm telling you this today. If you don't go looking for my boss, and he dies on the mountain, I'll hang myself at your door with my two children. Even if I become a ghost, I'll haunt you every day."

Zhuzi's wife stared at the family with a gloomy face, gritting her teeth and looking resentful.

"Wang Youcai, what's going on in your family?"

The old village chief walked over with his hands behind his back and looked at Zhuzi's father with an unhappy expression.

"It's snowing so heavily, and Zhuzi is still on the mountain and hasn't come back. As his parents, you should go look for him."

Wang Youcai looked at the old village chief and came out to explain with a guilty conscience.

"Looking for it, I didn't say I wouldn't. I was just rushing off and talking too much, and the eldest son's wife misunderstood me."

Having said this, he turned around and called his youngest son Erxi,

"Erxi, hurry up and pack your things. Let's go up the mountain to look for your brother."

Erxi was originally standing behind his parents watching the show. When he heard his father calling him to go up the mountain, he immediately put on a sullen face and reluctantly went back to the house to change his clothes.

Seeing this, the old village chief called a few young men in the village and asked them to help go up the mountain to look for the pillar.

When Zhuzi's wife heard what the old village chief said, she was very grateful and kept thanking everyone. She said that when Zhuzi came back, they would come to thank everyone in person.

Before leaving, Zhuzi's wife sent Dani and Erni to the Qin family and asked them to help take care of the children.

Grandma Qin and Lu Qingqing quickly agreed and told her to go without worry.

It was not until the second half of the night that the villagers came back carrying the unconscious Zhuzi.

Hearing the noise, Lu Qingqing got up, looked at Da Ni and Er Ni who were already asleep beside her, put on her clothes quietly and went out.

At this time, Grandma Qin also got up.

Hearing that Lu Qingqing wanted to go over and take a look, he nodded and stood up to get her a torch.

As soon as she went out, the cold air hit her face and Lu Qingqing shivered. The temperature dropped too quickly.

When Lu Qingqing arrived at Zhuzi's house, all the young men in the village had already returned home.

Zhuzi was lying unconscious on the bed, and his wife was using a hot towel to wipe his hands and face.

When Zhuzi's wife saw Lu Qingqing coming, she wanted to stand up and greet her, but she was dazed for a moment and almost fell down.

Seeing this, Lu Qingqing hurriedly supported her.

"Sister-in-law, please don't be polite. I heard the noise and came to see how Brother Zhuzi is doing."

Zhuzi's wife looked at the unconscious Zhuzi again and wiped away her tears.

"He was freezing in the mountains for most of the night. When he found me, he said a few words and then fainted."

He took a deep breath and calmed down before continuing:

"We went to the back mountain where we usually chop firewood, but we searched for a long time but couldn't find it."

"I remembered that the boss mentioned a small path before, so I thought about going there to take a look. Fortunately, we found it and found that the boss had fallen into a deep pit."

"When we found him nearby, he was almost unconscious from the cold, but he was holding on. When he heard someone, he shouted loudly, and that's how we found him."

When Zhuzi's wife said this, she looked at Zhuzi lying on the bed.

"Thank goodness we found it. Otherwise... I really don't know how the three of us would have survived."

Lu Qingqing stepped forward and patted her on the back, comforting her:

"Sister-in-law, everything will be fine. You are very tired today, go get some sleep. Dani and Erni are doing well with me, don't worry."

Zhuzi's wife looked at Lu Qingqing gratefully.

"Daya, thank you so much. I was so panicked this time. Thanks to you for reminding me. Otherwise, I don't know if I could find Da Ni's father if I went up the mountain by myself."

Lu Qingqing waved her hand and told her not to be so polite.

When she got home, an oil lamp was on in the main room and Grandma Qin was waiting for her at home.