Paper effigies?!
Zhuang Yubai suddenly snapped back to reality. He furiously tried to shake off the red veil covering his head, and when he couldn’t, he pressed his head against the sedan curtain, forcing a gap to see the scene outside.
Outside the sedan, a grand celebration was unfolding, covering the sky and earth.
The entire Huainan Village was draped in red and white.
Half of it was a wedding, the other half a funeral.
Zhuang Yubai saw the clan leader leading the clan members, kneeling along the river, burning incense, offering wine, and bowing towards him.
Amidst the joyful and high-pitched sound of suona, a few lines of chanting came intermittently:
“Zhuang clan members, bowing and praying… offering three animals and one child, Zhuang Yubai… serving humbly. May the river god bless our clan with favorable weather… the sacrificial ceremony is complete, may it be enjoyed!”
Is this… a sacrifice to the river god?
A thunderclap exploded above Zhuang Yubai’s head.
After a long time, he understood why he was moved to the ancestral hall to fast and bathe, with someone specifically watching over him…
They were afraid he would run away, afraid he would find out the truth and cause a scene, disrupting this river sacrifice ceremony!
Ha… he was nothing more than a sacrificial offering!
No different from the pigs, cows, and sheep placed on the altar!
Zhuang Yubai couldn’t understand why, despite always being cautious and never making enemies, he was put on the sacrificial altar.
Was it because he was eager to marry into the Meng family? But this was an arranged marriage set long ago, and it had already been delayed for years.
Was it because he was a Ge’er, a boy without a mother’s love, and thus deserved to be bullied?
Zhuang Yubai couldn’t figure it out.
But even if they were going to sacrifice someone… shouldn’t they at least let him die knowing why? Why did the entire clan deceive him, making him believe the Meng family was coming to marry him, only to end up with nothing but empty joy and a life at stake…
The suona on the shore continued to play joyfully, the celebration undisturbed.
Zhuang Yubai let out a cold laugh, fiercely shaking off the red veil on his head.
The so-called “bridal wine” was nothing but a drug to make him unknowingly, quietly go to his death in his sleep. Was this their so-called “mercy”?
Everything was a lie, including this wedding boat.
Zhuang Yubai examined the cramped sedan. Besides the chair binding him, the sedan body, the curtain, the bottom of the wedding boat… were all made of paper.
The sacrificial wedding boat drifted down the river, and after an unknown amount of time, the sound of the suona on the shore faded away, but the boat tilted more and more. Zhuang Yubai leaned against the sedan body, the grass branches under the paper poking out, leaving marks on his porcelain-like face.
Zhuang Yubai ignored the pain. The bottom of the boat started leaking… water seeped through the paperboard, gushing up.
The murky water of the Jiao River slowly rose over the bottom of the sedan, swallowing Zhuang Yubai’s shoes, ankles, and calves…
The sensation of wetness and water pressure grew stronger.
Along with it came an increasingly clear… sense of impending death.
No!
He was only seventeen!
He still had so much left to do,
So many things he wanted to accomplish!
If he were sacrificed like livestock, his mother in heaven would be heartbroken…
Heaven, I don’t want to die yet. Please, save me…
Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs. Naturally, heaven couldn’t hear Zhuang Yubai’s pleas.
The water gathered more and more, reaching his waist…
No, he couldn’t just die like this…
Zhuang Yubai struggled desperately. The more he struggled, the faster the river water rushed in.
…
A mouthful of water choked his nose and mouth, his slender neck entangled by amber-colored wet hair…
The suffocating feeling of drowning, amidst the panic, was mostly…
…unwillingness.
His pale face, along with the crimson sedan, was submerged in the foul, murky waters of the Jiao River.
The Jiao River, vast and mighty,
Had nurtured Zhuang Yubai,
And now buried him.
Only the murky, dark depths of the water remained…
*
“Pa, pa, pa—”
After an unknown amount of time, a knocking sound came from the surface of the water, hitting the boat.
Then a force from the bottom of the water pushed Zhuang Yubai upward.
Zhuang Yubai, as if enlightened by an immortal, used his last bit of strength to follow the sound, struggling upward… and actually managed to poke his face out of the water.
Fresh air rushed into his lungs, turning his gasps into violent coughing.
“Cough, cough, cough—”
Zhuang Yubai turned over, tearing at his collar, greedily trying to take in more air.
Unexpectedly, his body shuddered, and his head full of amber hair slipped off the pillow.
The blinding white light made it hard to open his eyes. He reached out to block it, only to realize it was sunlight streaming in through the window.
The day was bright.
Meng Zhizhang’s bed was a mess, the quilt kicked into a heap at the corner.
It was just a nightmare. His hair, damp with cold sweat, tangled around his neck, pulled to his chest, a chaotic mess.
The weather was clear, his body intact.
Upon waking, most of the dream’s scenes were forgotten. Zhuang Yubai sat there in a daze, feeling only a lingering sadness, unable to dissolve, wipe away, or brush off.
He couldn’t quite describe the emotion. An intense, indescribable sadness, like a dull knife cutting at his heart.
“Pa, pa, pa—”
The sunlight was bright, but the knocking sound from the dream hadn’t stopped.
Under the cascade of amber hair, those sorrowful eyes blinked, looking up to follow the sound.
The sound came from the wooden gate.
Zhuang Yubai threw on an outer robe, slipped on his shoes, and walked into the courtyard. The sunlight on his body, this sense of life’s reality, dispelled much of the dream’s sorrow.
Outside the wooden gate, a large shadow loomed. No need to guess who it was.
“Good morning, Amber!”
The voice was grounded, solid, and loud, combined with the morning sunlight, it seemed to sweep away all gloom.
“Good morning, Dayou Ge!”
Zhuang Yubai opened the wooden gate, and Niu Dayou squeezed in, carrying two large round baskets on one shoulder and a wooden bucket in the other hand. The bucket was half full of water, with something jumping on the surface.
“Shrimp caught in the mountains, not as uniform as those sold outside, but you can use them. If you don’t need them right away, keep them in this bucket.”
He pulled out a lotus leaf package from the bamboo basket behind him, chuckling, “Homegrown bean sprouts, my dad said to let you try them. Don’t mind them.”
Zhuang Yubai thanked him, taking the large handful of wet mung bean sprouts, white, clean, plump, and fresh.
“Did you try the gluten balls yesterday? How did they taste?”
Zhuang Yubai casually asked, pretending not to care. Although he was confident in the success of the gluten balls, he was still a bit nervous about whether they would suit the local villagers’ tastes.
Hearing no response, Zhuang Yubai turned back, only to find Niu Dayou scratching his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
…Could it be they weren’t good?
Zhuang Yubai’s heart sank a little. He placed the bucket of shrimp in a cool spot, trying to act nonchalant, “Is it that you’re not used to the taste?”
“No, no, no! We’re used to it, used to it!” Niu Dayou’s face turned red, scratching his head even more vigorously, and after a long pause, he said, “Our whole family likes it, just not sure about the price… if it’s reasonable, we’d like to buy some.”
Willing to pay for it?!
What compliment could be more gratifying than this!
“Dayou Ge, you’ve helped me so much, it’s just some gluten, no need to be polite!” Zhuang Yubai handed the remaining two bags of gluten from yesterday to Niu Dayou.
Niu Dayou paused, hesitated for a moment, but still refused, “It’s not about being polite.”
He thought of something, taking one bag of gluten from Zhuang Yubai’s hand, “If you don’t mind, send some to Mr. Yun to try, these shrimp are thanks to Mr. Yun.”
“Mr. Yun? Mr. Yun helped catch the shrimp?” It was the first time Zhuang Yubai heard of someone with the surname “Yun,” finding it intriguing.
“We wouldn’t dare trouble Mr. Yun to catch shrimp. It’s just that these mountains belong to the Yun family, but when we gather supplies in the mountains, Mr. Yun never minds.”
Zhuang Yubai understood. In ancient society, many mountains and lands were private property. Even a common mountain path, if the owner didn’t allow you to walk, there was nothing you could do, let alone catch shrimp or fish on their land.
Gratitude should be repaid, but he had nothing to offer at the moment. However, he remembered Mr. Yun’s kindness.
There would be opportunities in the future.
“I’ll be going to the northern mountain charcoal kiln these days, so I won’t be able to come by often.” Niu Dayou skillfully helped arrange the starch on the round baskets, “On the third of next month, Mr. Wu in the city is celebrating a birthday, and there’s a big demand for charcoal, so we need to burn a few more kilns these days.”
Knowing the other was busy, Zhuang Yubai didn’t engage in empty pleasantries, seeing him off at the door, saying he’d let him try the shrimp chips once they were made, and asked him to send his regards to Mr. Yun.
After closing the wooden gate, Zhuang Yubai stir-fried a plate of gluten with the bean sprouts for brunch. The bean sprouts, without any modern technology or tricks, were crisp and sweet.
As he ate, Zhuang Yubai suddenly paused, his chopsticks stopping mid-air.
Relying on others for food these past two days wasn’t a sustainable solution. If others didn’t help, with limited money at home, buying meat and vegetables wasn’t realistic. But he couldn’t just eat pancakes every day, could he?
He was still growing, and that person… was at a critical time for studying. A few days of frugality could be managed, just as an experience. But having only simple carbs every day wouldn’t do! Absolutely not!
What could he do? Zhuang Yubai left the table, his gaze sweeping over the empty house.
The north window! Yesterday, when he jumped out of the window, he noticed a vacant lot outside the north window.
Where there’s land, there’s hope.
Zhuang Yubai jogged to the back of the house, and sure enough! The vacant lot wasn’t large, but it was flat. He roughly measured it with his steps, estimating it to be about a hundred square meters. It was time for his agricultural knowledge to shine.
He shaded his eyes with his hand, checking the sun’s angle, and kicked the soil layer with his foot. The growth layer was shallow and thin. Weeds could grow, but vegetables… it wasn’t impossible.
Nutrient-poor soil could only produce nutrient-poor crops.
In ancient society, homemade farmyard manure was common. This was cold composting, where animal manure and other materials were piled together to decompose over time. It usually took a year or more and could carry weeds and pathogens. Even in better conditions, mixing quicklime for sterilization increased production costs.
Distant water couldn’t quench immediate thirst. Zhuang Yubai didn’t have much time or resources at hand. What to do?
The importance of professional expertise. Zhuang Yubai thought of the 18-day composting method, a solution seemingly tailor-made for this moment.
The 18-day composting method is a hot composting technique, scientifically mixing carbon and nitrogen materials and manually turning the pile to produce high-quality compost in 18 days. It kills pathogens at high temperatures and greatly reduces nutrient loss. Most importantly, it only takes 18 days!
Standing in this unfamiliar time and space, Zhuang Yubai recalled modern theoretical knowledge and practical experience while observing and assessing available materials around him.
He tucked a strand of amber hair behind his ear, feeling both determined and filled with youthful ambition.
Of course, there seemed to be a sense of destiny in the air.
He had to grow stronger, strong enough to dispel and resolve the sadness from his dream.
Author’s Note: