After all, it’s a living human life.
The clan leader had lived most of his life and had never witnessed a live sacrifice, nor had his father ever used a person to worship the gods. He paced alone in his room, his back appearing even more hunched.
His youngest son, Zhuang Haoren, brought a bowl of chicken soup to his father, but the clan leader waved it away without taking it. “This shaman, where did you find him?”
“It wasn’t me who invited him,” Zhuang Haoren said, noticing his father’s unusual expression. He placed the soup on the Eight Immortals table nearby. “He came to the village head to speak with the clan’s spokesperson. I happened to pass by and brought him here. This shaman had also approached the spokespersons of several villages in Pingning Prefecture, warning them about the river god’s anger, but they didn’t believe him. And what happened? Hundreds of acres of wheat, already in the milking stage, are now submerged underwater.”
The clan leader looked down at his son, squinting his eyes, trying to discern something from his face.
“Others can be soft-hearted. Father! You are the clan leader, bearing the heavy responsibility of the entire clan. You must make a decision.” Zhuang Haoren knelt before his father’s knees, his eyes glistening with tears as he spoke passionately.
The wrinkles at the corners of the clan leader’s eyes drooped even more. This son of his wasn’t particularly diligent or ambitious, even somewhat opportunistic, but these words struck a chord in his heart.
He got up and walked to the window, staring blankly at the night outside.
If the Jue River broke its banks, it would cover hundreds of acres of land in Huainan. The damage wouldn’t just be this season’s harvest; there would be no hope of planting crops in the second half of the year. Missing the season would mean losing an entire year’s harvest. How many people in the clan would die…
Zhuang Haoren knew he had hit his father’s weak spot. He took a few steps forward and tugged at his father’s sleeve.
“That Yuge’er has always been frail, probably with limited blessings in life. Everyone has to die eventually, some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather. If Zhuang Yuge’er sacrifices himself for the greater good, saving the entire clan from disaster, it would be his destiny. Our entire clan would forever remember his sacrifice.”
The night outside was dark and heavy, not a single star in sight.
After a long while, the clan leader instructed his son to invite Zhuang Laosan and his wife for a discussion and also to personally oversee the construction of the sacrificial wedding boat and other materials.
When Zhuang Laosan first heard about sacrificing his son, he nearly overturned the clan leader’s table.
The clan leader brought up the greater good of the clan, and Zhuang Laosan’s wife kept persuading him with emotional and logical arguments. After several rounds of communication, Zhuang Laosan finally agreed to listen to the sacrificial plan:
1. The sacrifice would be conducted in the form of a ghost marriage, with all expenses covered by the clan, not costing the Zhuang family a single penny.
2. Each household would contribute 200 wen to the Zhuang Laosan family as a “bride price” for the river god.
3. Although Zhuang Yubai was unmarried, his memorial tablet would be placed in the ancestral hall, receiving the clan’s worship.
The clan leader and the clan elders were present, almost kneeling to Zhuang Laosan, begging him to save the clan.
These were the elders who had watched Zhuang Laosan grow up. He lowered his head, burying his face in the shadows, and after a long pause, he spoke.
“Let him leave with dignity. Previously, it was said that the Meng family would come to marry him.”
*
The paper packages for Zhuang Yubai’s “dowry” and send-off were scattered all over the ground.
His stepmother, Zhuang Liu Shi, was nestled in a pile of red cloth, counting money with a radiant face.
The clinking sound of copper coins echoed around the Zhuang family’s house, which was covered in yellow talismans. Zhuang Yubai sat in the side room of the ancestral hall, imagining what his wedding would be like in three days.
Three years ago, when the Meng family from Mengjia Village formally proposed, the news spread throughout Huainan. Although it was a childhood engagement arranged by his mother, Zhuang Yubai had only met Meng Zhizhang once or twice with his mother and had long forgotten what he looked like.
Zhuang Yubai was full of anticipation for this marriage.
Who knew that later, Meng Zhizhang’s mother suddenly fell ill and passed away, delaying the marriage for three years.
During that time, he noticed his stepmother often bringing matchmakers home for long conversations. When his younger brother, Zhuang Pengcheng, was scolded by his teacher and came home to vent his anger, he also said some cryptic things.
“Do you really think you’re my brother? You don’t deserve it! My mother said there’s an old rich man in Pingning Prefecture who fancies you and plans to buy you for 10 taels of silver to warm his bed. Just wait for that old dry wood to pamper you.”
Perhaps the price wasn’t agreed upon, as the old dry wood his brother mentioned never sent a bridal sedan chair to fetch him.
Just when Zhuang Yubai thought the Meng family had forgotten about the marriage, they came with their clan members a few days ago. This time, they not only added more betrothal gifts but also wanted to immediately set a wedding date.
Zhuang Yubai’s anxious heart finally found some peace. There was finally something to look forward to.
The Meng family’s son was a scholar. Zhuang Yubai heard that three years ago, he topped both the county and prefectural exams, with a promising future. Once he passed the academy exam, he would become a legitimate scholar. It was said that scholars were exempt from corvée labor and taxes and didn’t have to kneel before county officials.
If he married into the Meng family and became a scholar’s husband, he wouldn’t have to live under his stepmother’s thumb, waking up every day to sweep, pound rice, wash clothes, cook, and send his brother to school… a life with no end in sight.
Pounding rice was manageable, just requiring more effort, but washing clothes in the river during winter was what Zhuang Yubai feared the most.
At ten years old, when the river was already covered in a layer of ice, Zhuang Yubai was sent to the river with a large basin of winter clothes early in the morning.
The river water was bone-chilling, as if filled with countless invisible ice needles, piercing him with cold and pain, turning his small hands red.
If he didn’t finish washing this basin of clothes, there would be no breakfast. Little Yubai cupped his hands to his mouth, blowing warm air to try and warm his frozen hands. The temperature difference made the warm air feel like scorching fire on his skin.
The warm breath clung to his eyelashes, forming a layer of frost. He gritted his teeth and plunged his hands back into the river, the cold and burning sensations quickly disappearing as his hands numbly stirred the clothes.
The wet cotton clothes, heavy with water, suddenly slipped from little Yubai’s hands.
These were his brother’s winter clothes. If they were washed away by the river, it wouldn’t just be a matter of going hungry for a few meals. In a panic, little Yubai lunged at the water to retrieve the clothes, slipping and falling into the icy river with a splash…
He couldn’t remember much after that. It must have been a kind passerby who pulled him out and sent him home. The clothes were naturally washed away by the river, never to be found. In the drafty back room, little Yubai couldn’t get out of bed for several days.
When he could finally stand and move around, more unwashed winter clothes were piled in front of him.
Fortunately, he had made it through all these years, and he was about to get married.
Although he didn’t know what kind of person Meng Zhizhang was, as long as he didn’t have to wash clothes in the river early in the winter, as long as he wasn’t locked in a dark room without food every few days, Zhuang Yubai felt hopeful about the future.
A few days ago, his stepmother brought word that the wedding date had been set with the Meng family, and they would come to marry him in five days, so he should prepare.
At first, Zhuang Yubai couldn’t believe it until his brother, Zhuang Pengcheng, came to mock him, saying he had seen his wedding clothes and that such fine silk garments were wasted on him.
His brother was always like this, and Zhuang Yubai had long grown accustomed to it. This also meant that the Meng family was indeed coming to marry him. Zhuang Yubai was genuinely happy, tears streaming down his face as he closed the door.
Finally, he could leave his stepmother and this home. Heaven still favored him, Zhuang Yubai!
*
The ancestral hall was usually unvisited except for sacrifices. It was solemn and silent, and even though it was early summer, the cool breeze made it feel chilly.
Zhuang Yubai opened the window of the side room, and the white walls and black tiles of the ancestral hall courtyard, washed by a hundred years of rain, appeared gray.
But the sunlight was excellent, and thinking about the wedding in three days, the once gloomy ancestral hall seemed bright and lovely to Zhuang Yubai.
A cool breeze blew, and Zhuang Yubai tightened his clothes. He smiled and asked the old woman who brought him food if there were any rules to pay attention to during the wedding ceremony and if someone would teach him these rules.
“Cabinet? Do you want a dowry cabinet?”
The old woman was hard of hearing due to her age, and after much gesturing, she still didn’t understand, muttering “cabinet, cabinet” under her breath. Zhuang Yubai didn’t trouble her further, smiling as he thanked her for bringing him food.
Several small porcelain dishes, clearly not household items. The meal was sumptuous, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a pot of tea. It was the best meal Zhuang Yubai had ever had, even better than he could imagine for a New Year’s feast.
He looked at the dishes in amazement and then at the old woman. “Granny, does everyone waiting to get married have so much good food? There’s so much, Granny, eat with me!”
Remembering that the old woman couldn’t hear well, Zhuang Yubai smiled shyly.
The old woman wiped her eyes with the hem of her faded coarse cloth sleeve. “This old woman is getting on in years, and this eye disease just won’t get better. Don’t laugh at me.”
In the village, although Zhuang Yubai rarely saw people, most villagers knew this poor child who lost his mother at a young age.
As she left, her hands trembled uncontrollably, pointing at the window. “There are two clan uncles outside. If you want anything or have anything you want to eat in the next few days, just tell them.”
The day before the wedding, the wedding clothes arrived, made of silk. When touched, they felt smooth and cool, very comfortable. He had never worn silk clothes before, but he recognized the material because his mother’s dowry included a silk handkerchief.
If his mother could see him in his wedding clothes, she would be very happy.
Zhuang Yubai put on the wedding clothes. There was no mirror in the room, so he opened the window, using the sunlight to cast his shadow on the ground.
As he moved, his shadow was long and slender. Zhuang Yubai imagined his husband’s stature and appearance, imagining what expression his husband would have when he saw him in these wedding clothes.
It had been a long time since anyone had smiled at him. On the wedding day, his husband would smile at him, wouldn’t he?
Three days later, whether Meng Zhizhang would smile, Zhuang Yubai couldn’t guess, but at this moment, his cheeks were slightly warm. The bright red of the wedding clothes, under the sunlight, made the tear mole at the corner of Zhuang Yubai’s eye even more captivating.
The wedding clothes were precious, and Zhuang Yubai didn’t want to wear them for long. He carefully took them off, folded them, and placed them by the bed. Tomorrow was the big day, and he had heard that wedding ceremonies were complicated, requiring early preparation, so he assumed it would be the same for him.
Zhuang Yubai lay down early.
For the past three days, Zhuang Yubai had only moved within the side room, unaware of the situation outside. He only hoped that the things his mother left behind wouldn’t be forgotten by his father.
Of course, he didn’t know that as soon as he left the house, all traces of him were burned to ashes.
After all, the person was already going to die, so who would those things be left for?