Sacrificial Bride

Dusty Soil

On a bright sunny day, a middle-aged man dressed in a simple hanfu (ancient Chinese clothing) can be seen squatting closely to the ground on an empty plot of land. He haphazardly placed a wooden stick into the soil. When he pulled it out of the earth, he let out a heavy sigh and rested his head on one hand. The stick was not moistened until 5 centimeters into the land. 

Thinking to himself, “how much longer will this drought last? It has been 2 years without rain already. We won’t have rice to eat come winter.” 

Lost in thought, his mind drifted to his family of four: himself as the father, his wife as the mother, a daughter named Shui, and another daughter named Lingyu. Not having any sons, he often told himself that he had to shoulder much of the physical work in the fields. His daughter Shui can sense this feeling, so she made it a point to not appear weak in front of her family. Shui was a strong-willed, 18-year old woman with spectacular strength for someone her size. From a young age, she wanted to be the son that her father never had. Instead of learning how to cook and sew from her mother, Shui was more diligent at observing her father’s daily routines and responsibilities. Whether it be chopping wood or rounding livestock, Shui can do just as much as her father. Following her older sister’s lead, Lingyu was a 16-year old who had developed an affinity to what was considered manly business. Both sisters were competitive against the village boys, often joining them in arm wrestling and martial arts practice. Secretly their father was proud of their behavior. However, it really was too unlady-like for the current society to accept this kind of interest. In front of others, he kept silence when ridiculed for having daughters behaving recklessly with men. At home, he would join in their laughter and praise them for any achievements they made compared to the boys in the village. 

At this point, the man can neither keep quiet nor laugh. He sighed again when he imagined his daughters having to experience starvation for the first time. His face wrinkled and became filled with obvious despair. He broke the stick in half and threw it to the ground in frustration. He proceeded to straighten up, dust off his pants, and head home with a gloomy shadow. His facial muscles relaxed a bit as he saw a woman appearing from the front entrance of his home. She waited patiently at the door to greet him.  

“My husband, did you go to the fields again?”, the woman asked. 

He looked away from her when she asked him this question. He responded, “I know you told me to stop checking on the land if there’s no rain, but I couldn’t help it. I went out and measured the soil. It’s become even drier now.”

The man looked around and saw that his daughters were not home. “Where are the children?”, he asked. 

The woman replied, “Shui and Lingyu are tending the livestock.”

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At the back of the house, a young girl was sitting on a stool while playfully shaving the wool off of the family’s one and only sheep. She sang loudly a self-composed melody that mimicked the bleating of her beloved pet. 

She laughed and yelled out, “Shui, look at how ridiculous little bao bei looks with just half of his body shaved! I carved a zebra pattern on him!”

The other young woman was rounding up a handful of horses by foot when she heard her name. 

“In a moment, Lingyu! I’m busy! Why don’t you help me instead of playing with that sheep of yours? We still need to fetch the water.”

“Little bao bei is going to feel hot if I don’t do this for him. Since you’re already dealing with the horses, can you do it please, sister?”, Lingyu asked.

Shui laughed. She expected her sister to say that. Once Lingyu was set on doing something for her sheep, she would lose interest in anything else requested of her. This trip is something that Shui often did anyway. Assuming the role of a protective older sister, Shui often volunteered herself for this task to prevent her younger sister Lingyu from any possible harm during the two-day trek. The trip called for an overnight stay to avoid wild animals near the river at night, and Shui would feel awful letting her teenage sister travel alone. 

Shui said, “Fine, I’ll go fetch the water. Make sure that the sheep of yours doesn’t die of a heat stroke. Since, you know, it’s more important than me.”

Lingyu laughingly replied, “You are my most darling sister! Don’t say that. I’ll make it up to you by knitting the most beautiful scarf ever seen in Fanrong town.”

“Alright, I’ll remember that promise. Tell mother and father that I’ll be fetching water near Meili town. I’ll see everyone in two days when I’m back”, Shui said as she finished rounding up all of the horses except for one. She placed a saddle on her favorite horse, Madam Ma, and connected the horse to a cart that contained empty barrels. She then mounted her horse with ease and headed toward Meili town. 

Shui was traveling down the dirt road alone. She looked at the land to her right. It showed signs of cracking. The once rich, black earth had now become a dusty brown. She remembered when it was easy to farm and harvest rice with her father. The territory in which her family resided was historically blessed with consistent rainfall and rich soil that was bound to be exploited. During this time, any seed that was thrown onto the earth would grow wildly without any tending. Farmers were joyous year after year as they prayed for continued blessings from their presumed benefactor: a water god. The prosperity of the land attracted an unprecedented influx of new inhabitants. Eager to lay claim on such lands and reap benefits, the noblemen from the capital city bartered a plan between them and the farmers. They created a network of trade for crops, which attracted merchants to the area. The town center grew over the years to a bustling epicenter of trade and was even awarded a magistrate. 

During this prosperity, farmers were able to enjoy superior-grade rice and afford to keep their livestock for personal meals. Noblemen received a steady income from the resale of crops and continued to live in extravagance at their large, country homes. Merchants feasted daily at restaurants they owned and flashed their wealth with elaborate clothing and jewelry. Everyone was content with what they had. Why should they worry? Fanrong town had been blessed for over 5 decades by this point, and there was no sign of it changing. 

However, life is not always as you wish. One year went by and it was evident that the sky was not behaving as expected during the summer season. It was sunny, blue, and clear. At first, people responded quite positively.

“It’s so nice to have a stroll in the streets without needing an umbrella”, an elderly woman had said.

In the same street, one can hear a child say “Papa! It’s a clear day. Can I play with the other kids in the city center?”

After 2 weeks of no rain, farmers began to look out at the sky. Brushing off any worries, they continued to wait for the rain to come. By the end of August, it was to everyone’s surprise that the rain still had not come. They began to worry, however, their hope was still not gone. They began to remember their water god. How long has it been since the town has given offerings? The magistrate decided to host a feast to honor their water god and curry back any favor they once had. 

“O water god, please accept our offerings and continue to bless our town of Fanrong. We humbly ask you to protect us”, the magistrate once said. However, months continued to pass without rain. By the following July, it had already been two years since the last rainfall. The land had become the dusty brown that Shui observed. 

Shui’s thoughts were interrupted once she approached the first house on the road about one kilometer from her home. It was small and quite similar to her own family’s home. She looked keenly at the house as if she was expecting something or perhaps, someone. There, a young man was carrying empty barrels to his front yard. Shui’s heart rate began to quicken. She straightened her posture and hoped the young man would make eye contact. Right at that moment, the young man finished placing down his barrel and locked eyes with Shui.