While they were talking in the house, a sudden crackling of firecrackers erupted at the front of the village.
It was neither a holiday nor a festival, and no family was hosting a wedding. Setting off firecrackers at a time like this was not a good sign.
The few of them froze. Before they could even react, they heard the shouts of a half-grown child, Oh no, someone died...
Someone died! These words were like a massive block of ice, smashing hard against their hearts.
The freezing weather already left one's body and soul chilled, carrying an unspeakable heaviness.
Hearing someone suddenly shout this added a layer of panic to the cold gripping their hearts.
Chuntao tightened her grip on the shoe upper. The hand holding the needle gave a violent jerk, nearly pricking her skin.
Aunt Zhou frowned deeply, her mind racing. She went through all the elderly people in the village in her head but couldn't guess who it might be.
In this era of food and clothing shortages, winter was the gates of hell for the elderly.
The surplus grain at home was running low, leaving them to survive on only a meager amount of dried vegetables and sweet potatoes.
The clothes on their backs were worn and thin; some families did not even have a decent padded jacket.
Firewood for cooking was scarce, let alone for a heating fire. They could only huddle in their quilts for warmth.
But the tattered bedding was hard and thin. Even with a thick layer of wheat straw spread over the bed, they still shivered uncontrollably from the cold.
The chilling wind scraped against their bones like a knife. Every year, there were old folks who couldn't survive the long, harsh winter. Especially the frail and sickly ones, who might quietly pass away on any given day.
Wang Xiaohong looked at Chuntao, then at Aunt Zhou. As if suddenly realizing something, she bolted outside.
Wang Jieshi had gone with the Wang Haichao brothers to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. She was already feeling anxious, and hearing someone shout about a dead person made her heart leap into her throat.
The Wang Haichao brothers were up to no good. Could they have murdered him for the thirty-odd yuan in Wang Jieshi's possession?
Wang Xiaohong ran toward the front of the village like a madwoman, her footsteps crunching loudly on the accumulated snow.
The packed snow had turned to ice, and she nearly slipped and fell several times.
You silly girl, slow down... Aunt Zhou called out from behind.
Chuntao never liked to meddle in crowds. Coupled with the endless tossing and turning from the previous night, her legs were terribly sore. She simply stood there, holding onto the doorframe, without moving.
Aunt Zhou turned to look at her, Tao, let's go have a look too!
Chuntao hesitated for a moment but still stepped forward to support Aunt Zhou by the arm, walking toward the front of the village.
They hadn't gone far when heavy footsteps sounded behind them. It was a sound Chuntao was very familiar with, and she didn't dare turn around to look.
Her hand gripping Aunt Zhou's arm tightened, her heart thumping wildly in her chest like two frantic little rabbits.
Aunt Zhou also recognized the sound. When she turned to look, Zhou Zhijun had already walked right up to them.
Mother! he called out, though his eyes darted toward Chuntao.
This little woman who completely captivated him made his heart itch every time he saw her.
But Chuntao kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to look at him. Her small face was flushed red, whether from the freezing cold or from shyness.
Zhou Zhijun didn't usually like to join the crowd either; he had only hurried over because he saw Chuntao.
Seeing Chuntao's evasive gaze and recalling the village gossip, he said, You two take your time. I'll go on ahead! With that, he cast another glance at Chuntao and took long strides toward the front of the village.
Alright, you go ahead. Tao and I are walking slowly! Aunt Zhou replied.
Only when Zhou Zhijun's footsteps faded away did Chuntao dare to lift her head and look forward. His tall, sturdy back gave off a sense of reliability.
Her little mind couldn't help but conjure up those vivid images that she couldn't resist. The man's absolute toughness left her defenseless, yet she lacked the courage to push him away.
It was like clinging to a lingering spark in the stove during this freezing winter. Even knowing that it would go completely cold the very next second, making the chill feel even worse, she still couldn't help but crave that fleeting trace of warmth...
Who is crying? Aunt Zhou paused her steps, her frown deepening.
Chuntao's thoughts were pulled back by Aunt Zhou. She heard a chaotic murmur coming faintly from the front of the village, mixed with the heart-wrenching wails of a woman.
Aunt Zhou couldn't help but quicken her pace. Walking to the southeast corner of the village, they turned a corner and saw many villagers gathered in Old Man Wang's courtyard.
Some people tucked their hands into their sleeves, some shoved them into their pockets, some rubbed their hands together vigorously, and others pulled the lapels of their tattered padded jackets tighter.
Everyone shrank their necks from the cold, making hissing sounds through their teeth and constantly sniffing their noses.
The north wind suddenly picked up, and scattered snowflakes began to drift down from the sky, but it still couldn't dampen the crowd's enthusiasm for watching the drama unfold.
My silly girl! Why were you so foolish? How is your mother supposed to live now that you're dead...
The cries of Old Man Wang's wife, Li Yuzhen, were carried intermittently by the wind and snow. Her whimpering sounded like the background music of a horror movie, making everyone's scalp tingle.
The chaotic footsteps and crying from the dark of the previous night seemed to still echo in Chuntao's ears.
Old Man Wang's daughter, Wang Chouni, had eloped with someone. How did she suddenly die? How could a living, breathing person just be gone like that?
Chuntao's small frame trembled, her nose stinging with the urge to cry.
Wang Chouni was a pitiful soul too. A few days ago, when Chuntao went to fetch water, she heard some women gossiping that in order to exchange her for a wife for her brother Wang Qingshan, her parents had forced her to marry a crippled man.
Wang Chouni had a fierce temper. In the dark of the previous night, she had eloped with her lover from a neighboring village, but she was ultimately caught and brought back.
Her father locked her in the room. You disgraceful thing! You will go through with this exchange marriage whether you want to or not!
Her mother also cried and pleaded with her, Chouni, a girl has to marry sooner or later. It's the same no matter who you marry; it's all about living day to day and having babies. Why are you so stubborn?
I won't... I'd rather die than marry that cripple! Wang Chouni cried from inside the room. If you force me again, I'll end my life!
If you don't want to live, then go die! If you die right now, I'll bury you immediately!
Old Man Wang had only spoken out of anger, never expecting that Wang Chouni would actually take her own life.
When her mother opened the door and went in this morning, she saw her hanging from the roof beam and fainted dead away on the spot.
By the time she was taken down, her body was already stiff. She was now laid out on a tattered mat in the main room.
Old Man Wang, his eyes red, was still cursing, Shameless wretch, I raised you for nothing...
Look around, how many people in our village haven't done an exchange marriage? Only you had to be the exception. If you want to die, I couldn't stop you...
As he cursed, he squatted down by the base of the wall, clutched his head, and began to sob loudly.
His son, Wang Qingshan, had a red birthmark on his forehead. He was now almost thirty years old, and his marriage prospects were still nowhere in sight.
Old Man Wang had no other choice, so he thought of using his eighteen-year-old daughter, Wang Chouni, to exchange for a wife for his son.
In those days, there were plenty of families who arranged exchange marriages, and no one had ever seen anyone resist. But Wang Chouni happened to be a rebel. She stubbornly refused, eloped with someone, and now had hanged herself.
With his daughter dead, his son was doomed to be a bachelor for the rest of his life. Old Man Wang's cries grew louder and more sorrowful.
Seeing the old man weeping bitterly, Li Yuzhen's cries grew even louder as well.
Only Wang Qingshan sat squatting on the threshold with clenched fists, his eyes staring blankly at the cold corpse on the ground, completely motionless.
Chuntao cast a single glance at the stiff corpse on the ground and dared not look again. Her heart grew cold and ached so deeply that she felt as if she might suffocate at any moment.
She, too, had been part of an exchange marriage, but she had not resisted. She had obediently accepted fate's arrangement, and now she lived a living hell, existing as neither human nor ghost. It would have been better to die and find peace.
But she lacked Chouni's courage. Her grandmother used to say, A bad life is better than a good death!
She did not agree with those words, yet she continued to drag out her miserable existence, often cursing herself in her heart for being so disappointing and weak.
However, the bonds of family were like a rope strangling her tight; the more she struggled, the deeper it cut.
Upon returning home, Chuntao stood blankly at the doorway, her eyes fixed on the heavy snow falling thickly outside, her entire body freezing cold.
After winter comes spring, but when would her spring ever arrive? Perhaps it never would in this lifetime.
She clenched her stiff, freezing hands, and a terrifying thought suddenly sprang into her mind.
If there came a day when she could no longer hold on, she feared she might also follow Wang Chouni's path.
Chuntao's mind felt as if it were gripped by an immense force. The image of Wang Chouni hanging from the roof beam lingered before her eyes, refusing to fade away.
She slowly turned her head, her gaze pinned dead onto a hemp rope resting by the wall.
