Chapter 48 - 1: Stunning Young Bride
Wo Shui Village is a place with a very peculiar terrain, the entire village resembles the shell of a snail, spiraling smaller from the outside to the center. It is also a place almost completely isolated from the world, with a population of barely a hundred.
However, the village backs onto mountains and leans against water, relying on the mountains for sustenance and the water for nourishment, it manages to get by. Every first and fifteenth day of the month, someone drives a cart to the nearest town to sell and purchase items. People from the village either ride this cart to town or ask the cart driver to help buy and sell things.
In the village, there is a household with just a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law depending on each other for survival. The young wife, just eighteen, has an enchanting posture and picturesque features, a stunning beauty that the small village seems ill-equipped to nurture.
"Mother, I’m going out to gather herbs. The day after tomorrow we can ask Brother Da Niu to help us sell them in town and buy some rice to bring back." The young wife strapped on her basket before calling out to the house.
"The sky is so dark, it feels like it’s going to rain, how about not going today and we can go together tomorrow?" A woman stepped out of the house, with coarse eyebrows and large eyes, her demeanor somewhat fatigued, yet filled with concern.
"It’s fine, I’ll be back soon." The young wife shook her head, "You should rest at home, your legs ache when it rains. I’ll go alone. We don’t have much rice left."
"Then come back soon, it’s okay to gather less." The mother-in-law advised.
"Alright." The young wife nodded, then quickened her pace out of the door, carrying her basket.
Once out the door, the young wife kept her head down, trying to walk in places with fewer people, avoiding encounters with villagers, even more, unwilling to greet them. She disliked the way villagers looked at her.
On the mountain, the young wife lowered her head and started searching for herbs. Perhaps today was a lucky day, she found quite a few, and without realizing it, she walked deeper into the mountain. It was only when she came to her senses that she realized she had walked much further than usual.
Looking at the increasingly gloomy sky, the young wife hurriedly turned around to head back.
However, just then, there was a clap of thunder in the sky, and torrential rain followed immediately.
In haste, the young wife searched for a place to shelter from the rain, but as visibility grew poorer, she slipped inadvertently and fell rolling down. Surprisingly, she fell onto a steep slope.
The young wife let out a scream, but the first thought that flashed through her mind was that if she didn’t return in time, her mother would worry herself sick.
When the young wife steadied herself, she was surprised to find that despite rolling down the steep slope, she was unharmed, not even a scratch. The rain continued to pour down, drenching her completely. Ahead was nothing but darkness, she had no idea where she had fallen into.
The young wife looked up at the steep slope and abandoned the idea of climbing back up. It seemed she could only find another way back. She brushed the rainwater off her face and trudged forward with difficulty.
The sky grew darker, and the young wife’s heart started to panic. Because at this moment, she couldn’t discern her location at all, in other words, she was lost.
Getting lost in such a desolate wilderness was quite troublesome.
Just as the young wife was panicking, she suddenly saw a lamp appear ahead.
In the wind and rain, that lamp shone so brightly, so warmly.
Instinctively, the young wife walked towards the direction of the lamp.
When she got closer, she realized the lamp was hanging high on a tall building.
Her husband had taught her to read before, she was able to read the sign hanging on the tall structure in front.
Everything Exists.