Chapter 210: Mourning for Zhao Xiaohua

Just as they returned to the main road from a slightly detoured village, the people in the procession breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that after passing through a few more villages, they would reach the altar. These remaining villages were situated on either side of the main road, requiring no significant deviation. Their goal was to reach the altar by noon to conduct the ceremony before continuing on to the rest of the villages. With over ten villages to cover, there was no way they could finish the journey in just one morning.

As they approached Riverside Village, the locals who had come out to watch the procession were elated. For them, this meant blessings were coming to their village, bestowed by the Rain Goddess herself.

Listening to the chatter of her fellow villagers who had joined them on the cart, Su Zhi found their discussions about the Rain Goddess intriguing. Although her education in her past life had taught her that relying on divine intervention was futile, the fact that she had been reborn and such events were happening made her somewhat believe in a higher power. So, she couldn’t completely dismiss such beliefs.

“Hope it rains heavily after this Rain Worship Festival. The water level in the river seems lower than usual this year.”

Liu Siniang, after chatting with people from the two villages earlier, fell silent. Others assumed she was still adjusting to her recent remarriage and didn’t press her further. She sat quietly, smiling and listening, then whispered to Su Zhi.

Observing Liu Siniang’s faint worry, Su Zhi felt a pang of concern. “Is the water level in the river really lower than usual? Does that mean the weather will be drier than usual?”

Su Zhi had heard many people express concerns about the lack of rain during Qingming Festival this year, fearing water shortages. She tried to reassure herself that even though it didn’t rain during Qingming, it might rain after Guyu^[1]In Chinese culture, “Guyu”  is one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, indicating the time when the rain nourishes the crops in the fields, usually falling … Continue reading. After all, the wild grass was growing, the wheat seedlings were turning green, and the willow trees were budding. The peach blossoms and apricot blossoms were in full bloom, vibrant and colorful. Everything seemed full of vitality. Even if the rain came later than usual, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Su Zhi’s initial optimism waned upon hearing Liu Siniang’s words.

In rural communities like theirs, drought was the most dreaded disaster. Riverside Village, lacking major rivers nearby, was not prone to flooding. Even in the event of waterlogging, it only resulted in reduced crop yields due to water submersion. At least people wouldn’t be deprived of drinking water, provided the heavy rain didn’t persist for three consecutive months. But drought was a different story. In severe cases, people would face water shortages, even enduring three years of drought.

Although Su Zhi had a spring on her property and some wealth, she still dreaded living through a year of famine.

Liu Siniang added, “It’s definitely lower than usual. I’ve been in Riverside Village for several years now and I know that river like the back of my hand. Many people in the village have noticed it too. That’s why everyone is placing so much importance on this Rain Worship Festival. With the Rain Goddess appearing in our village, everyone sees it as a good omen.”

“But then, why did Shen Zhu suddenly withdraw from being the Rain Goddess? Could it be a bad omen?” a woman in the group mused aloud. As soon as the words left her lips, she felt a tug from the person beside her, realizing her remark might have been inappropriate, she chuckled awkwardly.

Another woman chimed in, “What bad omen could there be? We have a villager from Riverside Village serving as the Rain Goddess, and now Shen’s young lad has become a young participant. Currently, our village not only has Rain Children but also three young boy and two young Girl participants! Think about it, which other village is as prosperous as ours? If this isn’t a good omen, then what is? I’m sure a heavy rain is on its way.”

Others nearby nodded in agreement, expressing their hope for a downpour.

Su Zhi also began to hope for the next heavy rain, not for anything else but for the sake of living good days. She certainly didn’t want to experience a year of disaster.

The members of the third household, Shen Ziping and the third grandson, followed the crowd ahead to witness the excitement. Sun Shi sat in the cart with Chunhua and the fourth grandson, listening to their conversation about Wulang, feeling quite pleased. However, when she heard others praising Zhao Xiaohua as the Rain Goddess, she couldn’t help but sneer. Originally, she was quite happy about Wulang becoming the most distinguished figure in the family. But now, hearing others praise Zhao Xiaohua, she felt it would be even better if Shen Zhu became the Rain Goddess.

“I’m telling you, our Zhu’er was plotted against by someone. It’s risky to deceive the Rain Goddess. She won’t be pleased. If someone can deceive our Zhu’er, who do you think will benefit the most? Even if it rains, it’s because the Rain Goddess sees our Zhu’er’s misfortune that she sends rain. If it doesn’t rain, it’s definitely because the Rain Goddess isn’t pleased that someone harmed our Zhu’er. Let’s see how the one dressed as the Rain Goddess will handle it.”

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other knowingly, realizing that there was something fishy about Zhao Xiaohua becoming the Rain Goddess. Now, hearing Sun Shi’s words, they concluded that Zhao Xiaohua had caused trouble for Shen Zhu.

Su Zhi and the others paid no attention to Sun Shi’s remarks. They felt that Shen Zhu was just unlucky today. Even if Zhao Xiaohua was being criticized by Sun Shi, it served her right. If someone did something wrong, they should be prepared to face criticism.

“Hey, why did the caravan in front stop?”

Just as Sun Shi was about to continue speaking, a woman suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead. Everyone turned to look, and indeed, the flower carriage in the distance had come to a halt. There were loud voices coming from it, both male and female, along with the cries of children, interspersed with the neighing of horses and barking of dogs.

“Ah! Look at her, what’s happened to Xiaohua?”

A woman screamed in alarm, and it was understandable given what she had witnessed. Others too, upon seeing the scene, had their expressions change. Zhao Xiaohua suddenly stood up, swayed for a moment, and then fell down.

“Oh no, this is a bad omen! What are we going to do? Is this year really going to be a drought? How can we survive this? That cursed Zhao Xiaohua, what kind of mischief is she up to? If it really turns into a drought, how will we live?”

With these words, panic spread among the people. In the chaos, everyone became restless, and in a frenzy, they rushed forward to see what had happened.

Sun Shi also jumped off the cart, leaving her son behind, unaware of what had occurred.