But after reading the whole story, there has always been a concern: even though Wang Baochuan is full of feelings for Xue Pinggui, she is still a weak woman. In the patriarchal feudal society, she could neither go out to work nor support herself. So 18 how did she spend that hard and barren year?
Conjecture 1: The Queen Mother's Support In the folk story, in order to marry Xue Pinggui, Wang Baochuang broke off the relationship with his father by three high-fives, and lived in a cold kiln with her husband from then on. As the name implies, the cold kiln is a broken house that shelters from the wind and rain. When Xue Pinggui appeared, he was an image without mom and dad, and he was still working hard in Wang Baochuan's family. The economic conditions can be imagined.
In a family that has neither stored grain nor a stable income source, Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui have had a hard time. But fortunately, Xue Pinggui is still with Wang Baochuan at this time. At least he can cut back dry wood and get something to eat for the family so that they won't be hungry.
But before long, on this day, Xue Pinggui joined the army without hesitation, leaving only eight buckets of rice and ten loads of firewood for Wang Baochuan in the cold kiln. But after eating these grains, how should Wang Baochuan feed them?
If you are an ordinary woman, you can also exchange some money through female workers and textile fabrics. But Wang Baochuan used to be the third lady in the Prime Minister's office. How could she do that? So, after eating her food, she could only search for all kinds of wild vegetables and dig some plant stems to make a living. Moreover, Wang Baochuan has eaten these bitter and astringent wild vegetables for 18 years.
In later stories, in order to experience the life in Wang Baochuan at the beginning, Xue Pinggui also had people dig wild vegetables and taste them, but he vomited after only one bite. Perhaps it is because of this guilt that Xue Pinggui won't forget to take Wang Baochuan back to the palace and execute him on the spot!
Back to the topic, in the hungry feudal society, wild vegetables are not available every day. After all, Wang Baochuan is not the only poor family. What if the wild vegetables are not dug up and there is nothing to eat around? I can't help it, only one is hungry!
According to this story, in the days after Xue Pinggui left, Wang Baochuan was often full and hungry, and worried about what to do with his next meal every day. Before long, on this day, Wang Baochuan's situation reached the ears of the Queen Mother.
Seeing her daughter suffering, the Queen Mother was reluctant to give up after all. So the Queen Mother often visits her daughter secretly. Seeing the sallow and emaciated Wang Baochuan, the Queen Mother kept crying and stuffed all kinds of food and clothes into her daughter's hands.
Wang Baochuan accepted her mother's kindness, but Wang Baochuan strongly disagreed with the Queen Mother's suggestion to move out of the cold kiln and return to Xiangfu! Because in her mind, since she has married Xue Pinggui, she should share joys and sorrows with him, and Xue Pinggui's home is your home.
Looking at her strong-willed daughter, the queen mother was helpless. She can only often send people some food and clothes, so that Wang Baochuan will suffer less from life.
In this way, relying on wild vegetables and wild animals, as well as the support of his mother, Wang Baochuan starved in the cold kiln and looked forward to Xue Pinggui's return. This day-to-day abject poverty gradually hollowed out Wang Baochuan's body and laid the groundwork for her early death.
Conjecture 2: unconditionally believe that Xue Pinggui saved the United States just because a hero, Wang Baochuan concluded that Xue Pinggui was a good man; Just because Xue Pinggui doesn't look like a playboy, Wang Baochuan doesn't want him to get married. Thus, Wang Baochuan's love for Xue Pinggui is deeply rooted in the bone marrow.
For Xue Pinggui, Wang Baochuan broke up with his father without hesitation! For Xue Pinggui, Wang Baochuan would rather give up the life without food and clothing! Also for Xue Pinggui, Wang Baochuan worked hard in the cold kiln for 18 years. She is an infatuated woman!
On the day Xue Pinggui left, Wang Baochuan swore to heaven: "No matter how difficult the future is, no matter how poor the life in the cold kiln is, I, Wang Baochuan, will wait for Xianggong to come back!"
So when the news of Xue Pinggui's death came back, Wang Baochuan still refused to believe it; Seeing the burnt robe, she insisted that Xue Pinggui was back. Relying on her faith in her husband's love, Wang Baochuan had the belief of living and chose to continue living a life of waiting for her husband.
But as the other side of the protagonist, Xue Pinggui is not so determined. He listened to the beggar's story and mistakenly thought that Wang Baochuan had remarried. He was so angry that he burned his robe and broke off his friendship. When I saw Dirty Wang Baochuan in Wujiapo, my first thought turned out to be temptation.
An unconditional belief, willing to give up the splendor and keep the cold kiln 18 years; One listened to others' words, tried everywhere after returning to his hometown, and got married and had children outside. The firmness of their love can be seen!
Guess 3: stick to the faith in your heart. Under the care of your mother, Wang Baochuan's material world can barely be maintained, but what about her spiritual world?
In the old days, it was piano, chess, calligraphy and painting; Now dig wild vegetables everywhere, needless to say, just drink tea. I'm afraid Lian Bi and ink can't be found at home. For Wang Baochuan, who is determined, there is nothing wrong with poor material conditions. Terrible mental poverty became a pain in her heart.
So she can only arouse a belief in her heart, a firm and unyielding belief in love. Relying on this belief, she can ignore the barren and difficult life in front of her.
Just like a person who believes that tomorrow will be better, her inner persistence has become her spiritual pillar, and this force has been supporting her to persist until 18!
Truth: The deep oppression of women in the patriarchal society goes deep into history. We can find that there are no Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan in history, and all this is just a story made up by the people. As for why such an "incredible" story was made up, it actually had a lot to do with the social background at that time.
Judging from the history of human development, the transition from matriarchal society to paternal society is inevitable, and the dominant position of men in society has gradually replaced the importance of mothers in matriarchal society. Xue Pinggui's story is set in the Tang Dynasty, a feudal society ruled by male power.
When a man's dominant position is determined, then a woman becomes a man's accessory. Men can have three wives and four concubines, and women can only be loyal to each other; Men can go out to find jobs, and women can only tutor their children; Men can also divorce their wives and concubines, while women can only be widowed and take pride in chastity archways.
In the classic Dream of Red Mansions, Li Wan is a typical figure who is proud of being a widow. Because of her abstinence, she won the recognition of the whole government; Because she wanted nothing more, the court also awarded her various "honors" to praise her loyalty and chastity.
But how much glory is left for such a woman who has lost her mind?
In feudal society, in order to protect men's lofty status, all kinds of books and stories became invisible shackles for women. They advocate women's chastity, loyalty to their husbands, and even endure poverty and loneliness, just to stabilize a world where men are superior to women.
From social rules to ideological domestication, it is all kinds of repression and bondage to women. Foot binding can make women walk beautifully, but it also makes them lose their basic working ability; Judging from the dogmatic theory of "three virtues", women are imprisoned in a fixed framework. What can only be done and what can't be done are clear to the rulemakers.
Therefore, folk stories like Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan are widely circulated. This book publicizes Wang Baochuan's tenacity and patience, and praises her loyalty to love, indifference to material life and extreme attachment to men.
But for Xue Pinggui, he concealed the fact that he was married, married and had children, and tried every means to find out about his wife, which was not harsh. Wang Baochuan's forbearance has become the auxiliary of Xue Pinggui's charm.
It is true that it is a bit biased to comment on previous stories from the present perspective. But history always reflects the profundity of reality. The advanced ideological trend in the Republic of China, the opening to women's foot binding, and some historical figures who insisted on speaking for women all contributed their own strength.
Therefore, the gradual rise of women's social status is the result of previous efforts step by step! How ruthless the hierarchy is and how terrible the ideological imprisonment is! I hope there won't be another Wang Baochuan in the world today!