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墨書 Inktalez
"Spider Bites," also known as Shingles, is caused by an infection of the Varicella-Zoster Virus. When the human body is infected with this virus, it can invade the nerve roots. When the body's immunity declines, the virus replicates, leading to a rash known as Shingles, which typically follows the distribution of nerves.
Once Shingles appears, it manifests as clusters of localized blisters accompanied by pain and discomfort. The primary treatment involves oral antiviral medications. Administering these antiviral drugs within 72 hours of the rash's appearance yields the best results and can effectively prevent postherpetic neuralgia. Commonly used oral medications include Valacyclovir or Famciclovir, which are generally taken for 7 to 10 days. It is also important to rest and avoid overexertion to prevent exacerbating nerve damage.
This knowledge can easily be found online today, but when Uncle Liu was young, there were no computers—electricity hadn't even reached the countryside. Moreover, during that time, rural areas were generally poor; unless it was a serious illness, people did not go to the hospital, and surgeries were only performed for grave conditions (in our area, "opening the knife" refers to undergoing surgery).
In childhood memories, if someone in a family was hospitalized or had surgery, it was undoubtedly due to a serious illness. This was certainly different from now when economic conditions have improved, and new rural cooperative medical care has made seeking treatment much easier.
In those days in the countryside, hygiene conditions were poor. While serious illnesses were rarely mentioned, minor ailments were common—especially mouth sores and skin diseases. "Spider Bites" were quite prevalent. Back then, I didn't know if there were antiviral medications like Valacyclovir or Famciclovir available, but I did know of a ritualistic folk remedy:
Typically, a fire would be lit at the "Water Drain Eye" (the drainage area next to the front door) of the sick person's home (symbolizing that the "dirty things" swept away would be burned away by fire and washed away by water). A few women would take ears of millet (which we called "shuao," with light yellow grains similar to millet; its flour is very sticky and somewhat sweet, often used for making rice cakes and sweet pastries, and is a primary ingredient for making "Deng Zhan" during Lantern Festival) and sweep lightly over the sore while chanting: "Spider King, Spider King, why do you climb the wall instead of staying off? Male spider, female spider, fall into the fire and come out..." This would be repeated several times.
As a child, I couldn't remember all the details clearly; it seemed that performing this ritual could cure Spider Bites. While writing this chapter, I called some older individuals for confirmation; they added more details: those participating in sweeping away Spider Bites had surname restrictions—for example, those with the surname Liu could not participate (as Liu sounds like "stay," their involvement would mean they couldn't sweep clean). However, those with the surname Jing were particularly suited for this task as it implied thorough cleansing.
A similar ritual is known as "Sweeping the Pit" or "Rain Prayer." In Hu Ruoyun's hometown, "pit" refers to low-lying areas where rainwater accumulates. Farmers hope for favorable weather for their crops; however, good weather is often just a beautiful wish. It is common to experience months without rain or prolonged periods of continuous rain that delay farming activities.
During middle school one year, wheat was still standing in the fields when it rained continuously for fourteen days. Many wheat plants sprouted due to excessive moisture, causing significant losses. When the Grain Management Office assessed grain tax that year, they added a new indicator for germination rate.
Back to discussing "Sweeping the Pit." In ancient China, irrigation infrastructure was severely lacking; relying on nature was a common reality in rural areas. Coupled with cultural backwardness, folk Rain Prayers became quite popular.
In my hometown county, there is a story about twelve widows performing "Sweeping the Pit" Rain Prayer. Legend has it that during one summer and autumn in the Ming Dynasty, there was no rain for over a month in our county; crops were wilting in drought while village ponds dried up completely.
At that time, there were no machine wells in fields; crops depended entirely on rainfall. To save their seedlings, families with male laborers would fetch water from village wells to irrigate their fields day by day. Families without male laborers could only wait anxiously for timely rain from above.
One day in Xiao Li Village in eastern County X, families with male laborers went out to fetch water for their seedlings while twelve widows gathered at a large pit in the village. They expressed their frustration about not having men to fetch water for irrigation; without help, their crops could only wait to die. As emotions ran high, several began to cry loudly. After a while, an older widow suggested that perhaps heaven wasn't sending rain because their pit was too dirty. She proposed they clean it up.
People back then were quite superstitious; thus they took shovels and brooms from home and cleaned out all the weeds and garbage from the pit in hopes of impressing heaven enough to send down plenty of water into their pit.
While Sweeping the Pit, they chattered about their own nonsensical rhyme: “Today everyone comes to Sweeping the Pit, sweeping here, sweeping there, within three days the pit will be full. If it doesn’t rain for three days, even the Twelve Widows will have to marry. Marry here, marry there, within three days it will rain.”
As luck would have it, just after they finished cleaning the pit, the North Wind suddenly blew in, bringing with it patches of cloud that gathered increasingly above the pit. Seeing this, the widows hurriedly knelt down and silently prayed. Perhaps their sincerity moved the heavens, for suddenly a Pry Thunder echoed in the sky, and soon a Torrential Rain began to pour down. Within less than an hour, the pit was filled to the brim.
From then on, the tale of the Twelve Widows Sweeping the Pit and Rain Prayer spread far and wide.
When I was young, whenever there was a drought, villages would gather the Twelve Widows to sweep the big pit for Rain Prayer; it was said to be quite effective back then.
Later on, with the introduction of Machine Wells in rural areas, they could ensure a steady supply of water regardless of conditions, and these rituals faded away.
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