Yes, in that backward, conservative and even cruel place in western Hunan, the bad habit of child bride still exists. Xiaoxiao was married as a child bride at the age of twelve, but was defiled by a flower dog when she was unknown. Her husband's uncle intended to sell her, but she gave birth to a chubby boy in vain, and her husband refused to give up and stayed. As a typical child bride, Mix was fooled and manipulated. She can't control her own destiny. Her life is a manipulated and arranged life. She longed to be a female student, but she could never change her fate. She doesn't even realize her pain and being trampled on, and lives in ignorance.
However, from another perspective, there are also things that modern people can't envy in the countryside of Shasha.
The countryside in Shasha is a very affectionate and realistic country, which always gives people a way out. It is like a real world, with its own simple survival principles, and it will die. The world revolution was not aimed at the rustling countryside at all, and it had nothing to do with any kind of revolution, so any fierce confrontation had nothing to do with it. In the confrontation between human nature and system, Shen Congwen wrote the victory of human nature. Because of this, in the collision with the etiquette system, Xiao Xiao can barely avoid the passive implementation of his family in the past.
Xiangxi folk customs are simple, and Xiangxi people are hardworking and kind. Rustling doesn't feel sorry for himself. On the contrary, she actually enjoys her life. What right do others have to say? The rustling is almost entirely natural, following the call of natural humanity. She got along well with her brother, and her husband's family didn't treat her badly. Even when she was pregnant because of being defiled by a flower dog, her family was ready to sell her because of local regulations. They still took her in, and they can live a normal life while waiting for the sale. Even though Xiaoxiao was not sold because she gave birth to a boy, she still showed the kindness and simplicity of the people in western Hunan.
On the other hand, the "female students" in the book have conscious introspection and resistance to the system. They are an advanced group, a position that Mix envies but can't reach all his life. However, their life is luxurious and lacks warmth. Petty bourgeoisie life is not necessarily happier than the simple ignorance of fellow villagers. There is a saying in Xiao Xiao: people in the world waste their time, just like people who are stingy with their time. Each has his own income and does his own job. Civilized people in many cities completely spend a summer day on soft silk clothes, exquisite drinks and all kinds of good things. The Shasha family, because of a summer's work, got more than ten kilograms of fine hemp and twenty or thirty loads of melons. Xiangxi people reap happiness through hard work, but the so-called civilized people are wasting their time at will, leading a life of near erosion, and even claiming to be civilized people. Right or wrong, no one can draw a conclusion, only the parties themselves know whether they are happy or not.
Mix, a little woman, lives an ignorant life without sorrow and trouble in a small village in western Hunan. Others pity her, but she is still happy for her own happiness.