Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
Two Little Guesses
墨書 Inktalez
The unique natural environment at the border of Southwestern Hubei and Xiangxi, near Wufeng Mountain, is known as the "Fairy Source." At the foot of the mountain, various villages are built along the slopes, inhabited by the indigenous Tujia people who rely on the mountains for their livelihood.
At the sunny foot of the mountain lies the largest village in the area, Liu Family Village.
Liu Family Village is built beside water, with a winding water channel in front of the village. Beyond the channel is a small path leading into the village, and outside that is a shallow pond of clear water. To the left of the entrance to the village is Azure Dragon Hill, while to the right is White Tiger Hollow.
At the foot of White Tiger Hollow stands a simple stilt house built against the mountain.
On December 28, 1978, this humble Stilt House was festively decorated, and a crowd gathered in front. A wedding procession sat on the open space in front of the house, playing music and singing joyfully; even five miles away, one could hear the sounds of drums and festive music from the village.
At the village entrance, many guests were making their way into the village. Even before entering, one could hear the hearty laughter and calls of Liu Xiuzhen echoing from afar.
The village elder, Liu Dezhou, sat solemnly at the center of the main room with a cane in hand, watching everyone closely. Whenever he noticed someone making a mistake in any part of the proceedings, he would raise his cane and say, "You! Come here for a moment. This should not be done like this; it should be done like this."
The person being pointed at nodded eagerly and replied with a smile, "Yes, yes! You are indeed experienced; I will follow your instructions. Alright then, I will go do as you say!"
With that, he waved goodbye to Liu Dezhou and excitedly rushed out.
Qing Shusheng held a red paper in his hand, taking on an authoritative role as he called out to everyone inside and outside to arrange the wedding details according to what was written on the red paper.
The wedding procedures outlined on the red paper were dictated by Liu Dezhou and written by Qing Shusheng with a brush.
Qing Shusheng is Liu Dezhou's son-in-law and part of Liu Xiuzhen's family.
The whole family was busy in the house, but don't think that today is a celebration for the Qing Shusheng family.
Qing Shusheng's son, Liu Jiawei, was just born this year and is still under one year old. He was being held by Grandma Old Lady Liu, sitting under the Old Locust Tree in their yard, calling out in a melodious tone! His voice was drawn out, distant, and pleasant to hear.
However, no matter how hard Grandma sang today, her voice could not compete with the sound of drums and storytelling coming from across the street at An Bingwen's house.
That's right, today Liu Dezhou was presiding over the wedding of An Bingwen, a villager from Liu Family Village, from a high seat.
At this moment, the groom An Bingwen was dressed in a brand new Tujia-style Pipa Collar groom's outfit, beaming with joy and sitting in the new house waiting for the bride's arrival.
An Bingwen was not of Tujia descent; his ancestors moved to Liu Family Village to escape floods and settled there. They were outsiders who became part of the village. His ancestors were respected in Liu Family Village, coming from a scholarly family where both his forebears and father were literate. However, in An Bingwen's generation, the family had dwindled to just him as the only son. With a gentle and straightforward personality, he was not skilled in farming, leading to the decline of his family's fortunes.
Comment 0 Comment Count