Chapter Forty-Five: Only Then Did I See the Waters of the Sha River

Xu Wenshan, Lu Ze, Zhu’er, or perhaps Er Gouzi—after making their way through the mountains for two more days, finally emerged from the forest on a bright afternoon. Cresting a hill and passing through a sparse stand of leafless trees, they were met by the sight of a mighty river stretching before them. Tiny boats floated upon its surface like specks, travelers moved along its banks no bigger than grains of sand, and clouds and mist swirled above it, making the whole scene resemble a great yellow dragon soaring through cloud and fog. The river flowed resolutely from west to east, silent and unyielding, dividing north from south.

This was the Sha River.

Zhu’er, who had never seen much of the world, stared wide-eyed at the water. Lu Ze only tilted his head, mildly curious. Xu Wenshan, however, found himself musing: in his past life, he had seen the Yangtze, broad and boundless, and yet when crossing it by boat beneath the grand bridges, what had astonished him most were not nature’s wonders but the marvels of human ingenuity. Here, confronted by nature’s handiwork alone, his heart soared with a joy he had never felt gazing on the wonders of his previous life.

It was his first time stepping out of Luhè Ravine. Xu Wenshan felt his chest open wide, the frustrations of the past few years dissolving into nothingness. Unable to restrain himself, he began to recite from the “Shui Diao Ge Tou”:

“Just drank from the waters of Changsha, and tasted the fish of Wuchang.
Crossed the mighty Yangtze for a thousand miles,
Gazing as far as the eye can see, the vast sky of Chu brings ease.
No matter how the wind blows or the waves strike,
It is better than strolling in a tranquil courtyard.
Today, I find ample freedom; as the sage by the river said:
Time flows on, never to return!

The sails respond to the wind, while the tortoise and snake rest quiet,
Great plans arise in my mind.
A single bridge flies across the north and south,
Turning a natural chasm into a thoroughfare.
Erecting a stone wall to dam the western river,
Cutting off the clouds and rain of Wushan,
A tranquil lake emerges from the deep gorge.
The goddess, I trust, is well,
She will surely marvel at a world so changed.”

No sooner had he finished than laughter drifted up from below. Looking down the mountainside, Xu Wenshan saw that a dozen or so youths, splendidly dressed and mounted, had gathered at the foot of the hill, though he had no idea when they had arrived.

“Hey!” one of the young men called. “Poet of the mountain! Won’t you come down and meet us?”

A little farther ahead lay the county seat, and Xu Wenshan, worrying about finding a local guide, thought it might do no harm to meet these strangers who seemed to be natives.

Thus, Xu Wenshan steered his ox cart and descended the hill.

Waiting below were indeed locals from the county, but not ordinary folk—they were the sons of officials, out for a day of hunting and picnicking. These young gentlemen were mostly idle and unskilled in archery or horsemanship; it was their first time hunting, and the morning had been chaos, with more squawking and barking than actual game. Still, hunting was never their true occupation. They continued to laugh and joke, roasting what little they had managed to catch, though it left no one satisfied.

They were just debating whether to return and how best to boast of their exploits without giving themselves away, when the sound of poetry drifted down from the hilltop. They paused to listen, and when the poem was done, most failed to grasp its meaning. Their attempt to decipher it soon devolved into a farcical guessing game, and they burst into laughter.

The poem itself was starkly out of step with their age and place—a spirit of battling heaven and earth, of transforming the world, and of miracles like “turning chasms into thoroughfares” were things these privileged sons could scarcely imagine. Their laughter, then, was only natural.

The young men were all anticipation, wondering what sort of poet they would meet, only to see, to their disappointment, a ragged bumpkin with an ox cart coming down the hill. Xu Wenshan, after half a month in the mountains, was disheveled and reeked of sweat and grime. As he approached, more than one of the young men pinched their noses against his odor.

Xu Wenshan and his companions greeted the young gentlemen, and introductions were made. Lu Ze and Zhu’er were both dressed as boys, as dusty and bedraggled as Xu Wenshan himself. Xu Wenshan claimed they were his relatives, brought along to help with his work, and the young gentlemen accepted this without suspicion.

“Was that poem you recited just now your own work?” asked the leader of the group.

Xu Wenshan glanced at the “young man,” surprised, for it was obvious at a glance that this “gentleman” was a woman in disguise. He wondered if this was some local fashion or something else, and was unsure how to address her.

He replied, “This… well, never mind. That poem was not my own, but written by an elder of my family.”

Hearing Xu Wenshan refer to himself so directly, the surrounding youths frowned slightly, dismissing him as an uncouth fellow with no manners.

Another asked, “Then do you know what the poem means?”

Xu Wenshan shook his head, saying, “I only found it pleasurable to recite, but do not know its meaning.”

The young men’s interest waned. The cross-dressing leader, who had introduced herself as “Xu Jing” and was called “Brother Zijin” by the others, asked, “You there, man—where are you from, where are you going, and what do you do?”

Realizing he was no poet, her mode of address dropped a notch.

Xu Wenshan took no offense and said, “I come from a small mountain village, too small for you to have heard of. I intend to go to the county seat to sell furs. Do any of you have advice for me?”

Now that they knew he was just an ordinary fellow, the young men lost most of their interest. But when he mentioned selling furs, one of them whispered an idea into Xu Jing’s ear. Xu Jing clapped her hands and cried, “Wonderful! What a clever plan!”

The rest crowded around, murmuring in agreement. “Brother Ying, you’re truly ingenious—our admiration knows no bounds!”

Xu Wenshan, sharp-eared, caught their intentions: these young gentlemen, having failed to catch any game on their hunting trip, feared ridicule upon their return. They now planned to buy some furs so they could boast of their “spoils.”

Hearing this little scheme, Xu Wenshan’s eyes lit up—here was a golden business opportunity!

Xu Jing, the cross-dressed leader, addressed him, “Brother, what furs do you have? Would you show us?”

Xu Wenshan replied, “Do you wish to see the common goods, or something special?”

“What do you mean by common goods and special goods?”

Xu Wenshan explained, “Common goods are the sort of furs ordinary folk buy for winter, for wearing. But seeing you all in fine clothes, looking so distinguished, I doubt you need such warm furs.”

The young gentlemen beamed at the compliment. Xu Wenshan continued, “It must be fate that brings us together, and seeing how remarkable you all are, I’ll tell you about the special items I have. The story begins ten years ago…”

“Our village was always small. Ten years ago, a pack of ‘foreign gray wolves’ took up residence outside our village, making life miserable. Then a great white tiger with hanging eyes appeared, killing people and terrorizing us for a decade. Those were years of hardship; every night, we feared the wolves or the tiger would snatch us away.”

“But not long ago, our village produced a hero named Li Xiaozhuang. He waited until the wolves and the tiger clashed, then slew them both, though he himself died of exhaustion, perishing alongside his foes.”

“These wolf and tiger pelts I never intended to sell, but meeting you today, if you are truly interested, perhaps I could let you have a look.”

The young gentlemen were enthralled by such tales of heroism. Eyes shining, they urged Xu Wenshan to show his wares.

He went to the ox cart and, just before lifting the felt covering, warned, “I’m showing you these only because of our fateful meeting, but you must not tell anyone else!”

The young men all nodded eagerly.