I walked aimlessly through the fields and unknowingly found myself back at the stone bridge adorned with red silk ribbons.
In the subtle breeze, the ribbons swayed gently, as if countless departed souls were dancing in the wind.
This scene, coupled with the distant verdant mountains, was as beautiful as a painting.
I quickly raised my camera, adjusted the lens, found the perfect angle, and with a “click,” froze the moment.
I took several continuous shots and scrolled through them; each one was stunning. I zoomed in to see the details: the azure sky, the rolling mountains, the green fields, and the crimson ribbons. Each ribbon was embroidered with crooked Miao characters, and each symbolized a past, vibrant soul.
Suddenly, my gaze stopped!
Amongst the layers of red silk ribbons, one, its color faded but not yet gone, was caught by the wind and lifted into the air, revealing the character on it.
Shen.
It was a neat, square character: “Shen.”
Shen… Jianqing?
I abruptly looked up. I had always thought Shen Jianqing’s surname was a transliteration of his Miao name; I never imagined he actually had a Han surname!
Was his father or mother Han Chinese?
I put down my camera and followed the location in the photo, and sure enough, I found that ribbon in the center of the bridge.
Amidst the crooked characters, the sudden appearance of “Shen” gave me a strange sense of familiarity.
Perhaps we weren’t the only ones to have come here; we weren’t the first to discover this Unassimilated Miao settlement.
But this person’s name is tied here, and the red color of the ribbon is no longer vibrant, so it must have been a very long time ago.
I wandered around the area again. With such beauty before me, my restless heart gradually calmed. I suddenly thought, perhaps it wouldn’t be unfortunate to rest here forever. It’s a real pity Qiu Lu and the others didn’t come along.
While taking photos, I inadvertently arrived at a bamboo forest. It was far from the settlement and deviated from the fields, backed by a large mountain. The bamboo grew tall and dense. The ground was thickly covered with slender, withered yellow bamboo leaves that crunched underfoot.
It was early summer, a time when bamboo shoots are at their freshest. On the ground, beneath the bamboo, many cone-shaped shoots, wrapped in dark green husks, still exuded a delicate fragrance.
I moved past the bamboo grove and headed deeper, turning a small bend, and suddenly the scenery changed dramatically.
Behind the mountain, countless small mounds, like graves, appeared in my sight! They were arranged neatly, each grave mound similar in area, size, and height, making them look less like a cemetery and more like well-trained soldiers. The mounds further from me looked ancient, their yellow soil blending with the surroundings, but the closest one was newer. There wasn’t a single weed on these grave mounds; they were clearly regularly maintained.
But didn’t Shen Jianqing say earlier that land in the mountains was scarce and that cremation was the preferred choice, so everyone opted for cremation? Then how did these graves end up here? And they clearly weren’t from the same period, yet they were buried together, and their specifications were identical.
The more I thought about it, the more eerie it felt. And a graveyard is inherently a place of heavy yin energy, so even someone as bold as me couldn’t help but feel a bit timid.
Just then, I heard rustling footsteps from higher up, along with the sound of dry leaves being crunched underfoot.
“Hey — Ta Tu! Ta Tu!”
Two men in black Miao traditional clothing appeared on the high ground, waving their hands at me, making gestures to drive me away, and shouting something in high-pitched, agitated voices.
Seeing living people, my first reaction was surprisingly one of relief.
I wanted to explain, but the language barrier prevented me. I could only do my best to appear friendly and harmless, and under their agitated expulsion, I reluctantly retreated from the bamboo forest.
I looked back, and they were still standing on the high ground, staring at me with wide, wary eyes. Seeing that I dared to look back, they immediately raised their fists and growled threateningly, their faces deeply furrowed with exaggerated expressions of intimidation.
I could only quicken my pace and leave the bamboo forest with a sigh.
Leaving the bamboo forest, I started walking back, intending to rejoin them. But when I returned to the embankment, there was no sign of Qiu Lu, Wen Lingyu, or Xu Zirong anymore.
They must have gone off somewhere to wander as well, I thought, my gaze sweeping around. The terrain here was flat, allowing for an unobstructed view. But the fields were empty, with only some verdant crops subtly swaying in the wind.
There wasn’t much more to see in the fields, so I headed towards the Unassimilated Miao settlement. This way, I could look for Qiu Lu and the other two while waiting for Shen Jianqing, and also take some photos characteristic of the Unassimilated Miao.
It was truly killing three birds with one stone.
With this thought, I set off towards the small slope dotted with stilt houses.
Perhaps because of our previous encounter, the Miao villagers were less wary of me this time, though they still didn’t approach me actively. I wanted to take some photos and went up to ask for the homeowners’ permission, but they all pretended I was invisible, neither listening nor responding.
“Hello, may I take some photos?” I gently asked a middle-aged woman. Knowing she wouldn’t understand, I kept gesturing with my camera and gesticulating wildly.
The middle-aged woman had dark, sallow skin, and her entire being exuded the diligence of a laborer. She glanced at me, then turned her head away again, engrossed in sorting plant seeds in the winnowing basket in her hand.
Alright, she didn’t want to bother with me either.
So, I stopped making a fool of myself and just wandered around, taking pictures.
They didn’t react to my camera at all. I guessed that as long as I didn’t engage in any drastic actions, these Miao villagers wouldn’t initiate contact with me.
That’s fine too, I thought to myself, it leaves me in peace as well.
I had been in such a rush before that I hadn’t properly observed this place. The settlement occupied most of a hillside, built into the mountain. Looking from the very bottom, the roof of one stilt house formed the base of another, creating a spectacular, layered effect.
Between the layers of stilt houses, narrow pathways connected them. At the mouth of the valley, a long, winding mountain path had been carved out, with steps almost at a sixty-degree angle, it was extremely dangerous, yet it was the only way to connect the stilt houses up and down the slope.
I roughly estimated that there were about forty to fifty stilt houses here, with nearly two hundred Miao villagers residing within.
I stood at the base of the mountain, looking up at the seemingly endless stairs. There wasn’t even a handrail along the steps, and each one was made of uneven stone slabs; one misstep and I could easily tumble down.
I swallowed hard and began my ascent.
The scenery in these mountains was beautiful, and I had always wanted to climb to a higher vantage point to capture a panoramic shot. Although these steps were dangerous, they were the only way I could ascend.
I climbed for about fifteen minutes, drenched in sweat and exhausted. Looking up, my destination was still far off, and below me was the steep and perilous path I had just taken.
Finally, I reached a slightly flatter area and found a rock to rest on. My legs ached terribly, my ankles were numb, and the bones in my knees screamed for me to give up.
But to give up now would mean all that climbing before was for nothing.
Once I had rested enough, I was about to continue my climb when I suddenly heard low voices coming from the woods beside the mountain path.
I didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, but I knew the man’s voice.
Although I couldn’t make out the words of their conversation, that voice was unmistakable: low yet not heavy, clear and resonant like a phoenix’s cry — Shen Jianqing was in the woods.
Eavesdropping was wrong, but since I couldn’t understand what they were saying, my guilt was cut in half.
Maybe I should just keep going; otherwise, it would be awkward if they came out and saw me.
With that thought in mind, I rose to my feet, ready to leave.
But then, a low growl, suppressed with anger, suddenly erupted from within.
It was Shen Jianqing.
My curiosity got the better of me, and my feet uncontrollably led me towards the woods. I lightened my steps, thinking I’d just take a peek. If there was a conflict, I’d step in to mediate; if everything was fine, I’d quietly slip away, ensuring I didn’t burden or disturb them.
Hidden by the dense trees, a woman was visible in a vibrant, strikingly red Miao dress. She wore an intricate and magnificent headdress, with a silver torc around her neck. Her hair was coiled into the headdress, revealing a long, fair neck, making her resemble a beautiful phoenix.
A young woman of such striking beauty would never be easily forgotten after a single encounter. She was the very same girl who had accompanied the elder that day.
Even then, I’d noticed her frequently looking at Shen Jianqing, and there was a strange atmosphere between them. Today, my suspicion was confirmed.
Had Shen Jianqing been led away by the young girl to meet this beautiful young woman? She and Shen Jianqing stood beneath the tree, looking perfectly matched, truly a pair of ideal lovers.
Shen Jianqing stood sideways to the young woman, revealing his defined, stern jawline. The rose-red mole on his right eyelid seemed to become even more unapproachable with his severe expression.
The young woman stepped forward twice, reaching out as if to take Shen Jianqing’s hand, but he shifted slightly, evading her touch. She showed no anger, only a look of sorrow and quiet resentment. Her luminous eyes seemed to speak on their own, lingering on Shen Jianqing with a wistful gaze.
They exchanged a few more words. Finally, the young woman lowered her hand and nodded helplessly, her eyes already brimming with tears, and turned to leave the woods, her steps heavy and deliberate.
Had they argued?
Judging by the girl’s posture, they must have been in a very intimate relationship. Could it have been a lovers’ quarrel? It wouldn’t be good for me, an outsider, to have witnessed it.
Shifting my feet, I planned to quietly leave without disturbing Shen Jianqing.
But as I took a single step back, I suddenly noticed a blood-red insect clinging to a transparent thread, dangling right by my ear from the tree I was hiding behind!
“Ah!”
I screamed out of fright, jumping two steps to the side.
In nature, the more vibrant something is, the more likely it is to be poisonous. This was the first time I’d seen such a red insect; its vividness was almost ominous!
Although I avoided the insect, I exposed my presence.
Shen Jianqing spun around abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a drawn sword, piercing directly at me. But upon seeing me, his eyebrows lifted in surprise, and his eyes softened.
Awkwardness doesn’t disappear; it just transferred to me.
“Um… I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping. I just happened to walk here, and you two were arguing quite loudly.”
Shen Jianqing lowered his head. After listening to me, he shrugged helplessly and, with a hint of distress, said, “You’ve witnessed quite a spectacle.”
