The commercial atmosphere in the Miao village was indeed very strong.
Almost everywhere there were shops and stalls selling small trinkets with quite a few so-called “specialty” stores, but the “specialties” inside were just generic items found everywhere and nothing remarkable.
As for the girls wearing Miao clothing, I couldn’t tell if they were genuine Miao women or just tourists dressed up for souvenir photos.
We walked aimlessly along the bluestone paths of the village. Earlier, while gazing out the window of my room, I had observed that the bluestone paths in the Miao village spread out from the central plaza in widening circles, linking the surrounding stilt houses. And between each “ring” there were small connecting paths, so no matter where you were, you could quickly reach the central plaza.
“Wow, this is beautiful!” Qiu Lu exclaimed, pointing at a glittering silver ornament in a shop, her eyes shining with amazement.
Xu Zirong was reluctantly pulled along by her, resigned to playing escort on the young lady’s shopping spree. One of his hands was clasped in hers, while the other was laden with local specialties and snacks Qiu Lu had picked up, leaving him thoroughly occupied.
My gaze swept across, and suddenly I noticed that something seemed to be carved on the pillar of a stilt house. It had faded over time and was almost the same color as the wood.
These were all excellent subjects. I believe that the beauty of a culture is best revealed in the most ordinary places, whereas many deliberately created attractions are counterproductive and superfluous.
I quickly raised my camera and stopped to take photos. But after only about half a minute, when I turned back… where were the three of them?
They must have been captivated by everything new and wandered off.
I sighed softly. This is fine too; I can focus on photographing things that interest me by myself.
I hung my camera around my neck and sent them a message on my phone, suggesting we meet at the central plaza. No matter how you walk, you will always end up there; it’s the best landmark.
After sending the message, I noticed the wooden structure of another stilt house seemed interesting, so I quickly went over with my camera.
There was no modern technology used in this stilt house; it was built entirely with traditional mortise and tenon joints. Not only does it possess ethnic characteristics, but it’s also very useful for studying traditional architecture.
As I was shooting, a sudden, inexplicable feeling of unease washed over me. That sensation of being watched reappeared without warning. My spine tingled, my scalp tightened, and I shivered; even my slight tipsiness dissipated considerably.
I turned my head to look around, but all I saw were people passing by, no one seemed to take any notice of me.
Was it just my imagination again?
I lowered my camera. The moment I turned, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a dark blue robe fluttering down in the gap between two stilt houses. The silver ornaments on the hem of the robe caught the sunlight for a fleeting moment at a clever angle.
I continued along the bluestone path, photographing anything that caught my interest, and even took some photos for a few tourists along the way. By the time I reached our agreed meeting point, the sky was already growing dim.
A tall bonfire had been lit in the central plaza, crackling “bip-bop, bip-bop,” enclosed by a fence to prevent anyone from getting too close and getting burned. People were also converging on the central plaza, their destinations remarkably consistent. The several vertical bluestone paths leading to the plaza were packed with people, there were tourists as well as Miao girls and young men.
I chose a seat on one of the front viewing platforms and began looking through the photos I had taken. I lightly pressed a button, and the pictures flipped backward one by one.
These photos were mostly of architecture and scenery, full of rich ethnic character. I was flipping through them quickly when suddenly a picture flashed past. I stopped abruptly and quickly scrolled back.
In the photo, the stilt house stood silently on the hillside, its wooden walls a grayish-brown from years of weathering. But it wasn’t the stilt house that caught my attention.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the moment I pressed the shutter, a young man walked in front of the lens, so he was captured in the photograph.
The young man was shown in profile, with fair skin, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes, indicating good bone structure. His rosy lips made the stilt house behind him appear even more muted. His eyelids were lowered, so his expression was unclear.
I guessed he must be a Miao person because he had shoulder-length hair, intricately braided and adorned with shimmering silver Miao ornaments. At the very bottom of the photo, the dark blue collar of his Miao attire was visible, revealing a slightly prominent adam apple.
He must have been walking quickly, which is why the stilt house I originally intended to photograph in the picture had a natural blurred effect.
Honestly, this photo should have been deleted, but I found myself hovering my finger over the “delete” button, inexplicably unable to press it.
Just then, a loud and clear song rang out across the plaza, and I naturally shifted my attention from the camera to the square.
Unbeknownst to me, everyone had settled into seats on the spacious viewing platforms, leaving the open plaza clear. Two lines of men and women in Miao attire emerged from the two entrances of the plaza, men on the left and women on the right. They were all arm-in-arm, smiles beaming on their faces, singing Miao love songs.
“The moon comes out bright and clear, yo—”
The leading woman cleared her throat, her voice high but not piercing, clear but not sharp, with a dignified and graceful demeanor. The other women gathered around her, smiling as they looked across.
Soon, a man in a dark blue Miao outfit stepped forward, placing his hands on his hips and singing in response.
“My heart trembles when I don’t see my beloved ah-mei, yo—”
Most Miao love song lyrics are simple and straightforward, expressing passionate feelings directly for their beloved. Coupled with their unique, high-pitched melodies, they truly have a certain charm of “great vulgarity is great elegance.”
Following the love song exchange, a man in his fifties stepped into the center of the square.
His Miao attire stood out from the rest, richly adorned with intricate embroidery that marked it as anything but ordinary. I could make out flowers and birds, butterflies, phoenixes, and maple trees, while some designs were unfamiliar to me, likely distinctive totems unique to their culture.
He wore a large, heavy, round black hat on his head, with a brim so wide it almost covered his body, and it was adorned with precious silver ornaments.
This Miao man had an experienced and steady demeanor, with a grand and imposing presence. Just by standing there, our gazes involuntarily focused on him, and we held our breath, listening attentively to his words.
“Distinguished guests, welcome to Dongjiang Miao Village. Tonight is the time for us Miao people to wander and make friends. Unmarried guests are also welcome to join in and participate in this grand event.”
After speaking, he bowed slightly and turned to leave. I heard an elderly person sitting not far from me quietly say to the young person beside them, “That’s the Miao King of the village. His Miao King’s robe is worth over one hundred thousand yuan!”
The young people immediately exclaimed in wonder, “Miao King! Sounds amazing!”
“Is that like a village chief?”
“Does he have government permission? Is he a self-proclaimed Miao King or government-appointed…?”
A group of people quickly launched into a lively discussion, all talking at once. I listened for a while, found it uninteresting, and shifted my gaze back to the square.
By now, the square was a hubbub of activity. Young men and women in Miao attire, as well as those in ordinary clothes, were dancing and singing around bonfires. Miao people naturally have beautiful voices; even amidst the chaos, their singing sounded lovely. Some had already begun the wild “foot-stomping” ritual.
This was what An Pu had told us about earlier: if a man boldly stepped on the instep of his beloved’s foot and she returned the gesture, it was considered a betrothal ceremony.
Countless pairs of young men and women held hands, their backs bowed, aiming for each other’s shoes. The men weren’t shy at all, stomping so hard that several girls lost their shoes.
And among these frenzied men and women, I actually spotted Wen Lingyu, Qiu Lu, and Xu Zirong!
Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong were holding hands and stomping feet, while the usually reserved Wen Lingyu seemed to be caught up in the atmosphere. She was arm-in-arm with a few Miao women, casually dancing to their rhythm.
Just as I noticed them, Qiu Lu also looked up and saw me in the stands.
Her eyes lit up. She nudged Xu Zirong, pointing in my direction to tell him to look quickly. They were standing in the noisy crowd, so I couldn’t hear what they said, but I could pretty much guess.
Because they had stopped playing “foot-stomping” and were now heading straight toward me.
“Li Yuze, come quickly!” Qiu Lu waved at me, as if inviting me to join some incredibly fun and joyful activity.
Xu Zirong came right up and grabbed my right arm: “Ah Ze, don’t just sit here watching! What a great chance to find a partner, your buddy’s got you covered! Let’s go, let’s go!”
I initially wanted to refuse, but Xu Zirong’s grip was too strong to break free. Besides, thinking about it differently, personally taking part in a Miao tradition and immersing myself in their customs might be a meaningful way to explore their cultural identity.
I was pulled by Xu Zirong to the square, and I don’t know when Qiu Lu brought Wen Lingyu over.
“Come on! It’s so much fun!” Qiu Lu gave me a meaningful look.
Wen Lingyu’s face was beet red, and when she lifted her eyelids to look at me, her eyes were filled with unspoken feelings.
I, of course, knew her feelings and also knew that Wen Lingyu was very popular and sought after by many.
But she wasn’t for me.
I always thought my avoidance would make her understand my meaning; after all, directly rejecting a lady to her face is very impolite, and I also didn’t want to make the relationship within our four-person group too awkward, at least not now, so she would shift her attention sooner and find her own true match.
I lightly coughed and said, “I’ll go look over there, I only brought one pair of shoes!” With that, I quickly picked a random direction and left.
I only vaguely heard Qiu Lu’s comforting words to Wen Lingyu and her gritted, low-voiced curses from behind.
“Stupid straight man! Deserves to never have a girlfriend in this life! Hmph!”
But I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when my vision suddenly blurred, and several people surrounded me. It turned out that in my haste to leave, I had accidentally stumbled into a group of dancing and singing Miao men and women.
