That night, I didn’t know when Xu Zirong and Qiu Lu returned. I scrolled through the photos on my camera again and again, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
I was awakened by a long, drawn-out rooster crow. To be honest, I’ve lived in the city since childhood, my ears filled with urban noise daily. Being woken up by a rooster’s crow was a rather novel experience for me.
I got dressed and out of bed, then pushed open the small, carved wooden window. A warm, humid breeze greeted me.
The Miao village was nestled in the mountains, so the air was rich with moisture and carried the fresh scent of earth. Grey stilted houses were stacked in layers, and further in the distance, mountains resembled an ink wash painting. Some peaks were shrouded in mist, their half-hidden appearance adding a unique charm.
Suddenly, the line “I see the green mountains as charming and graceful, I suppose the green mountains see me the same way[mfn]This line speaks to empathy, projection, and the human longing for understanding and resonance, not just with people, but with the world around us. It’s both romantic and melancholic, affirming that when you deeply love something, you hope (or imagine) it might love you back.[/mfn].”
I took a deep breath, and as my gaze swept downwards, I suddenly saw a white, unknown flower lying on the dusty window ledge!
The flower was pristine, its pistil light yellow, and its petals still held a few drops of dew. Below the flower was a short stem with a clean break, definitely not something that had accidentally snapped off and fallen onto my windowsill.
Could it have been a mistaken delivery?
What a shame, such a delicate flower, mistakenly delivered to a big man like me.
I picked up the flower, thinking it might be a thoughtful gesture from someone romantic, and carefully wrapped it in paper.
When I went downstairs to the inn’s common area, some people were already there. This inn seemed to be doing good business, and since the owner provided free breakfast, the hall was quite lively. I had to admit, the owner was pretty good at business.
“Brother, come quickly! The congee is still hot!” The owner greeted me warmly as soon as he saw me.
I smiled, nodded, and took a seat.
Nine o’clock was the agreed time with An Pu to go out for our survey. Soon after, Wen Lingyu came down from the second floor, followed closely by Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong.
They seemed to be in good spirits. Qiu Lu was doing stretching exercises as she walked, a cheerful smile on her face.
“Li Yuze, you’re already eating!” Qiu Lu said, unceremoniously sitting down next to me. Xu Zirong, without complaint, went to get her congee and some pickles.
Wen Lingyu asked, “How was your fun last night?”
Qiu Lu rested her chin on her hands, gleefully saying, “It’s such a pity you guys left early yesterday! We danced and sang around the bonfire last night, it was so much fun!”
“You can sing in response?” I widened my eyes in curiosity.
“Of course!” Qiu Lu tilted her head proudly.
Xu Zirong set down the congee bowl and sat down, but then, completely out of sync, he said, “We just sang nonsense! You guys also know how little musical talent I have.”
“Xu… Zi… Rong!” Qiu Lu, furious at her partner for ruining the fun, exclaimed, “If you say that, they definitely won’t be interested and won’t join us next time!”
I secretly chuckled.
Qiu Lu was about to say something more when, suddenly, a shadow fell over us as someone unceremoniously sat down.
“What are you all talking about? So lively!”
Hearing that clumsy Mandarin, I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
An Pu, smiling, pointed to the plate of pickled vegetables and said, “These are our Miao pickled vegetables, a unique kind, very delicious! And the stir-fried green peppers are fragrant too!” As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up.
I had tried them before; they were indeed tasty, savory, and fragrant.
An Pu paused, then added, “Hurry up and eat! I’ve already contacted several old Miao households. Today, I guarantee you guys will return with a full harvest!”
Hearing this, we were all filled with anticipation, and Xu Zirong even picked up the pace of eating his congee.
Dongjiang Miao Village has about a thousand households. The commercialized parts are concentrated at the bottom; the further up you go, the more authentic and primitive it becomes. We followed An Pu, walking upwards along the flagstone path.
When we were at the foot of the mountain, we didn’t feel it would be very difficult, but once we started walking, we realized the path was comparable to mountain climbing, full of stairs and steep inclines.
After much effort, we finally reached the top, and Qiu Lu was already panting heavily.
“Do you want to rest for a bit?” Xu Zirong asked with concern.
Qiu Lu put her hands on her hips, rolled up her sleeves, wiped the sweat from her face, and shook her head. “No need! I’m not weaker than you guys!”
An Pu, who was walking ahead, heard this and turned back to give her an admiring thumbs-up.
We finished climbing the stairs and were met with a large open space. Ropes hung on both sides, currently draped with Miao clothing in red, blue, or black. Several Miao women were gathered, organizing the drying clothes, occasionally huddling together to whisper something.
“This is our drying yard for grain. It’ll be used when it’s harvest season,” An Pu introduced. “But right now, it’s for drying clothes.”
Just then, as if hearing voices, one of the women drying clothes suddenly turned around. The moment she saw us, a smile appeared on her face.
“Ah, it’s you again!” Today, Ah Li wasn’t wearing her heavy headdress; her long hair was loose, gently swaying in the breeze.
Qiu Lu, however, looked displeased and tugged at us, as if urging us to keep moving. I couldn’t understand why; Ah Li shouldn’t have offended Qiu Lu.
Ah Li seemed not to notice, coming forward with warm enthusiasm: “An Pu Ah-ge, are they really students here for a survey?”
An Pu replied, “Why would I lie to you?”
“Outsiders will say all sorts of outrageous things just to avoid the ‘Lanmen Wine’!” Ah Li said, her eyes flitting over to me, “Ah-ge, we’ve met so many times, and I still haven’t asked your name yet!”
“Li Yuze. Yu, as in ‘encounter,’ and Ze, as in ‘grace.'”
“Li Yuze…” Ah Li gently rolled the three words around in her mouth, then smiled and said, “That sounds lovely. Since you guys are here for a survey, I’ll join you guys! Everyone knows me, and they’ll definitely be more cooperative if they see me.”
Qiu Lu interjected coolly from the side, “Ah, so handsome people get to have their names remembered, while we’re just stuck on the sidelines!”
Ah Li looked at her and smiled, “I already know your names. Qiu Lu, Xu Zirong.”
“How do you know?” Qiu Lu’s eyes widened.
Ah Li replied, “Because last night in the square, you two were screaming each other’s names so loudly, it was hard not to hear.”
Qiu Lu: “……”
I rarely saw this young lady look so defeated, and I secretly admired Ah Li.
The ever-gracious An Pu interceded, “Today, did you not go to block the door?”
“No, it’s my rotation day off today; someone else is serving the ‘Lanmen Wine’.”
It turned out that for them, blocking the door for guests was just part of their job.
“Then let’s bring Ah Li along! Let’s go together, Ah Li knows the area even better than I do!” An Pu sincerely suggested.
Although Qiu Lu didn’t look very happy, she glanced at us and reluctantly nodded.
I heard Xu Zirong quietly lean towards Qiu Lu and ask, “Honey, what’s wrong? You’re usually not so petty… Ouch!”
Qiu Lu gave Xu Zirong’s arm a hard pinch and whispered, “Idiot! Can’t you tell that Ah Li is interested in Li Yuze? What about our Ah Yu then!”
Xu Zirong grimaced in pain.
However, with An Pu and Ah Li leading the way, the subsequent survey went much more smoothly.
The path up here, though still made of flagstones like the commercial area below, had its gaps filled with dirt, indicating that the cleaning effort wasn’t as thorough as down below.
Most of the stilted houses also weren’t as aesthetically pleasing as those further down, instead looking more like the undeveloped Dongjiang Miao Village I had seen in videos.
Here, each household was tightly packed together, with high door sills carved from a single piece of wood, requiring careful lifting of the foot to step over when entering. The roofs were high-pitched and covered with tiles, though some spots were untiled, letting in small streaks of bright daylight.
I suddenly realized that, detached from imagination and promotion, this was the real Miao village.
“This house!” An Pu stopped in front of a stilted house and gestured to us. “The owner is an old Miao people and knows more than all of us. Anything you want to know, you can ask. If you don’t understand, I can translate!”
With that, An Pu knocked on the door.
After a while, the wooden door slowly creaked open, revealing a wrinkled, aged face.
The elder wore a Miao outfit, a simple cotton garment dyed blue so dark it was almost black. Unlike the younger women’s clothes, it had no intricate embroidery, only a band of patterns on the collar and sleeves. She didn’t wear a lot of silver ornaments, just a thin silver choker around her neck. Her hair was graying and sparse from the passage of time, tied with a small elastic band, gently hanging behind her head.
Seeing us, the old woman’s cloudy eyes brightened slightly. She then stepped aside and said something in a hoarse voice that I didn’t understand.
An Pu, at the right moment, explained, “Grandma says to come in. Be careful not to step on the threshold!”
We cautiously tiptoed over the threshold and entered the not-so-spacious small house.
The house was very bright, and it was clear that Grandma had prepared for guests. On the common square table, there were several bowls of strange tea.
We all sat down. Ah Li sat next to me and, smiling, said, “This is our Miao oil tea, served to guests. Try it.”
A thick layer of ingredients settled at the bottom of the oil tea. I examined it and recognized peanuts, roasted rice, and soybeans. I picked up the cup and took a sip. It was incredibly fragrant, with the taste of grains filling my mouth.
“How is it?” Ah Li rested her chin on her hand, looking at me with a smile.
I nodded and praised, “It’s very delicious and distinctive. I’ve never had such good oil tea before!”
“Of course!” Ah Li proudly shook her head, as if she herself had been complimented.
After tasting the oil tea, we began the formal interview. Qiu Lu turned on the voice recorder, Wen Lingyu opened her notebook to take notes, and I also took out paper and pen to jot down any new questions that arose during the interview.
The old woman’s demeanor was very gentle; she answered all our questions. We dedicated the entire morning to this, and naturally, we gained a great deal.
