Green Plum IslandCh13 - Sky Maiden and the General

“Who knew? …Don’t even…”

“That idiot child, you can’t take your eyes off him, I’m so pissed…” aQ4y5z

“Don’t stress, I’ll ask him…”

The second I come home, I see Grandpa sitting on the couch conversing with two middle-aged men. I wasn’t expecting visitors, so their presence takes me by surprise and it takes me awhile to greet them.

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Grandpa turns at the sound and waves me over. “Mian Mian, come here.” Then he introduces me to each man: “This is Mr. Zhang, he’s our neighbour as you know. And next to him is Mr. Liu, you met him once when you were young, I don’t know if you remember.”

Mr. Zhang is familiar to me since he always drinks with Grandpa, and I do recognise Mr. Liu as someone I’ve met before. “Mr. Zhang, Mr. Liu,” I greet them obediently. BQMwbR

Mr. Zhang peers at me with a strange look in his eyes that seems half appreciative and half emotional, then turns in relief towards Mr. Liu. They share a silent look with each other.

Their mood index values both start rising exponentially for reasons that are completely beyond my comprehension. Even if I’m a pleasant kid to look at, their reaction seems just a tad dramatic.

Mr. Zhang smiles so wide that creases form across his face. “Old Yu, this’ll work, your grandson is perfect!”

“Well, naturally. Mian Mian takes after his grandmother,” Grandpa says with pride. “You all know his grandma was the island’s number one beauty back in the day.”

“…”

What are these people even going on about?

The three of them start commiserating about my looks, with Grandpa unable to resist throwing some shade about Dad and saying how it’s a good thing I don’t look like him because he managed to inherit all his parents’ worst traits and that I would’ve been ugly if I took after him.

Suspicion starts brewing in my mind as I listen to them talk. Right when I’m about to interrupt and blurt out my question, Grandpa finally gets back to the point. U1odFA

“Mian Mian, do you know of the rain stopping ceremony?”

Well, I didn’t, but thanks to Wen Ying and Sun Rui’s informative explanations, now I do. I hum in acknowledgement, nodding. “It’s a ceremony to ask for blessings from the heavens so that there’s no flooding.”

Apparently, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the island was always flooded. Typhoons wrecked havoc across the land each summer, destroying crops, toppling homes, and caused much suffering among the locals. The county magistrate tried everything to no avail for many years, until one day, a citizen named Butan Nagong led everyone to bow to the gods and plead for mercy and salvation.

Perhaps it was the tenacious sincerity with which they prayed, but after a few consecutive days of praying, the Heavens sent down a maiden from the sky. ze9hsb

“The sky maiden arrived clothed in white ploummage, and the very instant she came, the sky cleared and the rains stopped. From behind the thick layers of clouds came the long-awaited glow of sunlight. From then on, Green Plum Island’s suffering over flooding from rains ceased,” Mr. Zhang rambles on. “When the sky maiden was present, the island skies were always clear. There were no droughts, no floods, and the crops were always plentiful. The island’s residents lived happily and thrived. But a sky maiden is from the skies, after all, and not of this world. After her duty was fulfilled, she returned to the heavens.”

“The island folk were afraid the typhoons would return. They didn’t have a real sky maiden, so they created a fake one and every year, they performed a rain stopping ceremony, carrying the sedan chair down the street, gongs clashing and drums beating in order to vanquish the waters and ask for peace and prosperity over the year. That’s the origin of the rain stopping ceremony.”

Here, Mr. Liu takes over, explaining with a sigh, “We usually choose a new sky maiden every two years from boys that are born and raised on the island. They do it once at fifteen, and then again at eighteen. The two requirements are that one, they have to look the part, and two, they have to be virgin. My son was supposed to play it this time, but he…” Mr. Liu slaps his thigh exasperatedly, “That little brat decided to hand me a grandson before his beard has even fully grown in, I’m so pissed!”

I don’t know whether to console him or congratulate him, so I keep my mouth shut. At the same time, trepidation starts creeping in because… these two seem like they have some ulterior motive, their words dripping with subtext. Gb2jxL

“It happened so suddenly and we weren’t prepared at all. Your grandpa talks a lot about you when we drink, so I came to see if I could ask you to take on the duty instead.” Then Mr. Liu introduces himself again. “I’m Zhang, Zhang Shuiquan, and also the overseer of Green Plum Island’s rain stopping ceremony.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ccv olcjiis, tf ecifjrtfr bcf olcji atecvfgybia bo rtbmx eqbc wf: “Te Zljc, kbeiv sbe wlcv yflcu beg cfza Vxs Zjlvfc bo Ejlcrabqqlcu?”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Llr abcf lr rb mjreji, tf rbecvr ilxf tf’r jrxlcu wf lo P kjca ab tjnf j ybki bo cbbvifr ja tlr tberf.

P rajgf ja tlr fjgcfra fzqgfrrlbc raeqlvis, ws fcalgf tfjv oliifv klat defralbc wjgxr. fxFBMk

Silence descends upon the room. After about ten seconds, I manage a belated “…Huh?” from the back of my throat.

Mr. Zhang watches me benevolently and when he speaks, it’s hard to figure out whether to feel appreciative or insulted. “Because your physical looks are up to standard and your grandpa tells us you’ve been too busy with academics to date, so you’ve never had a girlfriend before…”

I shoot a look at Grandpa, who pretends not to hear anything, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. There are times I suspect he isn’t actually deaf, but only pretends to be clueless. When I walked in the room the three of them were conversing just fine, and now all of a sudden he can’t hear? What a mighty coincidence.

“But I… I’ll be nineteen in two months,” I protest weakly, trying to weasel out one last time, “and I thought the sky maiden was supposed to be under eighteen?” Wsq9S3

“At most eighteen, not ‘under’ eighteen,” Mr. Liu corrects. “You’re just right for the role, you’re the saviour the heavens sent us.”

Bewildered, I furrow my brows. “Listen… I just got home and haven’t eaten yet. This is all too sudden, I’m kind of lost…”

“You don’t have to answer right away, don’t worry,” Mr. Zhang reassures me, seeing my terrified expression. Then he and Mr. Liu get up, getting ready to leave. “We’re just about to head next door anyway. I don’t know what the hell happened this year, but the sky maiden got a girl pregnant, and the one playing the faithful general broke his arm riding a bike.” Mr. Zhang shakes his head in consternation. “Thank goodness for Ah Shan, he’s a great guy. Said yes as soon as we went to ask him for help. In all my years planning rain stopping ceremonies, he looks the most like the general he’s supposed to play.”

Mr. Liu follows him, his hands clasped behind his back. “For sure,” he agrees, “plus some global documentary filmmakers are coming this year to document the event. The county chief is really placing emphasis on its importance and wants us to do well. Thank goodness for Ah Shan, or else we’d be screwed…” b rkuT

With the words “next door” and “Ah Shan,” it dawns on me. I follow them out the door, unable to resist confirming, “Are you guys talking about Yan Kongshan?”

Mr. Zhang and Mr. Liu turn around at the sound of my voice. “Yeah, he’s playing the general this year,” Mr. Zhang says.

Once again, I’m lost. “What’s the general?” It’s my first time hearing of the role; Wen Ying and Sun Rui hadn’t told me about this.

“Oh, the general? The general…” Mr. Liu thinks for a minute, then explains in the simplest terms possible, “He protects the sky maiden. Basically he stands behind her and holds the umbrella for her.” RnUHaM

He stands behind her and holds the umbrella for her?

I can’t help but get carried away in my mind, fantasising about a scene straight out of an idol drama–A hazy silhouette of a sky maiden perched upon a sedan chair, when suddenly there’s a racket amidst the crowds gathered on both sides and someone hurls an unidentified object at the maiden. Then with lightning speed, the tall general next to the sky maiden brandishes the giant umbrella and blocks the object from reaching the maiden as he brings her close to his chest. Their eyes meet in a sizzling, charged gaze, amorous emotions swirling within the silence.

“Wait!”

Mr. Zhang and Mr. Liu are nearly at the gate but they stop at my shout and turn back again, their expressions saying, “What now?” 1jSiqv

I gulp and run up to them before I have a chance to regret it. “I’ll do it!” I holler with false bravado.

Mr. Zhang looks surprised, probably because he assumed I would’ve taken longer to decide. “You mean?”

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

“I’ll be the sky maiden!” I yell in the same tone I reserve for school military training.

The two men share a look, then both break out into smiles. “Perfect! This is perfect!” mBdWS8

“You’re the best, you’re totally doing us a favor!”

They shower me with more gratitude, and I watch them head over to Yan Kongshan’s house. When I turn to go back into the house, Grandpa is standing at the doorway, smiling with his hands behind his back.

“I knew you’d say yes.” I jolt, thinking he’s seen through me, but then he continues, “Our Mian Mian is a softie.”

Nah, Grandpa, you don’t know your grandson at all. I’m not a softie, I’m just overcome by lust and obsession. sc51Qx

At eight in the evening, I knock on Yan Kongshan’s door. The second it opens, I see him standing there with a faint smile adorning his face. “I hear you’re going to be the sky maiden.”

Immediately, a blush overcomes my features and my ears start burning. “Grandpa made me do it, so I decided to help out.” I squeeze past him to go inside. “Weren’t you roped into being the general?”

The sound of his gentle laughter floats towards me–so fleetingly that I almost think I imagined it.

“Go entertain Qiuqiu, I’m going out for a smoke.” 7mdAYq

When I turn around, all I see is a door swinging shut.

In the living room, Yan Wanqiu is playing video games. She must have heard my conversation with Yan Kongshan, because as she plays, she asks me what a sky maiden is.

“A sky maiden is a celestial woman from the skies.” I plop down next to her.

She wrinkles her nose. “So like the weaver girl in The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?” she inquires in a strange voice. Wl1Ok8

“What’s wrong with the weaver girl?”

“Ms. Zhao told us the story once. A long time ago there was a cowherd who had an old cow that could speak and was really smart. One day it told him that in the river were a group of celestial maidens bathing and that if he hid their clothes, they wouldn’t be able to return to the heavens and they’d have to be marry him.” She smashes buttons on her console, storytelling not affecting her ability to play. “He listened to the old cow and really stole a maiden’s clothing. When the maidens finished bathing and were ready to return to the heavens, one of them called the Weaver Girl couldn’t find her clothes and couldn’t do anything but stay in the mortal world.”

“Such and such happened, the Weaver Girl married the cowherd and had babies, and when she was caught and sent back to the skies, the cowherd even went looking for her, which touched the magpies. So every year on the seventh day of the seventh month, the magpies formed a sky bridge so the couple could reunite. And that’s how the Double Seventh Festival came about.”

Yan Wanqiu puts her controller down and turns to me, serious. “So the sky maiden you’re acting, does she know the Weaver Girl?” svPuOF

“I… don’t think so.” In truth, I don’t even know if they exist within the same myth.

The girl nods. “That’s good. I don’t think Weaver Girl is very smart, it’s best not to be friends with her.” She wrinkles her small face and warns me, “Hide your clothes well. Don’t let some creepy man steal it.”

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

In spite of her young age, she sure worries about a lot.

It depends on who’s doing the stealing, I think to myself. ZBilhg

I shift my gaze to the window, beyond which Yan Kongshan is standing, holding a cigarette in one hand and scrolling his phone with the other.

Dim lighting from the streets illuminate him and intermingle with cigarette smoke, enshrouding him within a dusky, moonlit haze. He seems made for such a mysterious atmosphere.

“Maybe Weaver Girl fell for the cowherd first, thinking he was strong and handsome, and asked the old cow to work with her to get him to steal her clothing so that they could be together.”

If Yan Kongshan came stealing my clothes, I’d put them somewhere obvious for him to find. CdYDAu

Yan Wanqiu doesn’t speak for a while. I look down and see her brows knit tightly and her face completely unconvinced. “Even so, she has bad taste. The person she likes is a thief.”

Our eyes meet for a moment and I concede defeat. “You’re right,” I agree. “Weaver Girl isn’t very smart.”

Shortly after, Yan Kongshan finishes his smoke and comes back inside. Yan Wanqiu calls out to him suddenly and tells him in a serious tone to watch over me so no one steals my clothes.

Sometimes she’s so smart you forget she’s five, and other times she’s so innocent it’s cute, leading people to sigh in relief that “at last, she sounds like a child.” rb1BJe

“Clothing?” Yan Kongshan asks, confused.

Laughing, I let him in on our earlier conversation, after which Yan Kongshan doesn’t tease Yan Wanqiu’s request but instead promises her in a somber tone that he’ll do as she asks.

“I got it, I’ll protect him.”

Then he goes off to the kitchen. I tell Yan Wanqiu to play by herself for a while and get up to follow him. He reaches into the fridge to grab an iced beer and a Coke. cAIri5

“Wanna drink?” he asks, motioning to toss me the Coke.

I reach out to grab the drink, but at the last minute, he switches the cans and stuffs the beer in my hands. I hold onto it, dazed, and hear a pop. Yan Kongshan pricks open the can of Coke before handing it to me.

We trade, the Coke passing from him to me, the beer going from me to him.

Condensation from the can wets my fingers; I start feeling lightheaded. JYod8h

How is it that this person does things like this without his mood index shifting at all from white to pink? If it weren’t for my synesthesia, I’d think he was trying something with me.

“Ge, if you like someone, would you do anything in your power to keep them with you?”

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Yan Kongshan tips his head back and downs a giant mouthful of cold beer. Droplets escape from the corner of his mouth, reaching his collarbones, but before they enter his shirt, he yanks the bottom of his shirt up to wipe away the naughty droplets.

“Hmm?” He looks up at me, having not heard my question. “What?” gnC2Rj

He has an eight-pack, my goodness…

My throat is on fire. Hoarsely, I repeat myself: “Like… if you like someone, would you be willing to do anything to make them stay?”

He lifts his brows and half-jokes, “Such as steal their clothing?”

I doubt that’s the last I’ve heard of the clothes-stealing jokes. RGQ0y3

“Including, but not limited to,” I clarify grudgingly. “Would you?”

A few beats pass, then his mouth quirks up into a sarcastic smile. He shakes his head. “There is nothing you can do to keep with you those who wish to leave.”