Ang Lee was telling the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, which was known to almost everyone in the Tang dynasty. This story was so widely spread that even the people in the countryside of the Tang dynasty could tell it, let alone those who specialized in storytelling.
In peaceful times, people were more in pursuit of spiritual and material enjoyment. Especially after their material life was satisfied, they would begin to pursue spiritual enjoyment. Reading books and listening to operas when they had nothing to do was a good way to pass the time. A tragic love story like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could deeply attract people's attention, especially young men and women, who liked to listen to this kind of story the most.
However, there were many versions of this tragic story. Although the general content was similar, there were always some discrepancies. For example, there were discrepancies in where the Cowherd stole the clothes. Some versions were that the Seven Fairies went to the mortal world to take a bath, and the Cowherd stole their clothes, so there was no way for them to return to the Heavenly Court on time. Another version was that the Cowherd flew to the Heavenly Court wearing the skin of an old cow, stole the Weaver Girl's clothes in the sky, and ran all the way back to his home. After the Weaver Girl chased the Cowherd to his home, they were together.
Of course, there were more versions. In addition, there were also certain discrepancies in other aspects. There were hundreds of versions and adaptations of various sizes, and there might even be more.
After all, the story itself was made up by people, and since it was made up by people, it could continue to be made up and make up various versions. In addition, many stories were passed down by word of mouth, but in this way, there were bound to be discrepancies. Just like passing on a message, the story would change as it was passed on, and there would naturally be more and more versions.
However, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl itself could not be changed. In other words, no matter how the version of the story changed, the overall story framework would not change, and the story's ending would be the same. A few discrepancies were not enough to affect the charm of the entire story.
Of course, there would be some serious people who couldn't accept the other versions after listening to the first version. If they heard that there were differences between the other versions and the original, they would immediately jump up and point out that the storyteller was wrong and tell him that the storyteller was wrong!
Of course, most people wouldn't mind these differences. They cared more about the interest of the story itself. As long as the story was interesting, they would like to listen to it. They wouldn't get tired of it no matter how many times they listened to it. After all, in ancient times where entertainment was scarce, there weren't many ways for people to entertain themselves. Listening to stories could be considered a better way.
However, Ang Lee wasn't telling a story just now. He just summarized the story in one sentence. As such, Li Xiaolu naturally didn't understand. She looked at Ang Lee and said, "Assistant Minister Li, this story is too short. Just one sentence?"
Ang Lee smiled faintly and said, "That's just the outline of the story. It's not the entire story. The entire story is rather long and will take a long time to tell. You'll have to listen patiently."
"Mm, I have the patience. Go on!"
Li Xiaolu pressed her face against Ang Lee's chest and said softly.
Ang Lee gently stroked Li Xiaolu's back as he narrated the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
Before telling the story, Ang Lee first looked at the sky outside the window and told Li Xiaolu the location of the Cowherd and the Weaver Star.
"The Cowherd is the brightest star here. The Weaver Star is the brightest star on the other side. Eh, it's really the brightest star."
Li Xiaolu said with a smile.
She used to look at the stars every day, but it was all random. She didn't know the names of the stars in the sky. She thought the stars were just small dots. She didn't expect there to be a romantic love story. This was far beyond her expectation. Her interest in listening to the story was even stronger.
Ang Lee pointed at the stars in the sky and explained for a while. Then he began to tell the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. It was a sad but beautiful love story.
According to legend, a long time ago, there was a family in a mountain. All the elders in the family had passed away. There were only two brothers left in the family. The eldest brother married a wife, while the second brother was still young. Naturally, he didn't have a wife. The second brother was the protagonist of the story, the Cowherd.
The Cowherd's life was very poor. His brother's wife had a bad heart. She always wanted to take over the family business left by the elders. She even drove the Cowherd out.
Although the poor Cowherd had a very bad experience, the old bull he raised was a reincarnation of the Taurus star in the sky. It came to the human world to gain experience. He thought the Cowherd was also a good boy, so he helped him in all aspects. He helped the Cowherd to get through the crisis.
Once, when the Cowherd was herding the cows, he lay in the grass and fell asleep. His sister-in-law came to bring him food. Seeing that he was sleeping, she scolded him fiercely. Then she threw the food on the ground and left with her butt swaying.
The Cowherd was already hungry. He finished the food quickly, but the big yellow bull beside him broke the jar. After all, it was the reincarnation of the Taurus star. It knew that the food was poisonous. If the Cowherd ate it, he would definitely die.
The big black dog at the side naturally did not know that the food was poisoned. When it saw that the food had been smashed, it immediately ran over and ate all the food. This was a very normal habit of dogs. They were used to eating food that had fallen on the ground.
The Cowherd held his stomach and sighed. The feeling of being hungry was naturally very uncomfortable. However, the big black dog died of the poison very quickly. It was very obvious that his sister-in-law had poisoned the food.
If he continued to stay with this vicious sister-in-law, his life would probably be in danger soon. After sunset, the Cowherd drove the cow home. When he saw his brother, he cried.
His brother comforted the Cowherd and asked him what happened. The Cowherd told his brother everything in detail. He told his brother that the big black dog ate the food sent by his sister-in-law and was poisoned to death. However, his brother was a master who was afraid of his wife. Although he knew what happened, he couldn't win against the woman in the family. He was in a difficult position.
The Cowherd also knew that his family was relatively poor. It wasn't easy for his brother to marry a wife. Therefore, he took the initiative to propose a separation. The two of them would live separately. In this way, there would be fewer opportunities to contact each other in the future. It wouldn't be easy for him to be poisoned by his vicious sister-in-law.
His brother naturally appeared to be in a difficult position. Firstly, his younger brother, the Cowherd, was still too young. He, as the elder brother, was somewhat worried about letting him live alone. In addition, his brother went out to work. It would be more troublesome if there was no helper at home. However, if they lived together, he was afraid that his brother would be in danger.
Seeing his brother worried, the Cowherd took the initiative to say that he wouldn't get a lot of property. He only needed the old cow, which was the cow reincarnated from the Taurus star.
His brother was still hesitating, but his sister-in-law happened to hear it. She was very happy. After all, there was a house and a lot of things at home. The value was far more valuable than a cow. Therefore, she made the decision to agree to the Cowherd's proposal. From then on, they would live their own lives. His brother was sad, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Thus, the Cowherd took the reincarnated old cow and left the house. They walked further and further away. Finally, they stopped and cut a lot of branches. They built a shed along the hillside and lived there.
The Taurus star descended to the mortal world to experience a tribulation. When the time came, it would naturally return to the Heavenly Court. And the way to return was death. After the old cow died, it gave the Cowherd three dreams.
The first dream was to tell the Cowherd that it was the reincarnation of the Taurus star in the sky. It was going to return to the Heavenly Court. It told the Cowherd not to be sad.
The second dream was to tell the Cowherd to peel off his cow skin. He could wear the skin and fly to the sky.
The third dream was to tell the Cowherd that the Queen Mother had seven daughters. They would go to the Heavenly River to take a bath. The fairy wearing green clothes would be his future wife. He was to steal the clothes. When the fairy went to the river to take a bath, he would steal the green clothes and run home. In this way, the fairy who lost the clothes would definitely chase after him. As long as she chased to the Cowherd's house, she would definitely not leave.
The next day, when the Cowherd woke up, he found that the old cow was really dead. He was very sad. Thus, he followed the old cow's instructions. He peeled off the cow skin and buried the rest.
On the seventh day of the seventh month, the cowherd put on the cowherd and immediately left the ground. He floated leisurely to the shore of the Heavenly River. He quietly hid in the woods and waited. Sure enough, he saw seven fairies running over. They took off their clothes one by one and jumped into the water with a splash.
The Cowherd remembered the old cow's dream. He quietly sneaked over and found the green clothes. He grabbed them and ran. Of course, the fairy who lost the clothes would not let him go. She came out of the water and chased after him. She chased him all the way to the Cowherd's house.
The fairy questioned the Cowherd why he took her clothes. The Cowherd said that he wanted her to be his wife. The fairy repeatedly said that the heavenly rules did not allow them to be together.
However, the Cowherd told the fairy that there was love in the human world. It was better than heaven. The Weaver Girl had never been to the human world before and was curious about it. Furthermore, the Cowherd was very good-looking. Thus, she agreed to be his wife.
In the days that followed, the fairy stayed at home every day to weave cloth. People called her the Weaver Girl. Meanwhile, the Cowherd went out to sell cloth to earn money. The couple had a good life. In three to five years, they had two children, one son and one daughter.
However, the Weaver Girl secretly married the Cowherd. After all, it was against the heavenly rules. Thus, the Jade Emperor sent the Heavenly Army to capture the Weaver Girl. When the Cowherd returned home, only the two children were crying. The Weaver Girl was nowhere to be found. He was anxious. The older child pointed to the sky. Only then did the Cowherd remember that the Weaver Girl had left.
He hurriedly picked up the two children with a pole and put on a cowherd to chase after the Weaver Girl. Seeing that he was about to catch up, the Queen Mother was furious. She pulled out the silver hairpin on her head and drew it between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Immediately, a Milky Way was formed, separating the two completely.
In order to give the other party something to remember and not forget about him, the Cowherd took out the cowherd buckle and threw it to the Weaver Girl. The Weaver Girl caught it in her hand. The Weaver Girl threw the weaving shuttle to the Cowherd. Because her hands were weak, she threw the weaving shuttle to the Cowherd. Until now, the Weaver Girl on one side of the Milky Way had a buckle star in her arms.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl's unwavering love touched the magpies. Soon, countless magpies flew above the Milky Way and used their bodies to build a rainbow bridge across the Milky Way, allowing the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to meet on the Milky Way.
The Celestial Emperor had no choice but to allow the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl to meet on the Magpie Bridge once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. The magpies would also be by their side. Because the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl would walk over the magpies' heads, the magpies' heads would be stepped on until they were bald.
In one breath, Ang Lee explained the poignant love story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in detail. He described it vividly and vividly, making it very emotional. Li Xiaolu was infatuated and looked at Ang Lee with admiration.
"What a touching legend! The two stars in the sky, are they really the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl? "
Li Xiaolu seemed to have fallen into the story and asked.
Ang Lee gently stroked Li Xiaolu's shoulder and said, "This is just a legend, a story made up by people. However, many people are willing to believe it is true. There are many great poets of the Tang dynasty who used beautiful poems to describe the touching story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl."
"I like Tang poems very much. Unfortunately, I don't understand many of them. I need someone to explain them to me so that I can understand what they mean."
Li Xiaolu said.
"Then do you want to hear the ancient poem about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl now?"
Ang Lee asked.
"Yes, of course, I want to hear it."
Li Xiaolu said.
Ang Lee moistened his throat and began to copy.
The delicate clouds are ingenious, the flying stars pass hatred, the silver river crosses in secret. When the golden wind and the jade dew meet, it is better than countless things in the world. Tender as water, the auspicious day is like a dream, enduring the Magpie Bridge to return home. If two people love each other for a long time, how can they be together day and night?
After reciting the poem, Ang Lee still felt that it was not enough, so he recited another one. "For whom is the golden shuttle busy at dawn, the peach blossoms across the water fill the cave with fragrance. All the countries are covered by the rain and dew of Yao, the nine layers want to mend Shun's clothes. The beautiful gauze reflects the rosy clouds, the sound of the machine beats the sun and the moon. But there are fairies laughing at the heavenly platform, who can understand Liu Lang in this life. "
Seeing that Li Xiaolu still wanted to hear more, Ang Lee continued to recite the poem, "The faraway Altair Star, the bright and clear river of Han women, slender and white hands, writing books and making machines. All day long, unorganized, tears fall like rain. The river is clear and shallow, a little different from each other, full of water, unspeakable. "
After reciting three poems related to the love between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in one breath, Ang Lee looked at Li Xiaolu and asked, "Little beauty, how much do you understand?"
Li Xiaolu smiled and said, "No, I don't understand a word. Assistant Minister Li, can you explain it to me?"
"Humph, I know that you are a little fool who can't understand it at all. Okay! I'll explain it to you one sentence at a time. You must listen carefully! "
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