Chapter 13: The Premier Shrine of Jiangnan

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, “When I was little, I thought the crape myrtle tree was ticklish. It wasn’t until I grew up and looked it up online that I learned it’s the vibrations caused by friction. The bark of the crape myrtle is very thin. Look at this tree—the bark is all peeled off. The conduction from touch causes the vibrations. Now look at that old osmanthus tree across from it. Originally, it wasn’t just one tree. Elders told me that four osmanthus trees were planted there, but over time they’ve grown into one. We also call it the ‘Four Seasons Prosperity’ tree. The four trunks together look like the backrest of a chair, so people lean on it for peace all year round and to carry prosperity away from the ancestral hall. When I bring friends to visit the hall, I always tell them to lean on the osmanthus tree before they leave. After all, the hall used to house ancestral tablets and has a heavy, somewhat eerie atmosphere. Leaning on the osmanthus after the visit helps dissipate any lingering negative energy.”

“Let me tell you another thing about the Eight Trigrams,” she continued. “I have a high school classmate from Tunxi who always drives back there after visiting Chengkan, but her GPS keeps leading her astray. She told me the GPS seems fine before she sets off, but it never gives her the best route home. It always reroutes her onto small roads. The last time she came, after visiting the ancestral hall and leaning on the osmanthus tree, the GPS gave her the main road back. She called me to complain, saying Chengkan is a bit eerie—no wonder it’s called the Eight Trigrams Village.”

Cheng Yubai smiled faintly. He wasn’t superstitious. “Your friend has quite the courage to go knowingly into the tiger’s den. If she thinks it’s eerie, why does she keep coming back?”

Jiang Yuan laughed. “Because she’s a little money-minded. At the village entrance near Yongxing Lake, there are two stone guardian beasts called ‘tun,’ similar to stone lions. Legend says these beasts were brought down by the Purple Star when it descended to earth. Touching them is said to bring wealth and blessings. Coincidentally, every time my friend touches them, she strikes it rich. She believes the legend more and more. Whenever luck dips, she drives to Chengkan to touch the beasts, and her fortune turns around again. She always calls me excitedly, saying the beasts here are powerful. Now those two beasts are polished smooth from all the visitors rubbing them for luck and wealth.”

The two chatted as they continued exploring the ancestral hall. Without a guide, Cheng Yubai pulled out his phone and looked up Baidu to learn more about the Luo Family Ancestral Hall, known as the finest ancestral hall in Jiangnan.

According to Baidu Encyclopedia, the Luo Family Ancestral Hall covers about 3,300 square meters, structured in three successive courtyards, each rising in height, creating a grand atmosphere. The second courtyard is the main hall, supported by six towering square stone pillars at the front, followed by twenty-four massive round wooden columns. The four main pillars in the center are so large that one person can hardly embrace them. Above, the overlapping beams crisscross with the central “winter melon beam” thick and dignified. A plaque bearing the inscription “Yi Lun You Xu” hangs there, written by the renowned Ming Dynasty calligrapher Dong Qichang. Behind the grand wooden door and screen wall is a courtyard, and beyond that, the third section holds the Baolun Pavilion.

The Baolun Pavilion is the treasure of the hall. Its construction was overseen by Luo Yinghe, who served as a censor and assistant judge during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, enjoying the favor of Emperor Shenzong. The pavilion consists of three sections with three bays each, plus staircases on both ends, totaling eleven bays. A plaque inscribed “Baolun Pavilion” by Wu Shihong hangs beneath the eaves. The courtyard and pavilion are separated by railings made from dark green stones from Yixian County, decorated with floral and geometric relief patterns. The balustrade posts feature carved stone lions. Ten inwardly curved stone columns stand along the front steps, hundreds of round pillars support the interlaced moon beams above. The dome-shaped roof with flying eaves is adorned with intricate cloud and flower carvings, hollowed beam ends, child columns, and lotus flower supports, dazzling the eye with beauty. The painted patterns on the beams remain vibrant even after more than four centuries. Stairs on either side lead to the upper floor, revealing neatly arranged round wooden columns and an exposed roof framework decorated with water-polished blue bricks. The pavilion sits at the highest point in Chengkan Village, offering a distant view of Huangshan’s Tiandu and Lotus Peaks shrouded in mist. Baolun Pavilion’s ingenious structure, exquisite carvings, and brilliant paintings blend antiquity, elegance, grandeur, and beauty, making it a masterpiece of Ming architecture.

Cheng Yubai admired the exquisite Hui-style dougong brackets, moon beams, and railing panels, snapping close-up photos with his DSLR for later study.

Just as they finished touring and stepped out, Jiang Yuan’s grandmother called, inviting them to lunch with the promise of continuing the tour in the afternoon.

Back at her grandmother’s house, Jiang Yuan asked what dishes had been prepared.

On the eight-immortal table were steamed tofu with ham, spicy stir-fried stinky tofu, a dish called “di san xian” (three delicacies from the earth), steamed whitefish head, stir-fried baby greens, and egg-fried vermicelli.

Feng Xiuyin, tying on her apron, asked if Jiang Yuan wanted a drink. She said there was a coffee shop at the village entrance. Although coffee was bitter and she didn’t understand why anyone liked it, the young folk enjoyed it, so she planned to buy some for her granddaughter.

Jiang Yuan shook her head. “Grandma, no, that’s for afternoon tea to keep me awake.”

The three sat down to eat. Feng Xiuyin kept offering Jiang Yuan food and occasionally fed Cheng Yubai as well. The hospitality of rural elders was fully evident in Feng grandmother. She even complained to Jiang Yuan, “That coffee, I tried it—it’s awful. But the daughter-in-law of the Sun family opened a coffee shop at the village entrance, and young girls and boys sit there every day drinking it. It’s so expensive. Kids nowadays have never experienced hardship—they like to seek out bitter things.”

Jiang Yuan and Cheng Yubai laughed.

Feng Xiuyin added, “But the milk tea is good—the one from Mixue Bingcheng, two cups for 9.9 yuan, not bad.”

Jiang Yuan perked up. “Mixue Bingcheng? Grandma, who bought that for you?”

Feng Xiuyin said, “Chengcheng orders it every week after school. I asked him if it tastes good and what flavor it is. He bought me an extra cup—it really is good. In summer, it’s better than ice cream. Ice cream is so expensive now.”

Chengcheng was the youngest son of Jiang Yuan’s eldest uncle, currently attending high school in Tunxi and only coming home on weekends.

Cheng Yubai showed interest in the ham-steamed tofu. Thin slices of ham layered atop soft tofu were delicious and paired well with rice.

The baby greens were tasty too. Jiang Yuan said, “My grandma grows those herself—green, organic, pollution-free.”

But Jiang Yuan’s favorite was the spicy stir-fried stinky tofu. The tofu was fried until crispy on the outside and tender inside. When bitten, the crunchy crust cracked with a “crack,” releasing the soft interior that melted in the mouth, bursting with rich bean fragrance and the bold spiciness of chili.

Feng Xiuyin asked Jiang Yuan, “Is your mom playing Douyin lately? Many people in the village have seen her videos—they’re quite popular. Your dad says she’s just fooling around, but I think it’s nice. I like Douyin too—I listen to Huangmei opera.”

Jiang Yuan replied, “Yeah, now that the farm work is done, my mom has some free time and plays Douyin. Many people give her likes. Huangmei opera on Douyin? Really?”

Feng Xiuyin pulled out her phone to search for Huangmei opera videos, eagerly sharing, “Of course! Many people sing Huangmei opera on there. It used to be performed village by village, but now it’s rare. The radio you bought me used to play Huangmei opera, but I couldn’t see the performers. Now it’s convenient—I can watch it directly on Douyin. I watch every night until I fall asleep. I just don’t know how to post videos myself, or I’d sing and upload them.”

Jiang Yuan put down her chopsticks. “Grandma, you should try. I can teach you how to post—it’s very simple.” She turned to Cheng Yubai. “My grandma is a Huangmei opera fan and can sing herself.”

Cheng Yubai said, “My grandma can too, songs like ‘The Heavenly Match’ and ‘The Female Imperial Consort.’”

Mentioning “The Heavenly Match,” Feng Xiuyin immediately sang a couple of lines: “Our hearts are united between heaven and earth…”

Jiang Yuan lifted her grandmother’s phone. “Grandma, let me record you.”

Feng Xiuyin was a bit shy but sang a few notes at Jiang Yuan’s encouragement, then said, “No, no, I don’t sing well.”

Jiang Yuan said, “You sing very well. Believe in yourself. The grandmas on Douyin sing just like you. But I think this background isn’t good. After lunch, let’s go to Yongxing Lake and film there. You stand on Yongxing Bridge with the white walls and black tiles behind you, distant mountains and water nearby—the perfect Jiangnan ink-and-wash scenery. It’ll be amazing!”

Her grandmother’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Jiang Yuan nodded firmly. “Absolutely. Let’s eat quickly, then go shoot the video. Grandma, let’s be trendy—maybe you’ll get some likes.”

Feng Xiuyin was excited. “Alright, let’s eat quickly.”

After lunch, Cheng Yubai said he’d explore the village more and take some photos, so Jiang Yuan wasn’t worried and took her grandmother to Yongxing Lake to shoot the video.

Feng Xiuyin sang Huangmei opera by the lakeside, drawing the attention of passing tourists. Even they couldn’t help but take out their phones to film the elderly lady.

Jiang Yuan said, “Grandma, don’t be nervous. Just sing freely.”

Feng Xiuyin sang with flourish, twirling her fingers gracefully:

“The birds on the tree come in pairs,
Green waters and mountains smile,
No longer suffering bondage,
Husband and wife return home together.
You farm while I weave,
I fetch water while you tend the garden.
Though the cold kiln is broken, it shelters from wind and rain,
The love between husband and wife makes hardship sweet…”

Jiang Yuan recorded several takes and picked the best one. She taught her grandmother how to post the video, even adding cute or funny stickers—a blend of modern and classical styles.

Her grandmother was delighted but bashful, repeatedly saying she was embarrassed and had lost all dignity.

Yet when the first like appeared, she excitedly grabbed Jiang Yuan, chattering nonstop. By mid-afternoon, the video had over thirty likes. Feng Xiuyin was overjoyed, even though most likes were from villagers she knew. She kept asking Jiang Yuan to teach her how to post videos again and again. Her memory was poor, so she needed constant repetition.

Jiang Yuan felt it was about time and sent Cheng Yubai a WeChat message: “Where are you? Shall we head back to Tunxi?”

Cheng Yubai replied: “At the village entrance, the Eight Trigrams Gate.”

This was the same moon gate featured in “Joy of Life 2.”

Jiang Yuan messaged back: “I’ll come find you.”

She said goodbye to her grandmother, who was reluctant to see her go, and insisted Jiang Yuan take a big bag of dried goods from her garden. Carrying the heavy load, Jiang Yuan found Cheng Yubai in front of the Eight Trigrams Gate, holding his DSLR and listening in on a tour guide’s explanation.

The guide explained the strict customs for entering and exiting the Eight Trigrams Gate. The gate has eight doors, each labeled with one of the eight trigrams: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui. Entering through one gate and exiting through another corresponds to a specific trigram combination, symbolizing the flow of heaven and earth and the course of life. Most tourists, however, just wander in and out randomly, unaware of the deeper meanings and taboos.

Jiang Yuan caught up and asked Cheng Yubai if he wanted to have his fortune told by the trigram readings. There was a place in the village that did it for free.

Cheng Yubai declined.

Jiang Yuan was intrigued and, after setting down her bags, chose a gate to enter and another to exit based on her intuition. Remembering the names of the trigrams on those gates, she went to the fortune-telling spot and got a reading slip.

Cheng Yubai stood at the entrance and asked, “Why not have someone interpret the reading? Isn’t it free?”

Jiang Yuan replied, “The free part is just a trick. They’ll flatter me first, then frown and say something’s wrong. When I ask what’s wrong, that’s when they ask for money. I’m not that stupid. I can look it up on Baidu myself. Look, my slip says this is the best fortune—definitely good luck ahead. I don’t need anyone to rain on my parade.”

Cheng Yubai laughed, calling her clever.

On the way back to the city, Jiang Yuan sat in the passenger seat, happily researching her trigram reading online. “I looked it up! It says whether in career or love, everything will go as I wish. Oh no, I forgot one big thing!”

Cheng Yubai focused on the winding road, with many blind curves, giving Jiang Yuan little of his attention.

Jiang Yuan slapped her forehead. “I forgot to touch the guardian beasts! What a blunder!”

Cheng Yubai rolled his eyes and comforted her, “You said leaning on the four osmanthus trees brings four seasons of prosperity.”

Jiang Yuan laughed heartily. “Exactly! That’s why I got the best luck today. No wonder I’ve been so fortunate.”

Cheng Yubai chuckled, “Sounds like you have foot luck, not hand luck. You walked your fortune out.”

Jiang Yuan laughed even more, thinking Cheng Yubai was quite the joker.

She demanded Cheng Yubai buy her hot pot dinner to make up for his earlier misunderstanding. They had already agreed he would treat her to hot pot and milk tea. He let her pick the place, and she would pay. As for their previous plan to visit Huashan Mysterious Cave on the way back, that had completely slipped their minds.