The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

Once upon a time, there lived two brothers. The elder was married, while the younger was single. From dawn till dusk, the younger brother toiled in the fields. He would rise at dawn, slurp some sour rice broth, head to the fields, and work without straightening his back until noon. At lunch, he would eat the broth again and continue working until late in the evening. Meanwhile, the elder brother and his wife stayed at home, indulging in various delicacies.

One day, as the younger brother was plowing, an old ox suddenly spoke to him:

"Niu-lan, are you going home for lunch?"

"I would, but I’m afraid they’ll scold me if I return early."

"Don’t be afraid, go!"

"But how can I go...?"

"Like this... Do you see that big stone at the edge of the field? Let’s plow up to it and then break the plow."

They approached the big stone. The ox charged forward, and Niu-lan helped by pushing the plow. Then, with a sharp tug backward—crack! The plow shattered into splinters. They headed home.

The sister-in-law was just making dumplings. When she saw her brother-in-law, she said kindly:

"Sit down, brother, eat quickly. I was just about to send for you!"

The elder brother asked:

"Why have you returned so early?"

"The plow broke."

The elder brother said nothing in response. The younger brother sat down and began eating the dumplings.

The next day, Niu-lan went to plow again. As lunchtime approached, the ox said to him:

"Niu-lan, at lunchtime, everyone eats buns."

"I won’t go home today!"

"Don’t be afraid, go."

"But how can I go...?"

"Do you see that big stone at the edge of the field? Let’s plow up to it, break the plow, and go home."

They approached the big stone. The ox charged forward, and Niu-lan helped by yanking the plow backward—crack! The plow shattered into splinters. They headed home.

When the sister-in-law saw her brother-in-law, she began to scold:

"Oh, you brainless devil, coming home so early again to eat!"

The elder brother asked:

"Why have you returned so early?"

"The plow broke."

The elder brother smirked and said:

"Yesterday the plow broke, today the plow again. Seems you don’t feel like working in the fields. Tomorrow I’ll divide the property!"

Just then, the sister-in-law brought out steamed buns. Niu-lan said nothing to his brother and began eating.

On the third day, Niu-lan went to plow again. As lunchtime approached, the ox said to him:

"Niu-lan, today for lunch there are fried pies. Let’s go home."

"I can’t! My brother threatened to divide the property yesterday!"

The ox replied:

"Don’t be afraid, go home. Whether you return early or late, the division will happen anyway."

"But what will I say if I return now?"

"Say the plow handle broke, and we’ll break it on the stone now."

They approached the big stone. The ox charged forward, and Niu-lan helped by yanking backward—crack! The plow handle snapped off. The ox then instructed Niu-lan:

"Cut some grass, take a bundle. When we get home, throw it to me, but I won’t eat it. You have your lunch, then come to me and say:

'My old ox won’t eat the grass,
And sour rice doesn’t suit me!
The old ox loves green reeds,
But I love steamed buns.'

When your brother divides the property, take nothing. Just ask for the old ox, the broken cart, and the knotted rope."

When the sister-in-law saw that Niu-lan had returned early again, she became furious and began to scold:

"Oh, you brainless devil, coming home so early again! And how did you even know about the pies?"

The elder brother saw the broken plow handle and was too angry to speak.

The pies were golden and sizzling in oil, ready to be served. Niu-lan said nothing to his brother and began eating. The sister-in-law circled around him, fuming and glaring. After eating, Niu-lan went outside, stood before the ox, and said:

'My old ox won’t eat the grass,
And sour rice doesn’t suit me!
The old ox loves green reeds,
But I love steamed buns.'

Hearing this, the sister-in-law shouted in frustration:

"Brainless devil, you’re good at talking, but when it comes to work, everything falls apart."

The elder brother climbed down from the kang and went to gather people to witness the division of property.

The sister-in-law asked:

"What will you take, brother?"

"I need nothing but the old ox, the broken cart, and the knotted rope."

"Won’t you take any rice?"

"No, I won’t!"

Niu-lan didn’t wait for his brother. He called to the ox, "Let’s go!" hitched the cart, and left.

Once they were outside the village, Niu-lan asked:

"Where should we go now?"
The ox replied:
"Straight to the south."

And the long, very long road that lay before them indeed led to the south.

They traveled and traveled, and only by evening did they reach the gorge. They looked around and saw a clear, transparent stream right at the entrance.

The ox said:
"Well, isn't this bliss! If you get thirsty, there's water nearby. If you get hungry, there's grass underfoot. Unharness me and rest on that big black stone over there!"

The ox went into the gorge, walking slowly, chewing on the green grass, crunching as it ate. Meanwhile, Niu-lang sat hungry on the stone.

Niu-lang said:
"It's all well and good for you, ox. You've eaten and drunk your fill. But what about me? I wanted to bring some rice with me, but you told me not to. What am I supposed to do now?"

The ox lowed: "Yi-ge-guai," turned back, and asked:
"Are you hungry? Go to where the road turns, buy whatever food you want, and put the expenses on my account."

The young man went where the ox had told him, ate his fill, and when asked:
"Who should we charge?"

He replied:
"Charge it to the old ox."

Niu-lang returned satisfied. The ox asked him:
"Did you eat well?"

"Oh, it couldn't have been better!"

"Now listen," said the ox. "Tomorrow, on the seventh day of the seventh moon, the Southern Gates of Heaven will open, and the granddaughters of Wang-mu will come out to wash their clothes. They will sit in a row, and the seventh one from the west will be Zhi-nü, the Heavenly Weaver. When she hangs her clothes out to dry, quietly take them and hide them. When you return them, call me three times, and I'll appear in an instant. Otherwise, she'll leave you."

Niu-lang didn't sleep all night, afraid he might miss the heavenly fairies. Suddenly, he heard a faint creak—hua-la-la—the Southern Gates of Heaven opened, and a flock of white doves flew out. They flew to the gorge, where a river flowed, and landed on the shore, transforming into beautiful maidens. The maidens sat on the stones by the water and began washing. Niu-lang noticed the seventh maiden from the west and hid her dress.

When Zhi-nü saw the young man, she immediately realized he had taken her dress and said:
"Why did you take my dress? Give it back. Do you hear me? Give it back!"

Niu-lang refused.

Meanwhile, the six sisters finished drying their clothes and began preparing to go home. They asked the seventh sister:
"Why aren't you coming home, sister?"

"I can't. Someone stole my dress."

The six sisters turned back into white doves and flew into the sky. They reached the heavenly gates, turned back, and called for their sister:
"Hurry, sister! The gates are about to close!"

Just then, a red-faced guard appeared and shouted:
"Hey! Hurry up, anyone who needs to go home!"

Zhi-nü shouted back:
"Let them close! I can't return without my dress!"

The heavenly gates creaked and indeed closed.

Niu-lang sat on the stone as before. Zhi-nü approached him and said:
"I'll become your wife, just give me back my dress!"

Niu-lang refused.

Then Zhi-nü said:
"Let's build a house, or you'll freeze under the open sky!"

Niu-lang replied:
"With what? There's not a single log around. We'll just have to sit here."

"No, we won't. Move over a bit, sit on the edge! Close your eyes."

Zhi-nü quickly pulled a patterned handkerchief from her embroidered purse, spread it out, blew on it, and in that instant, a house appeared before her.

She said:
"Open your eyes!"

Niu-lang opened his eyes, saw the house, and clapped his hands in joy.

They entered the house and began living there.

They lived happily. Their daughter grew up, turning six, and their son was three.

One day, Zhi-nü said to her husband:
"So much time has passed! Our children have grown up. The dress you hid back then will rot from old age! Better give it back to me!"

Niu-lang thought: "It's true. Our children have grown up. I'll give Zhi-nü her dress." He retrieved the dress from under the stone and gave it to his wife.

As soon as midnight struck, Zhi-nü left, abandoning her husband and children.

Niu-lang woke up, shivering from the cold, opened his eyes, and saw the starry sky above him. He felt around—a cold stone under his head, and his wife was gone. The child cried, asking for milk. Only then did the young man remember the old ox's warning: "When you return the dress, call me three times." How could I have forgotten?

As soon as he thought of the ox, it appeared before him and said:
"You see, Zhi-nü is gone. Why didn't you call me as I told you?"

"I forgot!"

The ox said:
"Slaughter me!"

"How can I slaughter you, my benefactor!"

The ox replied:
"Don't waste time! When you slaughter me, gather some firewood, burn my bones, and wear my hide. Also, weave two baskets, place your son in one and your daughter in the other, then close your eyes and head to the Southern Gates of Heaven to find your wife. A golden lion guards these gates. When it attacks you, say: 'Don't touch me, golden lion, I am the husband of your seventh aunt, and these are her children in red pants.' Say this, and the golden lion will calm down and retreat. Pass the Southern Gates, and you'll see another gate guarded by a silver lion. When it attacks, say: 'Don't touch me, silver lion! I am the husband of your seventh aunt, and these are her children in red pants.' The silver lion will calm down and retreat. Enter the third gate, and you'll see a devil with fangs bared and a hammer in hand—indistinguishable from a wolf's fang. When it tries to strike you, say: 'Don't touch me, devil! I am the husband of your seventh aunt, and these are her children in red pants.' Say this, and the devil will stumble and fall. Then your mother-in-law will come out to you. Go with her into the house. Inside, you'll see seven maidens sitting on a bench, but you won't recognize which one is your wife. Release your son, and whoever he runs to, whose breast he suckles, that is your wife."

Niu-lang did everything as the ox instructed: he wore the ox's hide, entered the heavenly gates, and finally found his wife.

His mother-in-law gave the couple a home, and they began living happily ever after.
The old father-in-law took an instant dislike to Niu-lang. He decided to get rid of his son-in-law and challenged him to a test of agility.

Zhi-nü said to her husband:

"Father wants you to compete with him in agility tomorrow. He will hide, and you must search for him carefully! First, search the entire courtyard, then approach the southern wall. You’ll see a bug on the wall—that will be your father-in-law."

The next morning, the old man came out into the courtyard and called for Niu-lang:

"Come on, son-in-law, let’s play a game!"

Niu-lang replied:

"You’re old, and I’m young. What kind of game can we play?"

The old man said:

"No matter! I’ll hide now, and you try to find me! If you find me, I’ll spare you. If you don’t, I’ll eat you!"

The old man transformed into a bug and hid in a crack in the southern wall. Niu-lang searched and searched, scouring the entire courtyard, but couldn’t find the old man. The young man approached the southern wall, saw the bug, and said:

"Is that you, honorable father-in-law, transformed into a bug? If it’s not you, and it’s really just a bug, I’ll crush it now! Ugh! How foul it smells!"

At that, the old man cried out:

"It’s me, it’s me! Don’t crush me! Ouch, you stepped on my beard!"

Niu-lang asked:

"Will you eat me?"

"No, I won’t. Go home!"

Niu-lang returned home, and Zhi-nü said to him:

"Tomorrow, Father will pose another riddle. He’ll turn into an apple and hide in Mother’s chest. Be sure to search carefully!"

The next morning, the old man came out and shouted:

"Come on, son-in-law, let’s play! I’ll hide, and you find me!"

Niu-lang had no choice but to search for his father-in-law. He looked in the house, around the house, and even dug through a grassy pit—but the old man was nowhere to be found. Finally, the young man entered his mother-in-law’s chambers, opened the chest, and saw a large red apple lying on a red cloth. He grabbed it and said:

"Is that you, honorable father-in-law? If it’s not you, and it’s really just an apple, I’ll eat it. It looks delicious!"

The old man cried out:

"Let go! You’ve pulled out my beard again!"

Niu-lang asked:

"Will you eat me?"

"No, I won’t. Go home!"

Niu-lang returned home, and Zhi-nü said to him:

"Tomorrow, Father will make you hide."

Niu-lang replied:

"Hey! Where can someone as big as me hide?"

Zhi-nü said:

"Don’t worry, I’ll teach you what to do."

At dawn, the old man called for his son-in-law again:

"Come on, son-in-law, let’s play! This time, you hide, and I’ll search for you."

"Alright," agreed Niu-lang.

Niu-lang crouched down, flipped over, and transformed into an embroidery needle. Zhi-nü jumped down from the bed, picked up the needle, and began to embroider, saying:

"Search, Father! Niu-lang has already hidden."

The old man rushed to search, scouring the entire house and courtyard—but he couldn’t find him. He returned to the house and said to his wife:

"I couldn’t find him. He found me, but I can’t find him."

Zhi-nü then threw the needle to the ground, and Niu-lang reappeared. She said to him:

"Father wants to race you tomorrow. Be careful, or he’ll win!"

"How could he possibly win?"

"Ah! You’ll never catch up to him! Go quickly to the storeroom, find some red seeds, and take a little more than a measure. Also, grab some red chopsticks. I’ll give you a golden hairpin. When Father starts to catch up to you, I’ll shout, ‘Throw the hairpin!’ But remember, throw it forward, not backward!"

The next morning, the old man called for his son-in-law:

"Hey, son-in-law! Let’s race! You go first, and I’ll follow. If I catch you, I’ll eat you. If I don’t, I’ll spare you!"

Niu-lang agreed, and they began to run. The son-in-law was ahead, the father-in-law behind, and the wife and mother-in-law followed with the children.

Niu-lang ran and ran, then threw two chopsticks and two red seeds. He ran some more, then threw another two chopsticks and two seeds. The father-in-law ran, picking up the chopsticks and seeds as he went. He picked them up and kept running, muttering:

"What a son-in-law! He should be saying his goodbyes, yet he’s stealing my things!"

Niu-lang scattered all the seeds and chopsticks, but there was still a long way to run. Zhi-nü saw that her father was catching up to her husband and about to grab him, so she shouted:

"Throw the hairpin! Quickly!"

The mother-in-law also shouted:

"Quickly! Quickly!"

Niu-lang turned and saw his father-in-law right behind him. He took out the hairpin and threw it backward. At that moment, the celestial river separated the husband and wife. Niu-lang remained on one shore, and Zhi-nü on the other. The wife and children wept. Even the mother-in-law shed tears. Niu-lang wept alone on the other shore.

The mother-in-law took her daughter and grandchildren back to the house, and the father-in-law also left. Niu-lang remained living on the other shore. From then on, the husband and wife could only meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

On that day, from early morning, all the birds would rise into the sky, and the mother-in-law would pluck a feather from each: from the magpie, the lark, and the swallow. She used the feathers to build a bridge.

By the evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, if you look up at the sky, you can see the Milky Way—a long, long bridge across the Celestial River. On this bridge, the Cowherd—Niu-lang—and the Weaver Girl—Zhi-nü—meet. If you hide among the grapevines, you can hear their conversation. Zhi-nü says to her husband with resentment:

"I told you to throw the hairpin forward, but you threw it backward, and that’s why the Celestial River separated us!"

Niu-lang replies:

"I saw your father catching up to me, and in my fear, I forgot what you told me. Three hundred and sixty days a year, three hundred and sixty cups and three hundred and sixty pots belong to Niu-lang. When Zhi-nü comes, she washes them all and stacks them neatly. She also washes and mends all the clothes."

But on the sixteenth day of the seventh lunar month, she must return to her mother, for she cannot stay with Niu-lang any longer.

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The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl

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