The Garden of the Jade Fairy

There is a mountain in the world called the "Abode of the Immortals." In the middle of the mountain, there is a garden known as the Garden of the Jade Fairy. But, truth be told, it's not much of a garden—just a gentle slope. There's no house, no courtyard wall. Old folks say that in the past, this high mountain was nothing but stones—no trees, no bushes, and the Abode of the Immortals was out of the question. Truly, a poor mountain, a barren ridge. The people who lived around it had a hard life, worse than anyone could imagine. They would climb the mountain, cut stones, sell them, and that's how they made a living. The wind blew, the sun scorched, their eyes filled with dust, and their mouths were dry and bitter. If only two trees could grow on that mountain! But it was just a futile dream. How could anything grow on such barren land? Yet one day, a peach tree sprouted on a large rock in the middle of the mountain. The rain lashed at it, the angry mountain stream pushed sand and stones downhill, but the little tree stood strong, adorned with red branches and green leaves.

At that time, there lived a young man. Every day, he went to the mountains to cut stones. One day, he wandered into that area and stayed. No one knew his surname. The wind in the mountains was strong, the sun scorching. His face darkened and shone. So people called him Wang the Black—Wang Da-hei. Wang's face was black, but his heart was kind. He was tall and strong, with golden hands, but he lived alone—no wife, no children. He should have saved money, but where would he get it? He would pawn his last pair of pants, sell his jacket, just to help someone. His kindness made him famous in all the villages—both in the south and the north.

Wang the Black would go to the mountains to cut stones, and every now and then, he would pass by the peach tree. Then one day, overnight, the tree grew from small to large, covered in pink flowers and green leaves. Wang the Black walked by the tree in the morning; it was quiet, no wind, the branches didn't sway. Only dewdrops like pearls tapped on his pants and jacket—tuk-tuk-tuk. In the evening, Wang walked home again past the tree, the sun was red, Wang had never seen such a sight, and the flowers exuded freshness. The young man watched: the petals floated gently toward him. He approached the tree, and—I don't know why—it seemed to him as if the flowers were smiling. The young man was delighted, his fatigue vanishing. From then on, Wang the Black always rested under the tree on his way back.

One day, the young man went to the mountains, walked past the tree, and saw: the entire tree was covered in peaches, large and red. The wind carried a wondrous fragrance. The young man went far, cutting stones, but the peach fragrance hit his nose, teasing him. It was the sixth month. The sun poured down its heat—poisonous venom, the stones like red-hot iron, burning his feet. Wang's shoes were full of holes, he had nothing to cover his head. Not even a reed hat. Soon it was noon. All the other young men had gone to find shade, but Wang kept cutting stones, giving his hands no rest. He cut and cut until his head grew dizzy, his eyes blurred. He leaned against a stone and didn't notice when he fell asleep. I don't know how long he slept, but when he woke up, he felt bliss, as if he had bathed in cool water. The young man opened his eyes and saw—shade above him. Not an umbrella shielding him from the sun, but thick branches and dense leaves. Rosy peaches hung from the branches, not one by one—but two by two. A wondrous fragrance filled the air. The foliage swayed, bringing coolness. Wang jumped up in an instant, thinking, "Who cut such a large branch and stuck it in the ground?" He looked around—the other young men were sleeping nearby. Wang grabbed the branch, wanting to shake it, but it wasn't a branch—it was a real tree, its roots deep in the rock, in a deep crevice. Suddenly, a sprout appeared, turning into a large peach. Wang thought, "What a marvel! Only one tree grew on the mountain, right in the middle, where did another come from?" The young man looked at the tree, pondering what it could mean. He walked to the mountainside. He walked quickly, his feet carrying him. He ran, his heart pounding. He ran to the tree that grew right in the middle. The branches swayed, the peaches fresh and rosy. Under one branch stood a girl, picking peaches.

The young man was even more astonished. Who was this girl? Not from the nearby village, nor from a distant one. Wherever the young man had been, he had never seen such a beauty. Her face was the color of spring peaches, her hair like green leaves. She smiled—two dimples on her cheeks. She waved her hand, and Wang saw something floating through the air from where he had been cutting stones. He looked closer—it was a branch, with two rosy peaches on it. The girl took the branch, pressed it to the trunk—the branch grew, as if it had always been there. Before Wang could recover, the girl plucked two large peaches and threw them at him. Wang, as if unwillingly, reached out his hand, and the peaches landed right in his palm. The girl laughed, her laughter ringing. The young man was embarrassed, not knowing where to hide. But the girl suddenly stopped laughing, waved her hand—eat the peaches quickly, she seemed to say. Wang took a bite, the peach was sweet—like honeyed water. He ate it whole—the young man felt cool, as if he had bathed in a river. He ate one peach, then another. The girl grabbed the branch again, shook it. Petals floated before the young man, falling like rain. Suddenly, the young man saw—he was no longer standing under the peach tree, but in a house, everything around him shining, sparkling with turquoise, and on the ceiling was painted a large, very large rosy peach.

The girl laughed and said:

—My name is Yu-xian. I am the Jade Fairy. I know: within a hundred li, you won't find a better person than you. You live alone, life is hard for you. When you go to the mountains to cut stones, pass by this place, don't turn aside, if you need anything, look for me.

She spoke, her cheeks redder, her eyes brighter—like peach blossoms blooming under dew, petals glistening at sunset.

Wang the Black looked at her bright face, listened to her gentle words, and felt so good, so joyful, but didn't know how to express it to the girl.

Before he could recover—the girl disappeared. Wang looked—now the other young men were approaching him. They were close, but noticed nothing. All they saw was Wang standing under the peach tree, the tree bearing red fruit and green leaves.

Wang returned home, and the Jade Fairy was before his eyes. He lay down to sleep but couldn't fall asleep until midnight. Perhaps the fairy had enchanted him with her peaches. The next day, he went to the mountains. He walked quickly, faster than before. Just as dawn broke, he was already standing by the peach tree. Before he could blink, the Jade Fairy appeared before him, her green house sparkling with turquoise. The maiden laughed, looking slyly at the young man. The young man blushed and said:

—I want you to mend my jacket, that's why I came.

The Jade Fairy was delighted and agreed. She sensed—the young man hadn't come just for the jacket.

The fairy said to the young man:

—I know, last night you couldn't sleep. Go inside, there's a kang, rest a little.

As they say: strangers meet, become like family. The young man saw—the girl was kind and gentle with him, she became even dearer to him. He obeyed her, entered the house as if it were his own, lay down on the kang, and fell asleep. The sun rose, the young men came to the peach tree, and saw—Wang the Black was fast asleep, his mended jacket lying beside him.

From then on, Wang went to the peach tree almost every day to see the Jade Fairy. The days were long, the days were endless, the young men sensed something was amiss and asked one day:

—Hey, Wang, why do you go to the peach tree? There's not a single peach on it!

Wang had never lied to his comrades, so he told them the whole truth. The young men were amazed, happy for Wang.

Now, you should know, twenty li from that place was a county town, where a certain official served, a relative of a capital dignitary. One day, he ate and drank his fill, having nothing to do, and thought: "I have everything—power and wealth—what else could I want?"

He thought and thought and came up with:

—I need to create a garden, with artificial mountains, large lakes, pavilions, gazebos, galleries, towers—then I'll have nothing more to desire!

The official laughed with joy: "All I have to do is say the word, and it will be done."

Indeed, it used to be that way; the official would say a word—and the poor people would shed blood and sweat. They began to force the young men to perform corvée labor, and Wang the Black was among them. From dawn till dusk, he loaded huge stones onto a cart and rolled them from the mountain to the town. His clothes were in tatters, his shoes worn through. One day, he rolled his stone to the middle of the mountain, and his shoe tore completely, no longer holding on his foot. So the young man said to the others:

—Wait for me here, I'll run to the Jade Fairy, ask her to mend my shoe.
The lads agreed and watched as Wang headed toward the peach tree. As soon as he walked away, a guard rushed at them, asking no questions and started beating everyone indiscriminately. Just then, Black Wang arrived. The guard swung at him, but suddenly someone grabbed the guard's arm. The guard began slapping himself in the face: slap-slap, whack-whack! It hurt him, his cheeks were already swollen, but he kept slapping, unable to stop his hand.

The lads—some stared at him in shock, others rolled with laughter—it was pure hilarity! The guard fell to his knees, still slapping himself, and begged for mercy:

"Forgive me! Forgive me! Forgive me! I'll never hit anyone again!" He said this three times, and suddenly he heard a woman's voice say:

"This time, I forgive you."

Only then did the guard's hand stop.

And he vanished—a wisp of smoke in the wind—rushing back to the district. He reported everything in detail to the official, from start to finish. The official was astonished and ordered the shapeshifter to be captured and brought in immediately. Before Wang could even unload the stones from his cart, he was tied up and taken to the yamen. He was given forty lashes and thrown into prison.

When the lads found out, they were alarmed, then angry, and eventually began to grieve. They talked among themselves, consulted, and decided to find the Jade Fairy. They headed into the mountains for stones and hurried to the peach tree. When they reached the tree, they didn't know what to do. You can't tell your troubles to branches and leaves. They had heard about the Jade Fairy from Wang, but none of them had seen her. Then one of the lads shouted in a loud voice:

"Come out to us, Jade Fairy! We have business! We want to talk to you!"

As soon as he shouted, a voice immediately replied:

"Wait, I'll open the door now!"

The leaves on the peach tree rustled and shifted, and in that instant, the lads saw a clean house gleaming with turquoise, and they found themselves standing inside it. But they didn't take time to admire the house—a girl had captivated them with her beauty. Beside her lay unfinished shoes. There was no doubt about it—the Jade Fairy herself had appeared to them.

They told her everything, just as it had happened, in order.

The fairy became troubled and said:

"Don't worry, I'll save him."

With those words, she flashed like lightning and disappeared.

At that time, the district magistrate was sitting in the great hall, amusing himself with his power and issuing orders. Suddenly, he heard a voice from the sky:

"Hey, you corrupt official! Why did you throw Black Wang in prison? I was the one slapping your guard in the face! What are you going to do about me!"

The magistrate raised his head—no one was there. His eyes widened. His aides were petrified with fear—they couldn't utter a word.

Then the voice from the sky spoke again:

"Hey, you pack of wolves! Release Wang from prison, and be quick about it!"

Finally, the official realized it was a woman's voice, mustered his courage, and replied:

"Hey, who's shouting up there in the sky?"

The fairy laughed wickedly and answered:

"You think I'm afraid to tell you who I am? I am the Jade Fairy."
The official speaks:

"There is one lord in the district, one father to us all. If I wish, a mountain of silver will be piled up; if I wish, temples will be built one after another. Come now, show yourself so I can lay my eyes on you!"

But the fairy just keeps mocking the official:

"Heh! I don’t see any official here."

"I am the one."

"To me, you seem like a pile of dung. I have no desire to speak with you! You didn’t earn your position—you bought it for a few thousand silver ingots. Silver stinks worse than dung. You are unworthy of seeing me."

It seemed the fairy had said everything, reminded him of all his faults, but no, he remained unfazed. There are such thick-skinned people in the world. And he says to the fairy:

"I was promoted to the seventh rank by the emperor himself, while Wang the Black is just a simple stonemason..."

The fairy grew furious, cutting him off before he could finish. She scolded and berated him, saying he could never compare to Wang in anything—Wang had a kind, human heart, while the official’s heart was evil, like a wolf’s. She scolded him so fiercely that even the thick-skinned official was shaken. He couldn’t bear it, his face turned red, and his neck swelled with blood. But he could do nothing. The fairy was incorporeal, beyond the reach of his power.

The fairy smirked maliciously and said:

"You wanted to look at me? Then take a better look at my magical power!"

As soon as she said this, a peach branch flew through the door. It landed in the very center of the hall, took root in the brick floor, and in an instant grew into a tall tree. Its trunk was so thick it defied description. The tree’s crown pressed against the roof, causing it to shake and sway. The guards and messengers saw this and realized things were bad. Some shouted, some begged for help, some hid, some sought cover. The official himself was the most frightened of all. His dignity forgotten, he bolted out of the hall like a cowardly mouse. The guards scattered. One of them fell to the ground, unable to rise. He pleaded pitifully:

"Release me, fairy!"

And he heard in response:

"I will release you, but first, open the prison gates quickly!"

The guard didn’t think twice and agreed.

Wang heard the shouts and noise from outside but couldn’t understand what had happened. Suddenly, the prison gates swung open. The prisoners rejoiced and rushed out in a crowd. Wang the Black ran with them beyond the city walls and returned home. The next morning, as he prepared to go to the mountains, he stepped into the courtyard and saw the Jade Fairy running in. She was out of breath, her hair disheveled, her dress soaked, and dewdrops like pearls glistened on her brows. Wang the Black was astonished, but before he could open his mouth, the fairy said:

"The district official won’t let you live in peace! I ran all night, covering ten thousand miles, and got you a magical chisel. Take it..."

Before the girl could finish, shouts were heard outside the gates. The district official had sent foot and horse soldiers to capture Wang. The fairy took the young man by the hand and said:

"Let’s run, quickly!"

They made it beyond the outskirts, but the soldiers gave chase, closing in. The mountain peak was near, but the soldiers weren’t falling behind—they were about to catch up. The fairy stopped, pointed to a high stone cliff, and said:

"Wang the Black, Wang the Black, take your hammer and strike here once!"

Wang obeyed the fairy, swung his iron hammer, and struck the chisel. The sound of the blow was unheard, but everything around rumbled and roared. Wang saw a round hole, as large as a gate, open in the stone cliff. He jumped into the hole. The soldiers peered inside—Wang the Black was gone. The braver warriors entered to search for him. They walked and walked, I don’t know how deep they went, when suddenly they heard the sound of rushing water. A wide, deep river blocked their path—the bottom was invisible. The water was swift; if you tried to cross in a boat, it would be smashed to pieces. On the other side, something sparkled so brightly it hurt the eyes. The soldiers stood, looked, and, seeing no way forward, turned back.

From that day on, no one ever saw Wang the Black again. Rumors spread that he had become immortal. The cave in the stone wall and the mountain itself came to be called the Abode of Immortals. A white mist often drifts from the cave, covering the entire mountain. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound echoing through the mountains: ding-ding, dang-dang, ding-ding, dang-dang, as if someone is striking stone. They say Wang the Black isn’t idle even in the cave. It’s true. The stone quarried from that mountain is smooth and shiny, as if polished. No one knows where the Jade Fairy disappeared to. Only the mountain is now covered with peach trees. Since then, the very center of the mountain, where the large peach tree grew, has been called the Garden of the Jade Fairy. As you walk from the Garden of the Jade Fairy to the cave, the trees grow denser and more lush. This is to shield Wang the Black from the sun when he visits the fairy. Sometimes, the mist lingers over the treetops for a long time—this means Wang the Black has met with the Jade Fairy.

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The Garden of the Jade Fairy

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