The Red Lily

Once upon a time, in the mountains, there lived a lonely young man named Duling. On the mountainside, he tended to his field and sowed rice. The sun beat down mercilessly, and large beads of sweat, as big as soybeans, rolled down his face and chest, dripping into a crevice between the rocks.

Soon, a lily with a flexible stem and bright green leaves grew in that crevice, right on the stones. The blooming flower, as beautiful as white jade, shimmered brightly under the sun and, swaying in the gentle breeze, softly sang: "Ee-ee, ya-ya!" Duling stood leaning on his hoe, amazed:

"What a miracle! A flower has grown on a stone, and it sings songs!" Day after day, the young man worked in his field, and the wondrous flower from the crevice sang him a gentle song. And the more tired Duling became, the sweeter the lily sang.

One morning, Duling came to the field and saw that the flower had been trampled by wild beasts and lay on the ground. The young man helped it rise and said:

"Poor lily! Wild boars roam here, and the wind blows fiercely. I will take you to my hut!"

He dug the flower out of the crevice, brought it home, and planted it in a rice mortar. In the mornings, the young man went to the mountains to work, and in the evenings, by the light of a lamp, he wove baskets.

He breathed in the fragrance of the miraculous lily, listened to its quiet song, and a smile never left his face.

The Mid-Autumn Festival approached. That evening, the moon shone brightly outside the window, and the room was illuminated by the red light of the lamp. Duling, as usual, was weaving a basket. Suddenly, the lamp flared up brightly, and a large red lily flower bloomed within it. A beautiful girl in a white dress jumped out of the flower and sang loudly:

"The lily burns with a red flame,
The night has become as bright as day.
Young man, you toil day and night,
The flower fairy wants to help you!"

The girl laughed, and the white lily flower disappeared!

Duling and the flower fairy became husband and wife. During the day, they happily worked in the field, and in the evening, they sat by the lamp: he wove baskets, and she embroidered. Their life was as sweet as honey!

On market days, Duling sold rice, baskets, and his wife's embroideries. After two years, instead of a bamboo hut, they had a large brick house, their barns were full of rice, and cows and sheep filled their pens. Duling lived richly! He no longer wanted to work in the field or weave baskets. Now he pompously smoked a pipe and, holding a birdcage, went for a walk around the neighborhood. His wife asked him to buy a hoe, a sickle, or silk for embroidery, but he bought wine and drank all night. If she called him to work in the mountains, Duling complained that his arms and legs hurt. And if she suggested working by the lamp, his vision suddenly became blurry. Often, his wife would say to Duling:

"Our life isn’t so good. We need to work hard, and it’s hard for me alone. Help me, Duling!"

But Duling only snorted and looked away, then lit his pipe and went for a walk or to play dice in the neighboring village.

One evening, Duling's wife sat alone by the lamp, embroidering. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Duling had gone to the village to have fun. Suddenly, the lamp flared up brightly, and a large red lily flower bloomed within it. A colorful peacock flew out of the flower, spread its tail, and sang:

"The lily burns with a red flame,
The night has become as bright as day.
The husband is lazy, he won’t help,
The flower fairy flies away!"

The peacock placed Duling's wife on its back and flew out the window.

At that moment, Duling rushed into the room. He wanted to grab the peacock's tail but was too late. Only a single feather remained in his hand. Duling looked up at the sky and saw the peacock carrying his wife straight toward the moon.

Duling was left alone. There was no one to take care of him, and he became completely lazy. He only drank, ate, smoked, and wandered around. He ate all his supplies, sold his livestock, and wore out his clothes.

And then came the day when he had nothing left to eat, nothing to sell, and no money to buy anything. He began rummaging through old rags and suddenly found a rug embroidered by his wife. On it were depicted Duling and his wife working in the field, a slope covered with rice sprouts, and a field gleaming like gold. On the other side of the rug, they were shown working by the light of the lamp: Duling weaving baskets, and his wife embroidering.

Duling looked at the rug and fell deep in thought. Then, like a mountain spring, tears burst from his eyes, and he clutched his head:

"Ah, Duling! It’s all my fault!"

He turned away, clenched his teeth, then grabbed his pipe and threw it into the fire, broke the birdcage, and released the bird. The next morning, Duling shouldered his hoe and went to the field. From that day on, he worked in the field during the day and wove baskets by the light of the lamp in the evenings, just as before.

One day, he found a peacock feather by the window. He looked at it, sighed, and placed it in the rice mortar where the lily had once bloomed. Duling remembered the wondrous flower, remembered his wife, and tears dripped into the stone mortar. Suddenly, the feather disappeared, and in its place appeared a fragrant lily; a gentle breeze blew, and Duling heard the familiar: "Ee-ee, ya-ya!"

A year passed. The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived. That evening, the moon shone brightly outside the window, and in Duling's room, a red lamp burned. Beside it, he sat weaving a basket. Suddenly, the lamp flared up dazzlingly, and a large red lily flower bloomed within it. A beautiful young woman in a white dress jumped out of the flower and sang loudly:

"The lily burns with a red flame,
The night has become as bright as day.
Young man, you toil day and night,
The flower fairy wants to help you!"

She laughed, and the flower in the mortar disappeared. Duling recognized his wife and was overjoyed.

From that day on, they worked together in the field during the day and by the light of the lamp in the evenings: Duling wove baskets, and his wife embroidered. And their life became as sweet as honey once again!

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The Red Lily

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