True
Story
6,000 Steps to
Paradise (7)
1,
A Stone Ladder
2,
A Beautiful Bride
3,
A Forbidden Love
4,
A Life in the Wilderness
5,
A House on the Hilltop
6,
Six Thousand Steps To Paradise
7, A Love Story
that Never Ends
9 December
2006
Xu and
Guojiang today before their
hilltop home, viewing the
mountain shore that stretches
beyond sight
The
construction of the stone ladder finally
had been complete. When Guojiang went to
market, Xu would descend down the ladder
to arrive at the single-plank bridge
waiting for his return, then together
they climbed 6000 steps to their paradise
on the summit. When Guojiang carried out
maintenance work on the stairs, which he
kept doing so twice a year, Xu delivered
drink and food to him, and wiped sweets
off his face.
Forty-five
years had past ever since they settled
their love nest in the deepest of this
primeval forest, and it had been good 42
years since they moved into their cosy
brick-tiled house on the top of the
desolate hill. Occasionally, Xu would go
with Guojiang to the town to visit their
children at school, and later, when they
got married, visit their homes in the
villages. And their children would also
come back to help with some heavy
household chores. But there was never an
outsider to intrude into their safe
heaven, not until one day in the autumn
of 2001.
At the
moment they strode out of the woods and
found a group of strangers wandering
around, they were equally taking a back
as those wilderness
explorers.
Since
then, the story of a forbidden love told
through a stone ladder spread across the
nation, and eventually they were visited
by some journalists who braved the wild
and tortuous trial to a remote corner of
the planet to knock at their front door.
Learned
that the journalists came so far just to
talk to them, the hosts scurried through
their work at hand and warmly prepared a
meal for the guests.
"We
have a lot of pork meat left from the New
Year," said Xu, inviting the guests
to sit by a homemade square table. Before
long, dilicious Sichuan
dishes of hot spiced pork
and salted pork and quick-stir-fried
herbs were presented.
Guojiang
poured everyone a cup of rice wine, and
the guests toasted to the health and
longevity of the hosts. The conversation
quickly turned to the stone ladder, and
one journalist asked how the long stairs
were actually done.
"He
did with steel chisel and
hammer," Xu set her sight on
Guojiang’s hand, gently touching the
thick callus on his palm. "All
together he has worn off seven chisels
…" The reflection brought tears to
her eyes.
Goujiang
raised his hand to wipe tears off her
face. "We’ve already made an
arrangement," said he to the guests.
"Now I’m 69 and she is 79, when
one dies one will be buired here, and the
other will go to live
with our sons, but after death, the one
left behind shall also be brought here to
bury, so we can be together
forever."
The
untamed wild mountaintop was always
quiet, and for a long while inside the
house was equally quiet. Something
lingered in the air. Finally it was
Goujiang who again broke the silence.
"Come, come, bottom up," he
urged the guests, and led the way to
empty the cup. Then he refilled the each
cup again.
"Let
me sing a ditty for you," he
volunteered and, lifting his cup to his
lips, emptied it again. Cleared his
throat and pitched his voice, he began:
"初三早起去望郎，
衣袋兜米来望郎......"
"The
third day of month,
I got up earlier,
Pocketed some rice,
I ran to see my lover……"
Xu
cackled, and then joined him:
"左手牵郎郎不应,
右手牵郎郎不尝.
我又问郎想哪样吃.
郎答应：
百般美味都不想
只想握手到天亮 …"
"I
held his hand with my left hand,
He could not say a word;
I fed him snack with my right hand,
He could not eat the food.
I asked him: My lover,
What do you like me to bring to your
side."
Guojiang
let his pitch drop and sang with his true
voice:
"My
lover said:
I wanted nothing else in the world,
Only to hold your hand
Until my last moment….."
Guojiang (69) and
Xu (79) today
(The End)
1,
A Stone Ladder
2,
A Beautiful Bride
3,
A Forbidden Love
4,
A Life in the Wilderness
5,
A House on the Hilltop
6,
Six Thousand Steps To Paradise
(References:
numerous Chinese newspaper reports and
online medias)
China
stories are told at wenhousecrafts.com
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Home B4 Long
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