Cuentos extraños - Capítulo 17
Flying across the north and south, their old wings have weathered many winters and summers.
Joyful moments, bitter partings, and among them, foolish lovers.
You must have words to say, across ten thousand miles of layered clouds, amidst a thousand mountains covered in evening snow, to whom does this solitary figure turn?
---janeadam
Reply [33]: Six
However, Zhang Zhengqiu made a strange decision: filming of his new movie, Dragon Girl, was suspended.
After making this decision, Zhang Zhengqiu seemed to have forgotten about the Dragon Girl movie and devoted himself to filming another movie.
Although this decision made me a little uneasy, it was none of my business. I don't belong to these people, and my involvement was just a joke of fate.
But I wanted to follow him. Long ago, when I was just a naive young girl, I heard someone sing "Autumn Hu's Song." At that time, I thought that people in the world liked to say they were powerless to control their own lives, but that was just an excuse. Because they didn't dare to pursue what they wanted, they were forced by their environment, status, wealth, position, or even fate, so they claimed it wasn't their fault, and that excuse was being powerless to control their own lives. To prove that I was different, I wholeheartedly pursued what I wanted.
I always remember him standing quietly in the crowd watching me take off, his eyes like the brightest stars in the night sky. Over the years, I have been thinking, what was the reason that I eloped with him?
Was it because he remembered our promise and came to the shores of the South China Sea a year later, or because I wanted to escape the fate Feng Hou spoke of and become a rebellious woman without any reason, or simply because I loved him?
This is a troubling question. I know that Princess Dongting loves Liu Yi, and she is now in my body. But what about myself? What is that part of my soul thinking?
When spring arrived, Zhang Zhengqiu said he wanted to go to Songjiang to see the peach blossoms. Seeing peach blossoms was not something he usually did. But he really did it. He took me alone, away from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, to see the peach blossoms at Heli Huating.
Shanghai was once called Huating, Songjiang, Yunjian, and Haishang. When I lived in the mortal world, this place was not as prosperous as it is now.
Standing amidst a sea of peach blossoms, we remained wary of each other, silent and still. I wouldn't gasp in amazement like an ordinary woman, nor would he speak eloquently like an ordinary man. So we stood silently among the peach trees, letting the gentle breeze carry us and the petals fall.
He recited in a low voice: Qiu Hu took her to his wife's chambers. Three days he served as an official in a distant land. His wife, beautiful and pure, now sat alone in her empty room. Their sweet moments were fleeting, like the stars Shen and Shang. Sorrow came from all corners of the world. Easily affected, difficult to guard against. People say life is short, but for the sorrowful, the nights are long. All the grasses bloom in spring. She rolled up her wrists to pick tender mulberry leaves. Her fair hands searched for abundant branches. Fallen leaves did not fill her basket. Her silk robes obscured her jade-like body. Her gaze was filled with vibrant colors. The gentleman, weary from officialdom, returned home. His carriages and horses moved like dragons. His sincere heart traveled ten thousand miles. Upon arrival, they forgot each other. The traveler was pleased by her beautiful face. He asked her to rest by this tree. He lured her with the promise of meeting her. He then took off his golden robes. The virtuous woman was furious. Her words were sharp as autumn frost. She rushed to his house. She presented the gold and ascended the north hall. Her mother stood and called for her. Their joy was boundless. Qiu Hu saw this woman. He was startled and felt a chill run down his spine. How could he not feel ashamed of his betrayal? A vow of eternal love was no longer his hope. The pure and the impure must have different origins. Ducks and phoenixes do not fly together. They draw themselves into the long river. Indeed, the heart of a pure woman! Her husband was not virtuous; this woman was too strong-willed.
He is no longer the same as before, wearing a purple robe; now he wears a black suit. People nowadays prefer to wear the attire of the Hu and Yi peoples, finding Tang Dynasty clothing too cumbersome. But when I saw him, he was still that young man in purple, unchanged even after a thousand years.
Do you know this poem?
“I know, this is an ancient Yuefu poem, about the story of Qiu Hu.” You explained it to me more than a thousand years ago.
“I’ve loved the story of the Dragon Girl since I was a child. When I was in an old-fashioned school, the teacher didn’t allow us to look at our notes, so we would pass them around in secret. I read the story of Liu Yi delivering the letter over and over again, and I never got tired of it.”
"That was just a collection of anecdotes. Don't you think that the Dragon Girl, who was already married, was also in love with another man, which is a symbol of infidelity and impurity?"
---janeadam
Reply [34]: "Not necessarily. Perhaps she only liked Liu Yi from beginning to end and never liked the Jing River Dragon King."
I remained silent for a long while before answering with difficulty, "You're not her, how would you know?"
He smiled slightly, “Although I am not her, I think I can understand her. In my heart, the Dragon Girl is a strong woman who dares to break through the shackles of old morality. She actively pursues happiness, is not bound by old ethics, and finally gets a happy ending. This movie is not only a love story, but also educates women today that they can no longer follow the old etiquette of thousands of years and should learn to take control of their own destiny.”
I was dumbfounded. What about etiquette and morality? What did this mean? I had never thought about such a serious issue before! "But, in reality, she didn't find any happiness!"
"How could I not be happy? Being with the person you deeply love, that is happiness!"
“But,” I hesitated, “maybe the person she loves is the Dragon King of the Jing River?”
"How could that be? If she loved the Dragon King of the Jing River, why would she be with Liu Yi?"
"because……"
He stared at me intently, and I chuckled to myself, "How would I know? I'm just guessing."
He smiled knowingly and said, "Why don't you want to film the Dragon Girl?"
"This is different from what I thought. I don't think the Dragon Girl is like that."
"What do you think of the Dragon Girl?"
“She actually…” I sighed, “Why bring this up? I’ve already decided not to play the Dragon Girl anymore.”
"If I'm willing to listen to your opinion and rewrite the story according to your wishes, would you be willing to consider playing the Dragon Girl again?"
I was stunned. "You're willing to change the plot?"
"Yes, as long as you're willing to play the Dragon Girl."
"But why? Why do I have to play this role?"
He sighed: "I don't know, I don't know what's wrong with me, I feel that you are the Dragon Girl, you are the Dragon Girl, and no one else can play the role of the Dragon Girl well. The role of the Dragon Girl is only for you."
I lowered my head. Did he finally sense it? "But I've already agreed to withdraw from the performance as promised to Sister Ruan."
"That was just a private agreement between the two of you, it has nothing to do with me. I insisted that you play the Dragon Girl, and there was nothing she could do about it."
“But…” He grabbed my hand: “Don’t hesitate any longer, promise me.”
I knew I couldn't refuse; when he took my hand like that, I could no longer refuse. Whether I was with Liu Yi or in the ancient tomb, I always missed him, and now I fully understand that.
So I became someone who went back on my word, and I agreed to play the Dragon Girl again.
The script was changed according to my wishes. From my meeting with him to our finding of the Longquan Tai'a Sword, to the Dongting Princess, those were my old stories, and not a single one was omitted. The story is no longer about Liu Yi delivering the letter. People in the world do not really know me. They know that I lost my dragon scale for Liu Yi, but they do not know that I have mistakenly consumed the pearl of the mermaid god and am destined to live on in the world forever.
At first, Zhang Zhengqiu was skeptical of my opinions, but as the plot unfolded, he gradually fell silent. No matter what, as long as I said it should be done, he would no longer object. Later, I no longer needed to say anything; his script became closer and closer to reality. He didn't remember his previous life, but he subconsciously wrote about it.
Since I agreed to film Dragon Girl again, Ruan Zhiyun has disappeared from the film set. She seems to have completely vanished from this world, and almost no one knows her whereabouts.
I think she must hate me, hate me for going back on my word. I also feel sorry for her, but I can't refuse Zhang Zhengqiu, nor can I refuse myself. The dragon girl in the legends is not me. I can't help but tell people my story. It is my life of more than a thousand years. For a thousand years, I have existed in solitude, as if I was just waiting for this moment to come.
---janeadam
Reply [35]: When autumn came, I moved out of Zhang Zhengqiu's house and rented an apartment on Xiafei Road by myself. I could no longer live under the same roof as him because he was a famous director and I was about to become a famous actor. I don't know what's wrong with this, but everyone says it's wrong, and he himself thinks it's wrong. People's thoughts are strange now, or maybe human thoughts have always been strange, I just didn't realize it before.
My place is very close to the film studio, only a five or six-minute walk away. When I want to walk, I will walk to the set myself. If I want someone to pick me up, I can just make a phone call and a driver will come right away. I am different now than before; I am no longer that insignificant cleaner.
But I like walking. I like walking under the plane trees lining the road, where I might encounter blonde, blue-eyed foreigners in strange clothes, or pale, delicate Shanghai women in cheongsams. It's a strange world; both cheongsams and Western dresses seem inexplicable to me.