Chapter 46: Moon Dam Miao Village

After two days, I finally arrived at the village where Ru Yue was. According to the map, the village was not far from Kunming, at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. However, it was almost surrounded by mountains, with steep terrain, and it was impossible for ordinary people to find it.

We had to walk the last part of the way without any means of transportation. It was only then that I truly understood the meaning of the saying “a tired horse will die if it is made to run up a mountain.” The mountain was not far away, and the distance in a straight line might be no more than two miles, but it took several hours to climb the mountain.

I grew up living with my master in a small bamboo house, so I was used to walking on mountain trails. But compared to Fanfan, Tuan Tuan, and even Tuan Tuan’s grandmother, I was no match for them. They walked on these steep and dangerous mountain trails as if they were on flat ground.

Tuan Tuan was very happy to be walking along the road. She told me that if she walked along this road more often, she would get used to it. She also complained to me that if it weren’t for me, she and Fan Fan could have played in Kunming for a few more days, but because I came, we had to hurry back to the village as soon as we arrived.

Tuan Tuan is a lively girl, and her conversation has a wild, sunny feeling that is unique to Miao girls. Compared to Tuan Tuan, Fan Fan is much more stable. He doesn’t talk much, and often just smiles at Tuan Tuan. He also looks for things along the way, picking mushrooms and occasionally catching bugs…

We couldn’t possibly reach the village in one day, so we spent the night in the mountains. They seemed to be used to this, and everything was very orderly.

Tuan Tuan built a fire, and Fan Fan quickly built four simple beds with dry branches around the fire. Tuan Tuan’s grandmother, who had not spoken much, sprinkled a lot of medicinal powder around our campsite.

Along the way, I didn’t have much time to talk to the group because I was busy rushing to get there. It wasn’t until after we had set up the simple place to stay that I was able to talk to them.

During the conversation, I learned that Fanfan’s Chinese name is Li Yang. Among the boys in the village, he and the two sisters Ru Xue and Ru Yue have the best relationship. The reason why Tuan Tuan is called Li Tuaner is because she was born chubby and looked like a snow-white meat ball, so she was called Li Tuaner.

Tuan Tuan’s grandmother was dozing by the fire, and the three of us young people had no barriers to communication. During this time, I finally couldn’t help but ask about Su Rou and Qin Huai. Tuan Tuan quickly told me that they were doing well in the village.

This answer gave me a sigh of relief. At first, I didn’t dare to ask, for fear of hearing some terrible news, but when I heard that they were fine, I was overjoyed.

If they were fine, then the so-called moth-borne messages and children delivering the messages were probably just a way to trick me into going to the village and incite me.

That night, Fei Fei made dinner for us himself. It was only then that I realized why he had been so picky on the way there.

The wild mushrooms were of course boiled into a fragrant mushroom broth, but the meat in the soup was actually a large rat that Fanfan had dug out of the bamboo roots. Fanfan said it was called a bamboo rat and tasted very delicious.

The dish was even more incredible to me. It was actually a yellow, fat, soft bug that was found in the bamboo. After it was cleaned, it was roasted over a fire. After the bamboo bug was slightly dried, Fanfan took out a small pot and stir-fried it.

There was no seasoning, just simple salt and pepper, and after stir-frying until it was crispy, Fanfan gave us some to each of us. The rice bowls were banana leaves that had been washed clean.

I was completely at a loss as to what to do with these mice and bugs, but I was hungry, so I was suddenly caught in a dilemma. I could only nibble on the tasteless dry biscuits.

Tuan Tuan stared at me with a look of contempt, as if he didn’t want to say anything to me. Rice Rice just smiled innocently and didn’t say anything. It was Tuan Tuan’s grandmother, who didn’t say much, who scooped up a spoonful of soup and said to me, “Young man, it’s hard to swallow dry biscuits.

I was embarrassed to refuse the old lady, so I had to take the spoon and drink a sip. As soon as the soup entered my mouth, I almost burst into tears. It was so delicious that I wanted to cry. I didn’t expect the soup to be so delicious!

The delicious flavor of the wild mushrooms was completely integrated into the soup, and the bamboo rat meat did not have any strange flavor at all. Instead, it had a very refreshing meat flavor, completely free of the smell of pork, the smell of mutton, or the smell of beef… Instead, it had a clean flavor similar to bamboo.

What a delicious soup! I didn’t care about anything at this point, and started to drink the soup and eat the bamboo rat meat in large mouthfuls. Because of the impact of this soup, I even ate the seemingly disgusting bugs!

I didn’t expect the bamboo worms to be so delicious. Not only were they crispy and delicious, they also had a creamy flavor. Combined with the flavor of the rice and salt, they were simply delicious.

I didn’t have a strong impression of the rice ball combination, but this meal was so special and delicious that I found it hard to forget them. I suddenly remembered what Brother Chengxin had said about the rice ball combination, and it suddenly seemed very appropriate.

Seeing that I love to eat, the three of them smiled and let me eat. This is the true nature of the hospitality of the Miao people. In the end, I ate so much that I felt bad.

The rice balls proudly told me, “Even if I left my family’s rice here in the mountains, they wouldn’t starve to death. There are so many delicious things in the mountains, and you’ll see for yourself in the future.”

Sleeping in the mountains is a very special experience. I never thought that after all these days of being depressed and having a heavy heart, I would sleep so soundly on such a bed of wood that was a bit uncomfortable, and have no dreams at all that night.

The next day, after walking for half a day, we finally arrived at the village where Ruyue was. Before we came, Tuan Tuan had already told me that every Miao village actually has its own name. For example, their village is called Yueyan Miao Village.

The reason for this name is that there is a lake below the village, which always swells during the rainy season, flooding some houses and fields. So the Miao people in the village decided to conquer the lake, and built a dam. After the transformation, the lake looks like a crescent moon when viewed from the air.

Therefore, the village was named Yueyan Miao Village.

This legend is very old, and Tuan Tuan said it can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, which means that their village has been here for at least the Ming Dynasty and has been living for many generations.

Originally, the Yueyan Miao Village was a secluded village that had avoided war and conflict, and had not had contact with outsiders. However, after some things happened, the village also had to bear certain responsibilities, so their village was still secretive, but people were no longer isolated from the world, but were walking in the world again.

I always wondered why even Tuan Tuan’s grandmother speaks fluent Mandarin. With Tuan Tuan’s explanation, I learned that the children in the village receive a very good education outside, with subsidies from the state, but of course they never mention anything about the village.

As for the elderly, they also received a lot of higher education from a young age, and Tuan Tuan told me that this has been going on since the late Ming Dynasty.

All of this made me feel a strange feeling that I couldn’t put into words. This village is located in a remote area, but the people are not as isolated and uncivilized as others think. On the contrary, everyone has received a higher education, and even the state supports them. What is the reason for this?

Is there a secret?

Just as I was wondering, the Yueyan Miao village was already in sight. When I saw this Miao village for the first time, my heart was shaken.

The village is nestled in the mountains, with the stilted houses arranged in tiers from high to low. With the unique mist in the mountains, it looks like a fairyland at a glance. Under the mountain where the village is located is a gentle area, or to be more precise, a valley formed by the opposite mountain.

The valley is flat, with a patch of fertile land and a small green grassland. A lake with a crescent moon-shaped reflection is embedded in the middle, with rippling waves.

We stood on this mountain, and the Miao village seemed within reach. I didn’t know which beautiful Miao girl was singing in the village, but her clear and melodious voice reached my ears. The beautiful scenery made my whole heart feel like it was about to melt.

The Miao village at Yueyan is so beautiful!