When the sun rises, the mist in the woods lifts; when the clouds gather, the caves in the mountains grow dark. The alternation of light and shadow is the mountain's morning and evening. Wildflowers bloom with a subtle fragrance, fine trees grow lush with shade, the air is crisp in the frost, and the water recedes to reveal the rocks: these are the mountain's seasons. We go in the morning and return in the evening. The scenery changes with the seasons, and the joy is endless.
Then there are those carrying loads who sing along the road, travelers resting beneath trees, those ahead calling out and those behind answering, the hunched and the young, coming and going without end. These are the people of Chuzhou out for an excursion. They fish by the stream, where the water is deep and the fish are plump. They brew wine with the spring, whose water is fragrant and clear. Mountain game and wild vegetables are laid out in abundance: this is the governor's feast. The joy of the banquet is not in strings or bamboo pipes. The archers hit their targets, the players win their games, cups and tally sticks pass back and forth, and people rise and sit amid laughter and noise: this is the guests' delight. The gray-haired man with a weathered face, slumped among them, is the governor, drunk.
An alternate history, adapted from existing works. It has an ensemble cast, with simple character relationships.
