After An Shili, Minister of Rites, accidentally crushed the shell of a golden river snail, things in his home started getting smashed every day.
At first, he thought mice were causing trouble. Then he suspected the New Year's Eve spirit called Sui had entered the house. Later, he thought it might be a flower demon. In the end, he discovered that a river snail spirit was behind it all.
She had come to take revenge because he had crushed her shell.
An Shili has obsessive-compulsive disorder and likes things in pairs. Even the number of words he speaks has to be even. Once the river snail spirit Jin Shugu found out, she would count on her fingers whenever An Shili spoke. “Ah! Grand Secretary, you just said eleven words. Eleven! That's not an even number.”
Jin Shugu hates reading and writing and is completely illiterate. As Minister of Rites, An Shili is responsible, among other things, for education throughout the country. He can't stand having ignorant people around him, so he insists that Jin Shugu learn to read and write.
Jin Shugu isn't having it. “Why do you care whether I can read or not?”
“Unfortunately for you, I have to care,” An Shili replies. “I'm the Minister of Rites, in charge of education.”
“W-well, I'm from Suzhou. Have you heard the saying ‘Suzhou emptyhead’? Emptyheads can't learn this stuff.” Jin Shugu answers in the Suzhou dialect.
“The Vice Minister of Rites is from Suzhou too. How come he could become a vice minister, even with an empty head?”
“Maybe... perhaps it's because I'm a Suzhou snail, not a person from Suzhou.”
An Shili softens his approach and coaxes Jin Shugu. “How about this: for every book you read, I'll make you a shell.”
An Shili is well-read, skilled at painting and calligraphy, and an expert craftsman. Jin Shugu, whose shell is gone, is tempted by the offer. “Can you paint things on the shell?”
“Yes.”
“Could you paint A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains?”
“Turn right when you leave. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.”
“Then I'll paint you, Grand Secretary. Can I tell you to turn right when you leave?”
An illiterate river snail spirit versus a patient in the advanced stages of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Delicate writing and skillful driving skills
One word awesome! The writing is superb, how come you are so good! The female protagonist has a cute and lovable personality, but the male protagonist seems like an old scholar at first hahaha I've read them all, short and concise, full of essence.
I have read both books, and the author's ending always catches me off guard.
It's a good read and I highly recommend it. It won't be a loss for my friends if I invest in it.
I've seen the original version, it's very fun
Beautiful, so beautiful!
The content is very interesting, a nice short story
Interesting. This is my first time reading a book of this type. I'm going to look for others to read [laughing][laughing]
Great book! Great book! Great book!