Lin Wan was bought for two taels of silver to be a bride in the remote mountains. Before her mother-in-law breathed her last, she clutched Lin Wan’s hand and said, “Take good care of Ershi and Sanya!” Her cruel second uncle-in-law immediately seized the house. “You bring bad luck! Get out!”
In a war-torn age of famine, their thatched cottage burned to ashes. Lin Wan took her frightened younger siblings, trembling like fledgling birds, and called out to the other helpless mountain folk, including Auntie Wang and Chen the Carpenter: “Come with me. We’ll build a new nest deep in the mountains!”
They fled famine for a thousand miles, crossing mountain after mountain. With the little life she could summon in her palms, she nurtured her “chicks,” and with her wits, turned wild roots and herbs into food. Their handcart carried the hopes of a whole community as its wheels rolled across the wilderness.
They settled on a barren stretch of land and built their nest, beakful by beakful: clearing the mountains, channeling spring water, creating all kinds of delicious dishes, and building homes together. At last, Ershi grew strong, Sanya rosy-cheeked, their new homes stood nestled against the mountains, their granaries overflowed, and the sound of reading mingled with birdsong.
They settled on a barren stretch of land and built their nest, beakful by beakful: clearing the mountains, channeling spring water, creating all kinds of delicious dishes, and building homes together. At last, Ershi grew strong, Sanya rosy-cheeked, their new homes stood nestled against the mountains, their granaries overflowed, and the sound of reading mingled with birdsong.
This is the story of a bought bride who, deep in the mountains, built a warm home one brick at a time for orphaned fledglings and wandering, lonely swallows. Why fear the depths of the mountains? Wherever there’s a nest, there’s a home, and its lights will shine forever.
