Wen Ming was a small-town exam ace, assigned to help develop a remote town. After two days and one night on a slow green train, he arrived. On his first day, he attended a meeting and listened to his leader's impassioned speech: "Comrades, we must vigorously develop tourism and bring this ancient town to life!"
While everyone else stayed up all night drafting plans, Wen Ming stayed up burning incense and praying: "Almighty River God, could you please bring in a high tide on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with a dragon rising from the waves? It'll be a busy day for tourists."
River God: No problem.
Local trending topic: #RareDragonRisesFromTheWavesInAncientTownForFirstTimeInACenturyOverTenThousandSpectators#
Excited local: I've never seen a wave this high! The ticket was only twenty yuan. Worth it!
Netizens spreading the word: For twenty yuan, you have to go. If you don't, you're not Chinese.
Wen Ming used his connection with the River God to get in with the immortals. He met the Mountain God, the Earth God, the Thunder God, the Rain God, and many more. With their help, the ancient town gained attractions like "Golden Mountain in the Sun," "Little Tiger Leaping Gorge," and "Mist in the Clear Sky." The town kept trending:
#TurnsOutLiBaiWasntLyingWhenHeSaidTheWaterfallFellThreeThousandFeet#
#WhatItsLikeToWalkOutYourDoorAndFindAForestOxygenBar#
To get on good terms with the young man favored by the River God, some immortals even volunteered to come by and politely ask, "Would you like me to move a dormant volcano here?"
Wen Ming: "...No need."
Little by little, the impoverished town gained mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery in every season. As the environment improved, endangered animals came to live there too. The leader couldn't stop smiling.
But nobody knew that the water flowing by day, the mountains lying still, and the monkeys eating bananas would all "come alive" in the dead of night:
"This is ridiculous! They've tossed trash into my belly again! Blech, blech, blech!"
"Sitting still is so exhausting. I can finally get up and move around..."
"Watch out for the old-growth forest on your head! Mountain, sit down!"
"Old Sun here wants to move my children over. When will the paperwork be approved?"
Wen Ming calmly replied: "Bringing the ancient town 'to life' is exactly what we were asked to do."
A green-minded small-town exam ace who cares about the environment x an ancient River God who is his ancestor
Theme: Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets
