Hewan

People from Sunjia Village who live in Hewan often gather under the crooked old willow tree at the entrance of the village to tell stories. Here, all the stories are out of sequence and direction. Ancient glory, ambiguous migrations, and mythical jokes are all simmered over a low fire. Each narrator follows this rule: outrageous stories and solid past events must be reconciled. The thoughts, doubts, admirations, and sighs that followed, as well as bursts of unrestrained laughter, were eventually like silent falling flowers, slowly blending into the mud that nourished the story. Everything fell into silence, and it seemed that the next narration was being nurtured in the silence.