On this day, the tavern is abuzz with extraordinary liveliness. Although the Dùshuò Festival has always been a day of celebration, the lifting of the liquor ban has made this year's festivities particularly jubilant.
The patrons have been gathered here for days on end, drinking and chatting merrily. The stock of pre-prepared liquor isn't enough to satiate them, and they have to tap into the reserves set aside long ago.
Ms. Xu: Take it easy, people! There are only so many orders I can handle!
Ms. Xu: I thought I'd prepared enough liquor, but the festival isn't even close to over, and I'm almost completely out.
Poet: I was starting to think that the liquor ban would never be lifted. Even today, I had to pinch myself to confirm it wasn't a dream!
Poet: And it's all thanks to Jiǔ Niángzǐ. Who knew that such a careless girl would speak out for the people?
Poet: She's braver than I am, that's for sure.
Jiu Niangzi: It was nothing. All I did was ask a question.
Jiu Niangzi: Ms. Xǔ is always working hard to prepare and deliver liquor to everyone in the city.
Jiu Niangzi: So I thought, "What if there were no liquor ban? Then she wouldn't have to be so tired."
Old Drinker: Ah, she's starting to sound like Ms. Xǔ herself. Loving and caring—especially to us drinkers.
Old Drinker: She's learned from the best. Ms. Xǔ has been a great role model for you.
Old Drinker: Come to think of it, Lǐzhèng made a wise decision in sending Jiǔ Niángzǐ to you. He knows your personality well.
Ms. Xu: That's very sweet. Both Jiǔ Niángzǐ and I are flattered.
Old Drinker: It came from the heart. People my age never indulge in flattery.
Old Drinker: Speaking of the liquor ban ... it has actually come and gone a few times in my life.
Old Drinker: Over the years, the government has issued the ban during bad harvest years to stop people from making liquor from the grain.
Poet: I suppose there will be no need for you to sell your famous rice buns anymore. Although I must admit, I'll miss the liquor made from them.
Poet: It's the perfect thickness and has that wonderful scent of roasted rice.
Ms. Xu: Don't worry, I've taught Jiǔ Niángzǐ how to make the buns. We'll still make some now and then if there's a demand for it.
Ms. Xu: They were more of a necessity under the liquor ban; I didn't expect people to like them so much.
Ms. Xu: But the tavern will continue to get busier, so I'm afraid we might not have time to make them anymore.
The crowd is all cheering and drinking. Ms. Xǔ pulls Jiǔ Niángzǐ to one side and hands her something.
Jiu Niangzi: This is ...?
Jiu Niangzi: The picture books of monsters and Yāos! Where did you get them?
Ms. Xu: Lǐzhèng sent these to you. He knows you're interested in Xiángruì and the like.
Ms. Xu: Oh, and tomorrow is the first day of the new year. Let's go to the broken bridge together.
Ms. Xu: Some say that a giant bird has been witnessed near the bridge; it could be the Xiángruì you're always talking about. And we can pray for good luck, as others do.
No matter the weather, every year during the Dùshuò Festival, it always rains at the broken bridge outside the city.
The scenery on the opposite bank is shrouded in fine rain. This atmosphere, as if intentionally breeding sentiments of grief, is sure to evoke memories of the departed.
Ms. Xǔ stands with an umbrella, surrounded by pedestrians seeking good fortune on the first day of the year. They hurry by, not pausing for a moment.
Jiu Niangzi: Hmm, I don't see a giant bird anywhere.
Jiu Niangzi: Is there really a Xiángruì?
Jiǔ Niángzǐ tilts back her umbrella as she surveys the branches above, trying to imagine what the feathers and talons of a giant bird might look like.
Ms. Xu: It's really pouring down now. Maybe it decided to stay in the nest.
Ms. Xu: Birds don't like rainy days.
Jiu Niangzi: What a waste of time ...
Ms. Xu: A waste ...
Ms. Xu: If you have a question to ask and you find an answer, then I wouldn't say that your time's been wasted.
Ms. Xǔ leads Jiǔ Niángzǐ to the edge of the broken bridge. The remaining railings and planks have become especially bright in the rain, as if they had been broken by the flood only yesterday.
The silent passersby stop here, each holding a wooden slip in their hand.
Following suit, Ms. Xǔ takes out her own wooden slip and carefully inscribes the questions that have troubled her for many years.
Ms. Xu: In the past, if you carved your questions on a wooden slip, the Gods of Shètí would answer.
Ms. Xu: Back then, I didn't take it that seriously, so I never asked. But when I did finally have a question, the bridge was broken, and it remained unanswered.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ glances sideways and sees the words on Ms. Xǔ's wooden slip.
Jiu Niangzi: "When ... my own journey ..."
Jiu Niangzi: If no one answers, why do people keep asking?
Ms. Xu: Maybe it's because they already found their own answers. They just want divination to confirm it.
Ms. Xu: So they can finally make up their minds.
Jiu Niangzi: If you want to do something, just do it. You don't have to think that hard about it.
Jiu Niangzi: Just like the person who left me at the gate of Pèi City didn't.
Ms. Xǔ gazes at the broken bridge, falling into a prolonged silence. The rain pitter-patters on her umbrella, on the wooden railings of the bridge, and within her heart.
She ponders for a long time, unsure of how to begin ...
Ms. Xu: Jiǔ Niángzǐ ... I'm leaving here.
Ms. Xu: Leave my tavern, leave Pèi City. Follow my father and travel around the world.
Ms. Xu: It'll be a long journey. I don't know when I'll be back, so ...
At first, Jiǔ Niángzǐ cannot make sense of these words. It is as if she has been transported back to that day when she tried to read the labels on the liquor jars.
Hidden beneath her oil-paper umbrella, only the lower half of Ms Xǔ's face is visible. Her usual enthusiasm has been replaced by an almost indescribable, serene melancholy.
Jiu Niangzi: ...
Jiu Niangzi: I thought ... I thought you wouldn't leave. Not like the Daoist and my mom.
Ms. Xu: I'm sorry, Jiǔ Niángzǐ. It has always been my wish to see the greater world, to see what lies beyond Pèi City.
Ms. Xu: In fact, every time the Storyteller speaks, I cling to every word. Every night I dream of the glorious scenery and legendary characters, and I see myself there, standing among them.
Ms. Xu: When I was a young girl like you, I told my father that I would become a merchant and travel the world ... I've been stuck in Pèi City for too long—so long that I almost forgot my childhood dream.
Ms. Xu: The liquor ban was what kept me here. People needed me; they put their trust in me, so I thought it was my responsibility to run the tavern. But now, the ban has come to an end, and people can drink whenever they want.
Ms. Xu: So I told myself, "This is your chance, Xǔ. It's time to do what you want—to widen your world."
Jiǔ Niángzǐ's carelessly drops her umbrella and steps onto the broken bridge, the rain cascading down her hair. Under the bridge, the turbulent waters rush by, their destination unknown.
Jiu Niangzi: Fine. But I thought you wouldn't.
Jiu Niangzi: Since I've been here, I've been trying to find my mother—to recall what a Xiángruì is by piecing together scattered words from books and legends.
Jiu Niangzi: I thought I'd figured it out—that you were the Xiángruì I'd been looking for. So I learned from you. I tried to become a good tavern owner. Even then, I was told I was on the wrong path. But I thought, "Why not keep it this way? Nothing bad has happened. Why not live my happily-ever-after with Ms. Xǔ?"
Jiu Niangzi: But I was wrong. After all my efforts, you're still leaving me. Just like everyone else ...
Ms. Xu: I'm sorry, Jiǔ Niángzǐ ...
Jiu Niangzi: No, don't say sorry. Everyone has their own path. This is all because I followed the wrong one.
The rain grows heavier. Jiǔ Niángzǐ trudges over to the broken edge of the bridge and puts her hand on the moist handrail. She gazes over to the other side.
It seems so close, as if she could simply take a step to the other side, yet so distant, like the space she feels between herself and others. She has never truly been close to anyone.
Jiu Niangzi: The book Lǐzhèng gave me said that the wish, any wish, of a person who jumps to the other side of this broken bridge will come true.
Jiu Niangzi: If that were me, would I be able to jump over it ...?
Ms. Xǔ swiftly steps forward and grasps Jiǔ Niángzǐ by the arm, afraid of what might come next.
Ms. Xu: No one's ever done that. Don't be silly.
Ms. Xu: That's just a story, Jiǔ Niángzǐ.
Jiu Niangzi: I know it's just a story. But I took it seriously.
Ms. Xu: Jiǔ Niángzǐ ...
Ms. Xu: Go back.
The full moon hangs in the sky, illuminating the courtyard. All is still. Jiǔ Niángzǐ sits in front of a small table, a jar of fine liquor placed atop it, drinking alone.
Lifting her gaze, she sees that Ms. Xǔ's room is pitch-black. The mistress of the room has already gone to bed.
Jiu Niangzi: Back then, I used to wonder why people liked drinking liquor ...
Jiu Niangzi: It burns the throat and irritates the nose; it's not as clear as water and not as warming as tea.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ shakes her head, then lifts her liquor bowl to examine it closely. The bright reflection of the moon in her bowl resembles a jade plate or a delicate silver coin, shimmering and breaking with the movement of the liquor.
The little wooden dolls, timely as ever, clamber onto the table. They joke and giggle, adding a lively spirit to the previously peaceful courtyard.
Wooden Dolls: Alone! Alone! All alone!
Jiu Niangzi: They said liquor could take all your worries away ...
Jiu Niangzi: I didn't understand then, but now I do.
Jiu Niangzi: Alright, alright! Have a drink if you want.
Wooden Dolls: Want some! Want some!
Jiǔ Niángzǐ's eyes twinkle with joy as she brings forth a large bowl brimming with fine liquor.
The wooden dolls commence a dance on the table, then, one by one, they leap into the liquor bowl, bobbing up and down within it.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ lifts her bowl and takes a sip. Then, mimicking the patrons of the tavern, she starts humming an often-sung tune.
Jiu Niangzi: By the flowers in the snow ...
Jiu Niangzi: Raise a toast, and don't say no.
Wooden Dolls: By the flowers in the snow, raise a toast, and don't say no!
Wooden Dolls: You are having personal feelings now.
Jiu Niangzi: I'm not! I never have! ... I guess the Daoist was right. I need to become a Xiángruì, or I'll never leave Pèi City.
Jiu Niangzi: Yes, that's what I should do. To be a Xiángruì is to ...
Jiu Niangzi: To help people fulfill their wishes.
The famed tavern keeper of Pèi City, Ms. Xǔ, solemnly declares her intent to close the tavern and set off on a journey around the world. Her patrons are unanimously overcome with a wave of lamentation.
Through several days of farewell toasts, each patron of the tavern says their heartfelt goodbyes to Ms. Xǔ.
On the final day, the patrons of the city all come to bid her farewell, except for Jiǔ Niángzǐ, the serving girl, who is rumored to have already found employment elsewhere. Shortly thereafter, the tavern changes hands.
