The Legend of the Golden Snake Lord
BackOnce upon a time, there was an old man who had three beautiful daughters. As they grew up, they became as lovely as blooming flowers.
Beautiful girls were desired by everyone! Matchmakers came one after another, as numerous as fish crossing the river. Young men visiting their home for tea were as many as butterflies in a flower garden.
"I won't marry a man without money," said the eldest sister.
"I won't marry a man who isn't handsome," said the second sister.
They wanted a golden house, a silver house, golden cattle, golden horses, and even golden dogs.
They wanted to wear fine silks and adorn themselves with beautiful jade.
They wanted a man who was handsome and charming, who would praise them with sweet words, hold them in his arms, and cherish them in his heart.
The eldest and second sisters were already very beautiful, but they wanted to be even more so. They painted their eyebrows, lined their eyes, applied rouge, and powdered their faces. From morning till night, the two sisters argued noisily. They fought over flowered skirts, then over embroidered jackets, and after that, over embroidered shoes.
All day long, they were busy dressing up, holding mirrors and combs, leaving no time for chores.
Who did all the housework? The youngest sister. She washed the clothes, swept the floors, and cooked the meals.
All day long, the youngest sister was never idle. After finishing her chores, she would take up the loom to weave or the embroidery hoop to sew. She embroidered twin lotuses on one stem, pairs of mandarin ducks, and butterflies among flowers. Her embroidered clothes, shoes, and parasols were so beautiful that even the village women said, "Not even the Dragon King's palace under the sea has such fine things!"
One day, the old man went up the mountain to chop firewood. Under a nine-rooted tree, he found a gleaming lingzhi mushroom, a treasure of the mountain. Overjoyed, he set down his bundle of firewood and axe, pushed aside the grass, and picked the lingzhi mushroom.
As he held the lingzhi in his hands, the ground suddenly rumbled, and a door opened where the lingzhi had been. Out slithered a giant golden snake.
The snake coiled its long tail around the old man, squeezing him until he could barely breathe. Terrified, the old man begged, "Snake, oh snake, spare me! I'll give you anything you want!"
The snake replied, "Old man, you stole my thousand-year lingzhi. In return, I want to marry one of your daughters."
"Fine, fine!" cried the old man. "Let me go, and I'll go down the mountain and bring you my daughter!"
"Very well," said the snake. "By nightfall tomorrow, bring my bride to the nine-rooted tree."
The snake released the old man, who stumbled down the mountain and rushed home.
When the eldest daughter saw the lingzhi, she grabbed it and placed it on her head, saying, "This lingzhi is perfect for me. It makes me look so noble."
The second daughter, envious, demanded, "Father, you're so unfair! I want a lingzhi too!"
The old man grabbed the eldest daughter's hand and pleaded, "You must save your father! I picked this lingzhi under the nine-rooted tree, and a giant golden snake appeared, demanding to marry one of my daughters."
The eldest daughter shook off his hand and said, "Father, you're crazy! I'm as beautiful as a flower, and I won't marry a monster snake when so many men want me!"
The old man turned to the second daughter, but she quickly put on her embroidered shoes and ran out the door.
The old man wiped his tears, and the youngest daughter came to him and said, "Father, don't worry. If it will save you, I will marry the snake."
The youngest daughter combed her hair, put on a red wedding dress embroidered with mandarin ducks, and slipped on new shoes adorned with butterflies. She prepared to go up the mountain to marry the snake.
The eldest and second sisters, ashamed of the situation, refused to accompany her as bridesmaids. So, the youngest daughter took her red parasol embroidered with twin lotuses and walked up the mountain alone.
When she reached the nine-rooted tree, she knocked three times. A bright red door opened, painted with the character for "double happiness." Out slithered the golden snake.
The snake asked, "Girl with the lotus parasol, butterfly shoes, and mandarin duck dress, why have you come here alone?"
"I am here to marry the Golden Snake Lord, as my father instructed," she replied.
The snake was overjoyed. "I live in a mountain cave. Aren't you afraid that I am ugly, smelly, and poor?"
The youngest daughter knelt down and hugged the snake's neck, saying, "Looks and smell don't matter. A kind heart is better than beauty. Poverty doesn't scare me; hard work is worth more than gold."
The snake was delighted. That evening, under the moonlight, they exchanged vows, with the moon as their witness and the mountains as their proof.
After the ceremony, the snake led her into the cave. From the outside, it looked dark and gloomy, but inside, it was a golden palace with nine halls and eighteen wells. The rooms were filled with gold, silver, jewels, and silk. A grand feast was prepared with endless delicacies.
In the bridal chamber, the snake shed its skin and transformed into a handsome man. The youngest daughter, amazed, named him "Golden Snake Lord." From then on, he remained in human form, and they lived happily together.
After a year, they had a plump, healthy baby boy.
One day, while the Golden Snake Lord was out hunting, the youngest daughter missed her family and decided to visit them with her child. The eldest and second sisters, still unmarried, were shocked to see her dressed in fine silks and adorned with jewels. Jealous, the eldest sister tricked her into giving up her clothes and pushed her into the river, where she turned into a red fish, then a green bird, and flew away.
The eldest sister, pretending to be the youngest, went to the Golden Snake Lord's home. However, he soon realized the truth when a green bird sang outside the window, revealing the deception.
The Golden Snake Lord brought the green bird into the house, and it transformed back into the youngest daughter after he followed her instructions to remake her body with snow, plum blossoms, and branches.
The Golden Snake Lord then drove the eldest sister away. She fell into the river and drowned.
From then on, the Golden Snake Lord and his true wife lived happily ever after.