16 Yahui

Time passed like smoke or water, and soon it was November eighteenth. Yahui’s period came again, causing her considerable pain, but also a sense of comfort. She became fatigued, though she continued her daily routine: attending class, eating her meals, and making weekly trips to Yonghe Hospital to visit her shifu, Jueyu. Whenever she returned to her room she would burn incense, make papercuts, and ponder the volume Encyclopedia of Chinese Papercutting Techniques, from which she learned yin and yang papercutting techniques, as well as flowing-stream, ink-splash, and knife-slicing papercutting techniques. The topic of the papercut images, meanwhile, still revolved around Guanyin and Laozi, but because the papercutting lines were finer than before and involved multiple layers, Yahui’s hand and the scissors became inseparable. She proceeded to produce a new story:

  1. Oh, Guanyin has grown into a big girl.

  2. Ah, Laozi has also reached adulthood.

  3. This way, they can each have the coming-of-age ceremony that they need.

  4. Can two trees experience love at first sight? If not, then why does the world have forests?

  5. Heading toward a tree is heading toward love. Therefore, when two trees fall in love, it is just like when Guanyin and Laozi fall in love.

  6. If two trees can fall in love, why can’t two people also experience love at first sight?

  7. When they are supposed to hold hands, they hold hands, and it is only after they do so that their love begins to shine.

  8. After coming together, it is necessary to separate, and it is at this point that the practice of using geese to deliver letters emerges.

  9. After they exchange countless letters, it is time for them to marry. The act of escorting a bride to the bridal chamber is humanity’s most beautiful event.

10. Because humanity has trees, it also has houses; and because it has houses, it also has villages and the world.

11. An ancient bridal chamber.

12. All marriages are simply a process of putting new wine into old bottles. New wine is very fragrant, and do we not grow up simply so that someday we might have a cup of this new wine?

13. Exchanging cups to drink and exchanging happiness to conjoin.

14. Exchanging happiness to conjoin, wedding chamber filled with candles. Such a beautiful life. Who doesn’t think so? Everyone thinks so.

15. A happy blossom blooms.