As Qin Bing'er and I stepped out of the car, we immediately noticed the throng of people at the entrance of the Suobuya Stone Forest Scenic Area. Groups of tourists, speaking with accents from all over, were laughing happily, cameras flashing as they posed with the strikingly beautiful Tujia girls, who were dressed in vibrant traditional attire. Clusters of young men, clad in short, open-fronted jackets, straight-legged mid-length trousers, and white cloth shoes with blue trim, beamed with delight as they boldly draped arms around the out-of-town girls, showing off their broad, strong chests while striking all manner of imposing poses for the cameras. From some unseen corner, a sweet and melodious song drifted over: “There is a Magpie Bridge gathering in heaven, and the Tujia have the Daughters’ Gathering too… The celestial Cowherd meets the Weaver Girl, just as the Tujia sweetheart meets his beloved…”

My face drained of color. Could it really be the twelfth day of the seventh lunar month already? Had the Daughters' Gathering begun? But then I reconsidered—it was only the first day of the seventh lunar month, wasn't it? Why was the scene so incredibly lively?

Just then, a group of tourists arrived beside us. I overheard the tour guide, a tall young woman wearing the distinctive "Three-Tiered Water" costume, saying, “…Today isn't the main day of the Daughters’ Gathering. The official start is still about ten days away. But everyone is lucky, because as the Daughters' Gathering gains more fame, it generally begins around the first day of the seventh month now. So today, you can still experience the unique charm of the Tujia Daughters’ Gathering…”

So that was it. I patted my chest and let out a soft breath of relief. That nearly scared me to death. The time specified in the silk scroll was the seventh day of the seventh month. If it were truly the twelfth today, what would be the point of us searching for that Suoluo sacred tree?

Qin Bing'er was clearly captivated by the guide’s words. She tugged at me, and we fell in with the group of tourists to listen to the guide describe the splendor of the Tujia Daughters’ Gathering. Although I was a local of Xidu, I had never actually attended the Tujia Daughters' Gathering myself. Curiosity instantly sparked within me. Despite my ongoing mission weighing on my mind, I couldn't resist Qin Bing'er’s interest and so I drifted along, mingling with the crowd, listening to the guide say: “…The Tujia Daughters’ Gathering is hailed by domestic and international tourists as the ‘Oriental Valentine’s Day’ and has a history spanning over three hundred years. Every year, around the midpoint of the seventh lunar month, unmarried young women dress in their finest clothing, carry medicinal herbs like Bandang and Huanglian in their woven bamboo baskets, or bring socks they’ve embroidered or headscarves, and meet at Suobuya to sell their wares. Of course, selling things is merely a pretext; the real objective… everyone knows, right?”

“We know!” a roar erupted from the crowd.

“And what is it?” the guide asked playfully.

“Oh, my dear! It’s to find the person of one’s dreams, of course!” shouted a slightly plump young man, causing another wave of laughter to sweep through the group.

“That’s right, oh my brother…” the guide replied, neither yielding nor backing down, singing out with a coquettish and daring tone. The young man, highly energized, was about to offer another performance, but his companions laughed and scolded him: “What’s the rush? Let this beauty finish her introduction, okay? You’ll have plenty of time to sing later!” The young man grinned, laughed it off, and quieted down.

“The Tujia Daughters’ Gathering originates from the legend of ‘Farmer Xue’s Nine Daughters Seeking Suitors,’ and its birthplace is in Shihuikao and the Xiangban Stream of Dashanding in Xidu,” the guide continued. “The town of Shihuikao is composed of two old streets and a new street formed by a highway, covering an area of 450 mu and home to over 1,500 residents. The settlement is nestled in the center of a flat basin surrounded by eight conical peaks, which people call the ‘Eight Immortals Peaks.’ The ‘Eight Immortals’ are seated facing each other in a surrounding formation. A small, clear river flows gently beneath the stilt houses of the settlement, resembling the ‘Chu River and Han Boundary’ in Chinese chess, dividing the town—like a chessboard—into east and west. Thus, this small town is also called ‘Chessboard Town.’ The ‘Eight Immortals’ surround the ‘Chessboard’; some are playing chess, others are watching. The players are deep in concentration, the observers are silent—this game of chess will never finish…”

“Shihuikao wasn't originally called Shihuikao, nor was it in its current location. Legend has it that since the late Ming Dynasty, the settlement moved three times. The first two relocations were destroyed by fire, and the current location was only established after a geomancer surveyed the land. Shihuikao was originally named ‘Ten Huts.’ In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, this area was remote and wild, with few inhabitants. During that time, massive floods along the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, Yuan River, and Li River forced people to flee to the high mountains with their families. Coinciding with the Qing government’s policy of ‘Abolishing Native Chieftainships and Returning Administration to the Center’ (Gaitu Guiliu), which repealed the ban on Han people entering the hills and local people leaving, they encouraged people to move into the mountains to open up wasteland, decreeing that reclaimed land could be ‘held as property forever.’ Consequently, people from the flooded areas migrated to Shihuikao to clear land, marking their claims with straw ties. Ten family names—Zhang, Xue, Li, Teng, Yang, Tian, Qin, Cao, Huang, and Wang—built huts, settled down, and started businesses here, hence the name ‘Ten Huts’…”

“The families of the Ten Huts coexisted and multiplied with the local residents for generations. At that time, there was a local scholar in the Xue family’s hut, known as ‘Scholar Xue.’ He frequently traveled for business, going to Yangzhou, touring Dongting, and visiting the Nine Provinces. One year, Scholar Xue was returning from a long journey on the day before the ‘Day of the Departed’—the eleventh of the seventh lunar month—when his wife and daughters prepared a celebratory banquet. The scholar summoned his nine daughters; the ninth was named ‘Zhenzhu’ (Pearl). He told them, ‘Tomorrow morning, you sisters may style your hair, dress up beautifully, and go into the market to play for the day. You are not allowed to do this normally.’ Scholar Xue’s wife immediately objected, saying it was improper for young ladies to go into the marketplace and sightsee in a commercial town. The scholar explained, ‘In the Jianghu region, women act as bosses, managers, and shop assistants—they are skilled in commerce. They can pilot boats, cook in restaurants, sew clothing, and are accomplished singers and dancers. Such outstanding women are numerous, and I admire them! I want my daughters to go into the market and the commercial town to play, broaden their horizons, and increase their friendships. It will be very beneficial.’ His wife fell silent. Thus, Zhenzhu and her sisters rose the next morning, perfectly groomed and newly dressed, and went out. They instantly astonished and impressed every passerby on the street. From then on, every year on the twelfth of the seventh month, taking advantage of the Mid-Month Festival, the daughters of the ‘Ten Huts’ began emulating the Xue sisters: combing their hair, dressing in their best, and inviting each other out for a day of leisure. Over time, this became a custom. The restriction that forbade young women from showing their faces in public, lest it damage morality, was broken. From then on, young men and women of the area took advantage of the twelfth of July to meet in the street, unrestrained, exchanging glances, expressing affection, and forging unions. As a result, on the twelfth of July, young people flocked to the marketplace, which became crowded with buyers and sellers. Commercial trade also flourished from that point on. Praised by all, the Shihuikao market on the twelfth of July soon became known as the ‘Ten Huts Daughters’ Gathering’…”

“Then… what about the Daughters’ Gathering at Dashanding?” the same slightly plump young man interjected loudly.

“This handsome gentleman seems eager to find a Tujia girl for a wife! Don’t worry, I’m about to explain it!” the guide smiled and continued. “The Xiangban Stream at Dashanding is traversed by an ancient road paved entirely with bluestone slabs. Every time someone carrying a pole, hauling a load, leading a mule or horse, or walking to the Daughters’ Gathering passed over it, it produced a pa-pa sound, hence the name ‘Xiangban Stream’ (Sounding Board Stream). There are three accounts for the origin of the Dashanding Daughters’ Gathering. One says that Dashanding is rich in precious medicinal herbs like Dangshen and Tianma, which were monopolized by two wealthy families, the Wangs and the Hes, in the past. Because the mountain area was sparsely populated and communication was blocked, merchandise often piled up. To improve business conditions, the two families agreed to hold a commodity trade fair. The He family set theirs for the third day of the fifth month, and the Wang family for the ninth day of the seventh month. On these two days, the boundaries for 'mating' were relaxed to attract merchants from all regions. Since most people attending the market were women, it was called the Daughters' Gathering. Another account states that the five surnames of Dashanding—Xiao, Wang, He, Li, and Zhao—decided to build a market to promote their medicinal herbs, resolving to construct streets and alleys along the Xiangban Stream, setting the groundbreaking for the third of the fifth month and completion for the ninth of the seventh month. On these two days, they invited guests and merchants to celebrate, and the mingling between men and women was unrestrained, eventually forming these two market dates. Why was the market built at Xiangban Stream? Legend connects it to the water and a temple here. On the west end of the street, next to the bluestone path, there is a spring that flows year-round from the mountain full of herbs; it gathers in a pool that can cure all illnesses, especially gynecological ailments. Thus, many women would bathe naked in the pool on summer nights. Over time, the story of the naked bathing at Xiangban Stream to cure illness spread. At the east end of the street, there is a temple known as the ‘Goddess Temple’ or ‘Nuoniang Temple,’ dedicated to a goddess. This abundance of feminine culture permeated the formerly prosperous Xiangban Stream Daughters’ Gathering; it’s no wonder business was booming! The third account suggests that the Xiao and Zhao families in Xiangban Stream operated inns, providing lodging and meals for travelers carrying salt into Sichuan, and facilitating shopping for people attending the Duanwu Festival and the Mid-Month Festival nearby. The two families stipulated that the market days would be the third of the fifth month, two days before the Duanwu Festival, and the ninth of the seventh month, three days before the Mid-Month Festival. On these two market days, merchants from both inside and outside the mountains poured into Xiangban Stream for exchange; daily necessities from outside the mountains were continuously transported in, while medicinal herbs from the mountains were constantly carried out. This continued year after year. On both days of the Daughters’ Gathering, the already narrow streets would often become completely jammed. Locals selling snacks and native products lined the streets everywhere. When the streets became too crowded, the ‘market’ extended infinitely along the bluestone stream, all the way to the edge of the mountain, to the roadside… Local customs, influenced by commerce, became open and uninhibited. Mountain girls could seek their sweethearts during trade and 'use songs as intermediaries' to pledge their lifetime commitment. Married women could also meet their lovers in secret, agreeing to bring grain and cooking utensils on this day, setting up a pot with three stones by the roadside to sell snacks together, doing business, and then building a temporary shelter in the mountains to spend the night, returning home the next day. If a match was made on the street, they could also slip away into the mountains for a rendezvous. According to local elders, Xiangban Stream once even had a ‘Public House’ for illicit meetings between men and women. That’s why people called it the ‘Flirtatious Market,’ the ‘Wild Husband Market,’ or the ‘Maiden-Calling Market’…”

The entire group listened, wide-eyed, their throats dry and their blood boiling, their gazes filled with boundless longing. The slightly plump young man yelled out, “Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s go to the Flirtatious Market! I want to be a wild husband!!”

The tour guide burst into a chuckle. “Oh, brother, I’m afraid your wish will not come true!”

“Why not?” the young man widened his eyes.

“That custom has been abolished a long time ago because it wasn’t proper. However, if you have the talent—if you can drink well, sing well, and haggle well—once we enter the Stone Forest, you might actually find a beautiful sweetheart! But…” The guide deliberately paused here.

“But what?” the young man looked eager to try.

“I’m just afraid you’ll be sung speechless by the Tujia girls, get thoroughly drunk, and get tossed out!” the guide teased with a laugh.

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