目录 Catalog：13.4 七夕会 Cowboy Meets Weaver Girl；13.4-7 佛教武术的起源 The Origins of Buddhist Martial Arts；13.5 南海龙宫 Dragon Palace of South Sea

13.4 七夕会 July 7^th Day

目录 Catalog: 1. 目的地香港九龙湾 Destination Nine-Dragon Bay Hong Kong；2. 牛郎的障眼法 Cowboy's Sleight of Hand；3. 赔不起龙宫的草 Can't Afford to Dragon Palace’s Grass；4. 牛郎为女婴抚平创伤Cowboy Soothes Heroine's Wounds；5. 二郎神的开山弟子 Second Wolf God's First Disciple；6. 上部座和下部座 Upper Seats and Lower Seats；7. 佛门武功 Martial Arts of Buddhas；8. 女婴的恐水症 Heroine's Hydrophobia

1. 目的地香港九龙湾 Destination Nine-Dragon Bay Hong Kong

牛郎跟着佣人来到了龙王（熬钦）的家。龙王说：“他们来问我你和小龙女（即夏娃，舜王，织女，嫘祖）见面的地点。我觉着我在香港和我妹妹见面的那个地方挺好。那个海湾的地名已经被我妹妹，尧皇，改成九龙湾（注1）了。你觉着怎么样？”

Cowboy followed the servant to Dragon King's residence. Dragon King (Aoqin) said, “They came asking me where you and Little Dragoness (i.e., Eve, King Shun, Weaver Girl, and Lei Ancestor) should meet. I think the place where I met my sister in Hong Kong is quite suitable. My sister, White-king Yao, has already renamed that bay Nine-Dragon Bay. What do you think?”

注1，三皇五帝是七位神，加上南海龙王是八位神。有人认为可以封熬忖和熬钦的父亲熬达为第九位神，因为熬达没妨碍熬忖成为中华共和国的第一位皇帝。这种“没妨碍”契合了上帝虚空的本质。尧皇同意了这个说法，所以她命名香港的九龙地区为九龙湾。后来大禹觉着这说法可以接受，就封熬达成为了中华民族的第九位创世神：欣龙，亦作庆龙。

Note 1: Three White-kings and Five Creators constitute seven Gods, and adding Dragon King of the South Sea makes eight. Some argue that Aoda, the father of Aocun and Aoqin, could be appointed as the ninth God, since Aoda did not prevent Aocun from becoming the first White-king Creator (emperor) of the Republic of China. This "did not prevent" aligns with the abstract nature of God. Emperor Yao agreed to this view; hence she named the Kowloon (i.e., Nine Dragons) area of ??Hong Kong Nine-Dragon (Kowloon) Bay. Later, Big Yu found this view acceptable and appointed Aoda as the ninth creator god of the Chinese Nationality.

牛郎回答：“我没钱去那么远的地方。”

龙王说：“你坐我的船去。这七夕会每年都有。如果你让她到咱这地方来，这么远的路，那她明年就不会来了。”

牛郎回答：“我听龙王的。”

龙王说：“我已经通知了我的船队，把我的游艇清理出来了。这几天你就出发去香港九龙吧！路远，到那儿你等她，别让她等你！”

Cowboy replied, “I can't afford to go that far.”

Dragon King said, “Take my boat. This July 7th Day happens every year. If you let her come all this way to our place, she won't come back next year.”

Cowboy replied, “I'll follow Dragon King's advice.”

Dragon King said, “I've already notified my fleet to prepare my yacht. Set off for Nine-Dragon Bay, Hong Kong, in the next few days! The journey is long—once you arrive, wait for her there. Don't make her wait for you!”

2. 牛郎的障眼法 Cowboy's Sleight of Hand

一天，牛郎从外面回来（注2），看见女婴正坐在船上，引诱一条大鱼咬钩。牛郎走过去在女婴旁边叨咕：“我从海南出来的时候，刺客威胁我：你若是不把他弄回去，他就举报你曾经去刺杀大禹！”

注2，这次七夕会是这样安排的。牛郎到香港九龙后，去住到了香港政府安排的住所。舜王（即小龙女，嫘祖）上了船，然后让牛郎回到船上，有回家的感觉。

One day, when Cowboy returned home, he saw Heroine sitting in the boat, baiting a hook to lure a large fish. He approached her and muttered, “When I left Hainan, Assassin threatened me: ‘If you don't bring him back, he'll expose your attempt to assassinate Big Yu!’”

Note 2: This is how it is arranged for the July 7^th Day. After arriving in Nine-Dragon (Kowloon), Hong Kong, Cowboy will stay in accommodations arranged by the Hong Kong government. King Shun (also known as Little Dragoness or Lei Ancestor) will board the boat and then let Cowboy return to the boat, giving him a feeling of coming home.

女婴惊叫着扔掉了鱼竿。

牛郎被吓了一跳，慌忙地把船舷上的一个花盆推到了海里。

女婴向牛郎比划着（屋里面的人会杀了我的），别让她知道。

Heroine screamed and dropped the fishing rod.

Startled, Cowboy hastily shoved a flowerpot from the boat's rail into the sea.

Heroine gestured to Cowboy, “The people inside will kill me.” Don't let her know.

小龙女听见了惊叫，跑了出来，问：“怎么啦！？”

牛郎回答：“我不小心把花盆碰掉水里了！”

小龙女盯着女婴看，她满脸通红。女婴尴尬地说：“牛郎逗我呢！”

Little Dragoness heard the cry and rushed out, asking, “What's wrong!?”

Cowboy replied, “I accidentally knocked the flowerpot into the water!”

Little Dragoness stared at Heroine, her face flushing crimson. Heroine said awkwardly, “Cowboy was just teasing me!”

小龙女转脸对牛郎说：“挺大个人，一点儿正行没有！我上船就看了龙王的花盆，都死贵死贵！我还得陪人家。你把鱼吓跑了，你去买饭吧！”

女婴正在脱衣服，准备下水捞花盆。牛郎回来了，说：“你们俩这么大的官，不会让我出钱买饭吧！”

女婴指着旁边和远处的两家饭店说：“钱我已经付过了。你到那儿随便点，让他们做好了，你拿回来就行了。”

Little Dragon Girl turned to Cowboy and said, "You're such a big man, yet you have no manners at all! I saw the Dragon King's flowerpots as soon as I got on the boat, and they were ridiculously expensive! I'll have to compensate him for them. You scared the fish away, so go buy some food!"

Heroine was taking off her clothes, preparing to go into the water to retrieve the flowerpot. Cowboy returned and said, "You two are such high-ranking officials, you wouldn't expect me to pay for your meal, would you?"

Heroine pointed to two restaurants nearby and in the distance and said, "I've already paid. Just go there and order whatever you like, have them prepare it, and then you can bring it back."

3. 赔不起龙宫的草 Can't Afford to Dragon Palace’s Grass

牛郎没去旁边的豪华饭店，选择了去远处的小饭店买饭（注3）。回来时，他看见女婴已经把花盆捞上来了，花盆里的植物蔫了，说：“这颗植物活不了了，你还栽它干嘛？”

Cowboy didn't go to the fancy restaurant nearby; instead, he chose to buy food from a small eatery farther away. When he returned, he saw Heroine had already salvage the flowerpot out of the water. The plant inside had wilted. “This plant won't survive,” he said, “Why did you plant it?”

注3，如图13.4，香港九龙地区有好多这第一次七夕会的传说，和《中华法典》描述的相同。但是后来的作者们考虑三千六百年来，中国的海岸陆地一直向外生长，香港的九龙地区是否是古代的地貌不确定，不承认香港九龙地区的传说。

Note 3, as shown in Figure 13.4, shows many legends about the first July 7^th Day in Kowloon (i.e., Nine Dragons), Hong Kong, which are the same as those described in the Chinese Codex. However, later authors considered that China's coastline and landmass have been growing outwards for 3,600 years, and it is uncertain whether Kowloon, Hong Kong, is an ancient landform, so they do not accept the legends of Kowloon, Hong Kong.

女婴回答：“龙宫里的植物也很贵！死是它自己的行为，咱管不了！”

牛郎走到了女婴的跟前，小声问：“你为什么去刺杀黄帝？”

女婴指着房间里面说：“她让我去的，我能怎么办！？”

Heroine replied, “Plants from the Dragon Palace are very expensive! Its death was its own doing—we can't be held responsible for that!”

Cowboy approached Heroine and whispered, “Why did you go to assassinate Yellow Creator?”

Heroine pointed into the room and said, "She made me go, what could I do?!"

牛郎问：“那这事还怎么办？”

女婴回答：“刺客是女娲和伏羲的手下，我惹不起！”

牛郎问：“你能把他弄回去吗？”

Cowboy asked, "Then what should we do?"

Heroine replied, "Assassin is an underling of Nuwa and Fuxi, I can't afford to offend him!"

Cowboy asked, "Can you take him back?"

女婴回答：“那也得把他弄回去，别让他在那里瞎说！”

牛郎指着屋里面的人问：“那你说我该不该跟她说，让她来解决。”

女婴回答：“说不说都行！我把刺客放回去，犯个小错误，问题不大！”

Heroine replied, "We still have to get him back, so he doesn't go around spouting nonsense!"

Cowboy pointed to the people inside the house and asked, "Then do you think I should tell her and let her handle it?"

Heroine replied, "It doesn't matter whether you tell her or not! I'll let the assassin go back; it's a small mistake, not a big deal!"

牛郎说：“我在路上考虑了这事。我觉得应该跟她说。原因是这件事让你产生心结了，说出来就没事了。”

这时，小龙女出来了，问：“你们俩在秘密策划什么？”

牛郎生气地转过头，说：“我和女婴几年没见面了，说几句话。那你总这么看着我们俩干啥！”

小龙女回答：“我饿呀！这已经下午了，还没吃早饭呢！我都出来看两次了！”

Cowboy said, "I thought about this on the way here. I think I should tell her. The reason is that this affair has caused you a trauma; exposing it will make everything alright."

At this moment, Little Dragoness came out and asked, "What are you two secretly plotting?"

Cowboy turned around angrily and said, "I haven't seen Heroine for years; we just wanted to exchange a few words. Why are you staring at us like that?"

Little Dragoness replied, "I'm hungry! It's already afternoon, and I haven't had breakfast yet! I've already come out to check twice!"

4. 牛郎为女婴抚平创伤Cowboy Soothes Heroine's Wounds

进屋后，小龙女就开始吃饭。牛郎坐在一边，女婴坐在窗台上没有吃饭的打算。小龙女问：“你们俩这是怎么了？都没吃早饭，怎么不饿呢！？”

牛郎回答：“我是一届草民，有些话不知道当讲不当讲？”

小龙女回答：“有话直说，由朕给你做主！”

Upon entering the room, Little Dragoness began eating. Cowboy sat to one side, while Heroine sat on the windowsill, showing no intention of eating.

Little Dragoness asked, “What's wrong with you two? You haven't eaten breakfast—aren't you hungry!?”

Cowboy replied, “I am but a commoner. There are some affairs I don't know if I should speak of.”

Little Dragoness answered, “Speak your mind freely. I shall decide for you!”

牛郎笑着说：“那你得先赦我无罪！”

小龙女也笑了，对女婴说：“老牛也学会讨价还价了！哎呀！看在你为我买饭的功劳上，我赦你无罪！”

牛郎说：“我在出发来香港之前，刺客去威胁我了。他说，‘如果我在回去之前，不告诉女婴把他弄回去，他就举报女婴曾经刺杀黄帝！’”

Cowboy chuckled, “Then you must first pardon me—I'm innocent!”

Little Dragoness smiled too and said to Heroine, “Old Cow has learned to haggle now! Oh dear! Considering the favor you did me by buying my meal, I'll pardon you!”

Cowboy said, "Before I left for Hong Kong, Assassin threatened me. He said, 'If I don't tell Heroine taking him back before I return, he'll report her for assassinating Yellow Creator!'"

小龙女恍然大悟地说：“啊！刚才你们俩在外面商量这事呢！我还在纳闷呢，你是怎么把那个花盆推到海里的！那是你在掩盖我的耳目！”

Little Dragoness exclaimed in sudden realization, “Ah! So, you two were discussing this outside a moment ago!  I was wondering how you managed to push that flowerpot into the sea! You were covering up my eyes and ears (distracting me all along)!”

牛郎继续说：“我发现女婴的反应过于强烈，她为这事有了心结！”

小龙女不笑了，重重地放下了碗筷，叨咕：“你发现了女婴有心结；我在你们俩的心里怎么那么坏呢！”

牛郎镇静地说：“怎么能那么说呢！故事不都这么讲嘛！国王派刺客去杀人，随后就让刺客喝毒药，杀人灭口。这都是正常的想法，谁不害怕呀！那不害怕才不正常呢！”

Cowboy continued, "I've noticed Heroine's reaction is too strong; she's got a knot in her heart about it!"

Little Dragoness stopped smiling, slammed down her bowl and chopsticks, and muttered, “You've discovered Heroine has a knot in her heart; why do I seem so wicked in both your hearts?”

他们三人都不说话了，陷入了冷寂。

忽然牛郎叨咕：“我最怕的是小龙女十八，九岁的时候就开始建造皇宫，还边设计边施工。她花费了120公斤黄金建了一顶当时世界上跨度最大的龙骨锁穹顶，但是还没建成就塌了。为这事，她妈，西王母，还为她举行庆功仪式！哎呀妈呀，那把小龙女羞臊得，一寸脸皮不剩！”

The three of them fell silent, a chilling stillness settling in.

Suddenly, Cowboy muttered, "What I fear most is that when Little Dragoness was eighteen or nineteen, she started building her palace, designing and constructing it simultaneously. She spent 120 kilograms of Gold to build what was then the world's largest dragon-spine dome, but it collapsed before it was even finished. For this, her mother, King Mother of the West, held a celebration ceremony for her! My goodness, Little Dragoness was so ashamed, only one inch of skin left on her face!”

小龙女笑得在床上打滚，把脸埋在了被子里。过了一会儿，她起来了，对女婴说：“我吓唬不住牛郎了，这可怎么办！？”

女婴回答：“牛郎变了，变得开朗了！”

小龙女回答：“我越来越喜欢龙王了，你帮我记着，回武汉后，我拨款给龙王在海南建一座龙王庙。”她又转脸对牛郎说：“你不知道，现在的中央政府可穷了。这建一座庙，我得和娥黄算计大半天。”

Little Dragoness rolled around laughing on the bed, burying her face in the quilt. After a moment, she sat up and said to Heroine, “I can't scare Cowboy anymore—what am I to do!?”

Heroine replied, “Cowboy has changed—he's become so cheerful!”

Little Dragoness responded, “I'm growing fonder of Dragon King. Mark my words: once we return to Wuhan, I'll allocate funds for him to build a Dragon King Temple in Hainan.” She then turned to Cowboy and added, “You wouldn't believe how strapped for cash the central government is these days. Building this temple will take me half a day just to crunch the numbers with Beauty-Yellow.”

牛郎问：“娥黄怎么没来？”

小龙女回答：“她的肚子又变大了，路远，不方便。”

Cowboy asked, “Why hasn't Beauty-Yellow come?”

Little Dragoness replied, “Her belly has grown again, and the journey is long and inconvenient.”

 

13.4-7 佛教武术的起源 The Origins of Buddhist Martial Arts

目录 Catalog：5. 5. 牛郎是我的大师兄 Cowboy is my Senior Brother；6. 上部座和下部座 Upper Seats and Lower Seats；7. 佛教武术的起源 The Origins of Buddhist Martial Arts；8. 女婴的恐水症 Heroine's Hydrophobia

5. 牛郎是我的大师兄！ Cowboy is my Senior Brother!

小龙女转脸问女婴：“你的脸怎么还那么红？”

女婴回答：“被你刚才生气给吓得！”

小龙女惊叫：“你冤枉我！我什么时候生气来着！牛郎！我刚才生气了吗？”

Little Dragoness turned to Heroine and asked, “Why is your face still so red?”

Heroine replied, “I got scared when you got angry a moment ago!”

Little Dragoness gasped, “You're accusing me wrongly! When did I get angry? Cowboy! Did I get angry just now?”

牛郎回答：“我感觉我刚才是在劝你别生气了！”

小龙女惊奇地看着女婴，问：“咱家后院槐荫树下的老牛是什么时候开始说话的？”

女婴回答：“牛郎一直都在变，今天的变化最大！我一直在琢磨我师父二郎神说过的话，‘牛郎是我的弟弟，杨过！’师父是什么？就是给徒弟制造灾难的人！这么说，‘牛郎是我的大师兄！’”

Cowboy answered, “I thought I was trying to persuade you not to get angry just now!”

Little Dragoness stared at Heroine in astonishment and asked, “When did the old cow under the locust tree in our backyard start talking?”

Heroine replied, "Cowboy has always been changing, but today's transformation is the greatest! I've been pondering what my teacher-father, Second Wolf God, once said: ‘Cowboy is my younger brother, Sin!’ What is a teacher? Someone who brings catastrophe upon their disciples! So then, Cowboy is my senior brother!’"

小龙女回答：“怎么你也变了呢！我得去龙王的厨房里看看，看看龙王喝什么酒？今天咱们仨干一杯！”

喝酒的时候，牛郎抱怨说：“你们女娲剧组演《牛郎织女》话剧的那位牛郎也太憨了，我牛郎哪是那样儿的人呐！？”

Little Dragoness replied, “How did you change too? I must go check Dragon King's kitchen—see what Alcohol he drinks. Today, the three of us will drink a toast!”

While drinking, Cowboy grumbled, “Cowboy in the Nüwa troupe's play ‘Cowboy and Weaver Girl’ is such a simpleton! I'm no such person!”

小龙女又笑得趴下了。女婴问：“那你感觉你是什么样的人？”

牛郎回答：“在硬件上我是和武大郎，二郎神，还有你一样的人，是万里挑一的人才！若不然，小龙女怎么会看上我！我是软件不行！我不责怪别人，责怪我自己不努力学习文化知识！”

小龙女笑得直不起腰来了，说：“我受不了了！得出去透透风。”

Little Dragoness laughed until she doubled over. Heroine asked, “So what kind of person do you think you are?”

Cowboy replied, “Hardware-wise, I'm just like Martial Big Wolf, Second Wolf God, and you— one-in-ten-thousand talent! Otherwise, how could Little Dragoness have fallen for me! It's my software that's lacking! I don't blame others—I blame myself for not studying hard enough!”

Little Dragoness laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up. “I can't take it anymore!” she gasped. “I need to get some fresh air.”

6. 上部座和下部座 Upper Seat and Lower Seat

小龙女出到船的甲板上溜达了一圈后，回来说：“那个《牛郎织女》的舞台演出是下部座的人写的。我们《中华法典》的作者分为上部座和下部座。下部座作者的创作目的是赚钱，也为我们上部座的作者开拓思路。上部座的创作目的是规范社会，所以我们被称之为《中华法典》。”

After strolling around the ship's deck, Little Dragoness returned and said, “That stage production of ‘Cowboy and Weaver Girl’ was written by the Lower Seat authors. The authors of our ‘Chinese Codex’ are divided into the Upper Seats and Lower Seats. The purpose of the lower-seats authors' work is to make money, while also broadening the horizons of us upper- seats authors. The purpose of our upper- seats’ creations is to regulate society, which is why we are called the Chinese Codex.

7. 佛教武术的起源 The Origins of Buddhist Martial Arts

牛郎问女婴：“刺客威胁我的时候，他很自信，好像是他肯定能打败我！”

女婴回答：“你们俩的基本功差不多；但他会女娲家的密宗武功。所以，在你们俩搏命的时候，他活下来的可能性大！”

小龙女问：“他怎么会我们家的武功？”

Cowboy asked Heroine, “When Assassin threatened me, he seemed so confident, as if he was certain he could defeat me!”

Heroine replied, “Your fundamental skills are comparable; but he masters the secret martial arts of the Nüwa clan. So, when you two fight to the death, he has a greater chance of surviving!”

Little Dragoness asked, “How could he know our family's martial arts?”

女婴回答：“刺客自己对我们说的。祝英台（即女娲）送梁山伯（即伏羲）去你老爷（老伏羲，蔻珠的丈夫）那儿学习女娲家的密宗武功的时候，是让文官和刺客陪着梁山伯一起去的。你姥爷就把金刚降魔杵和屠龙刀的武义传给了他们三个。文官和梁山伯在武术上是外行，所以就学会了三招两式的。就只有刺客学会了全部的三十六种绝技。那武术只适合佛练习，不传给外人。因为外人知道了，就知道了诸佛的缺点，那套功夫就不能保护佛了；所以他不能向我们展示佛门武术。”

Heroine replied, “Assassin told us himself. When Yingtai Zhu (Nuwa) sent Shanbo Liang (Fuxi) to your grandfather (Old Fuxi, Kouzhu's husband) to learn Nuwa's family's secret martial arts, she had Assassin and Literary-Official accompany Shanbo Liang. Your grandfather passed on the martial arts of Philosopher-Stone Pestle and Dragon-Slaying Saber to the three of them. Literary-Official and Shanbo Liang were novices in martial arts, so they only learned a few moves. Only Assassin learned all thirty-six unique skills. That martial art is only suitable for Buddhas to practice and is not passed on to outsiders. Because if outsiders knew about it, they would know the weaknesses of Buddhas, and that set of skills would be wreaked; therefore, he could not show us Buddhas’ martial arts.”

小龙女问：“我外公知道梁山伯学不会，为什么还要教他？”

女婴回答：“那两套武术适合佛用，在佛身上发挥的威力大，会个三招两式的就有了保命的本钱，有机会杀死一流高手！”

Little Dragoness asked, “If my grandfather knew Shanbo Liang couldn't learn it, why did he still teach him?”

Heroine replied, “Those two martial art combos are suited for Buddhas. They unleash tremendous power when used by a Buddha. Mastering just a few moves gives him the means to save his own life—and even kill a top-tier martial art master when the chance arises!”

注7，后文大禹让女娲家的师爷桥峰对金刚杵和屠龙刀修改后传于后世。大禹和佛是什么关系？大禹这种人是佛的代表，即佛祖释迦摩尼。但前文《玉皇大帝》中已经说了，靖国神社（即少林寺）里供的释迦摩尼是玉皇大帝。玉皇大帝和大禹是一类佛，也是金童，也是女娲家的女婿，伏羲。

Note 7: Later in the text, Big Yu had Bridge-Peak, the strategist from Nuwa's household, modify the philosopher-stone Pestle and Dragon-Slaying Saber before passing them down to posterity. What was the relationship between Big Yu and the Buddha? A figure like Big Yu represents the Buddha, specifically Shakyamuni Buddha. However, as previously stated in the chapter “Turquoise White-king Great Creator”, the Shakyamuni Buddha enshrined at Shaolin Temple is “Turquoise White-king Great Creator”. The Turquoise Creator and Big Yu belong to the same category of Buddhas; he is also a Golden Boy and son-in-law of Nuwa's family—Fuxi.

8. 女婴的恐水症 Heroine's Hydrophobia

小龙女忽然说：“我又想起来了！女婴你今天的情绪波动不全是我让你去刺杀大禹造成的；你有恐水症！上次太庙失火的时候，那两个宫人就因为运水的行动慢了些，差点儿让你给射死。后来，那些将军们就一起研究，就发现了在东海海啸那次你也有问题，你让我们两百多人一起跳海，是因为你一遇到水就可能发飙。所以，刚开始你说你要跟我来参加七夕会，我就没同意。后来娥黄又跟我说你要来看看牛郎，那时我忘了你有恐水症的事了，就同意你来了。”

Little Dragoness suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! Your emotional turmoil today wasn't solely caused by my order to assassinate Big Yu—you have hydrophobia! During the last palace temple fire, those two palace attendants nearly got shot by you just because they were a bit slow carrying water. Later, the generals discussed it and realized you were also involved in the Eastern Sea Seaquake incident. You made over two hundred of us jump into the sea because you might lose control whenever you encounter water. That's why I refused when you first asked to join me for today’s July 7th Day. Then Beauty Yellow told me you wanted to see Cowboy, and I forgot about your hydrophobia, so I agreed to let you come."

女婴回答：“我记得你把那两个人判刑了！”

小龙女回答：“那是因为你一直叫嚷着让我判他们入狱。他们俩入狱后，我让娥黄把他们赦了，调到别的地方去了。”

女婴叨咕：“我有恐水症！我下次回家得调查一下！我走了，我就睡在前面那个饭店的二楼，钱不能白花！我要点一大桌子菜！你们俩有事喊我一声就行！”

Heroine replied, “I remember you sentenced those two men!”

Little Dragoness answered, “That's because you kept yelling at me to lock them up. After they were imprisoned, I had Beauty Yellow pardon them and transfer them elsewhere.”

Heroine muttered, “I have hydrophobia! I'll have to investigate it next time I go home! I'm off—I'll be sleeping upstairs at that restaurant up ahead. Money shouldn't go to waste! I'm ordering a whole table full of dishes! Just call me if you two need anything!”

小龙女说：“等等！这里被兵围得里三层外三层的，没事！你安心睡吧，没人喊你！”

女婴回答：“用不着我了呀！那我去把刺客赦出来！”

女婴离开后，牛郎问小龙女：“他怎么也能行使特赦权？”

Little Dragoness said, “Wait! This place is surrounded by soldiers’ layer upon layer. It's fine! Just sleep soundly—no one will call for you!”

Heroine replied, "I'm not needed! I'll go and pardon Assassin!"

After Heroine left, Cowboy asked Little Dragoness, "How can he exercise the power of pardon?"

小龙女回答：“不知道！可能让刺客装病，然后就以不能虐待功臣为名放他回家了。”

牛郎又问：“那你为什么不赦了刺客？”

小龙女回答：“我还没来得及说呢，她就走了！”

Little Dragoness replied, "I don't know! Maybe she had Assassin feign illness and then released him home under the pretext of not mistreating a meritorious official."

Cowboy asked again, "Then why didn't you pardon Assassin?"

Little Dragoness replied, "Before I could even say anything, she left!"

 

13.5 南海龙宫 Dragon Palace of South Sea

小龙女（即舜王，嫘祖）回到武汉就提出了为龙王在海南建庙的提议。她问尧皇有没有龙国祖庙的资料。

尧皇回答：“我们重庆老家的王宫里有很多模型！”

去重庆王宫看的人回来后报告说：“重庆王宫的地下室里有20几个龙宫的模型，是他们家十几代人的理想。”

Upon returning to Wuhan, Little Dragoness (aka. King Shun, Lei Ancestor) proposed building a temple for Dragon King in Hainan. She asked White-king Yao if she had any records of the ancestral temple of the Dragon Kingdom.

White-king Yao replied, “Our royal palace back in Chongqing has many models!”

Those who went to inspect the Chongqing royal palace returned with this report: “In the basement of the Chongqing royal palace lie over twenty models of dragon palaces—the culmination of their family's aspirations spanning more than a dozen generations.”

小龙女和娥黄坚持主张在海南为龙王建龙宫；尧皇也没反对。就这样这个在中华共和国（商朝）的开国建设项目中排列第十三位的工程项目就开始了。因为龙王的岁数大了，所以他们预计的龙宫工程的总工期是18个月。工程的构件分别在大陆的几个省份七十多个地点生产，然后运到海南岛组装。

Little Dragoness and Beauty Yellow insisted on building the Dragon Palace in Hainan; White-king Yao did not object. Thus began the thirteenth major construction project in the founding of the Chinese Republic (Shang Dynasty). Given the Dragon King's advanced age, the total construction period for the palace was estimated at 18 months. Components were manufactured at over seventy locations across several provinces on the mainland before being transported to Hainan Island for assembly.

2.

108公斤的黄金很快就由中央拨发到了海南政府。龙王任命牛郎为工程总监，代表他来监督施工。根据中央政府的要求，这个工程项目是给龙王的一个惊喜，不让龙王进入工地偷看。军方就把这拒止龙王进入工地的任务交给了牛郎。为此，龙宫工地的周围被用布围起来了。

The 108 kilograms of gold were swiftly dispatched from central government to Hainan administration. Dragon King appointed Cowboy as project director to oversee construction on his behalf. Per the central government's directive, this project was intended as a surprise for Dragon King, who was forbidden from entering the site to peek. The military thus assigned Cowboy the task of barring Dragon King from the construction grounds. To this end, the perimeter of the Dragon Palace construction site was cordoned off with cloth barriers.

龙王常常站在工地的外面看。他看见主要的施工区的地基挖得很深，然后被埋起来了。牛郎还建了几排仓库，和后花园。但他听说钱被花没了，就问牛郎：“搞建筑我是外行，但我也知道先建主体工程，你却先建后花园。现在钱花没了，我的庙却还没开始建呢！我什么时候能入住？”

Dragon King often stood outside the construction site watching. He saw that the foundation in the main construction area had been dug deep, then filled back in. Cowboy had also built several rows of warehouses and a back garden. But when he heard the money had been spent, he asked Cowboy, “I may be a layman when it comes to construction, but even I know you should build the main structure first. Yet you started with the back garden. Now the money's gone, and my temple hasn't even begun! When will I be able to move in?”

牛郎回答：“我只负责前期的准备工作；一期工程按时完成。现在中央政府正在为第二期工程筹钱呢！还没开始呢，竣工时间没人知道！”

龙王听后震惊了：“还没开始就没钱了，这不泡我呢吗！不行，我得派人去武汉打听打听！”

Cowboy replied, “I'm only responsible for the preliminary preparations; Phase One was completed on schedule. Right now, the central government is raising funds for Phase Two! It hasn't even started yet, so no one knows when it will be finished!”

Dragon King was stunned upon hearing this: “Out of money before the project even started? This is a total rip-off! No way—I'll send someone to Wuhan to check affairs out!”

3.

据说尧皇把她唯一的巨额财富全部的千年人参卖了，捐给了此龙宫项目，此龙宫的二期工程才有了启动资金。二郎神主动担负起了陆路和海上的运输任务，才使得这个项目有了竣工的希望。海南的政治犯们主动捐赠了大量的黄金。龙王也捐出了全部的财产，说：“说是给我建庙，我能住几天，就是给大伙看着玩！不过，我的钱留着也没别的用途了！”

It is said that White-king Yao sold her only vast fortune— “all her thousand-year-old ginsengs”—and donated it to this Dragon Palace project, providing the start-up capital for its second phase. Second Wolf God voluntarily took charge of both land and sea transportation, finally giving the project hope of completion. Political prisoners in Hainan voluntarily donated large quantities of gold. Dragon King also contributed his entire fortune, declaring: “They say it's to build a temple for me, but how many days could I possibly stay there? It's just for everyone else to admire! Besides, I have no other use for my money anyway!”

4.

一天，趁着龙宫工地里没人，龙王溜进了工地，查看了地基的布置。随后，他又要打开一个先抵达构建的包装查看。牛郎坐到了那个构件上，不让龙王看。龙王说：“我知道这是我的头，你坐在我的头上了！”

牛郎说：“这不是你的头，是屋脊上的小龙。”

龙王惊讶地说：“屋脊上的小龙就这么大，那我的头得多大？”

One day, while the dragon palace construction site was deserted, Dragon King slipped in to inspect the foundation layout. Next, he wanted to open the packaging of a pre-assembled component to examine it. Cowboy sat on that piece, blocking Dragon King's view. Dragon King exclaimed, “I know this is my head—you're sitting on my head!”

Cowboy replied, “This isn't your head; it's the little dragon on the roof ridge.”

Dragon King exclaimed in astonishment, “If the little dragon on the ridge is this big, then how enormous must my head be?”

牛郎回答：“我听说你有两个头，每个头的主要构件重17吨！”

龙王惊讶了：“我的一个头就有17吨重，那可怎么运输，怎么安装？”

牛郎回答：“所以修从码头到这工地的路就花费了20多公斤的黄金。”

Cowboy replied, “I heard you have two heads, each weighing 17 tons!”

Dragon King was astonished: “Each of my heads weighs 17 tons! How on earth would we transport and install them?”

Cowboy answered, “That's why building the road from the dock to this construction site cost over 20 kilograms of gold.”

龙王问：“我听说我的嘴还能喷水，那水是哪里来的？”

牛郎回答：“屋顶的雨水会汇集在蓄水池。蓄水池由铅管和龙头连接。下雨的时候，水就从你的喉咙里喷出来了。”

Dragon King asked, “I've heard my mouth can spout water. Where does that water come from?”

Cowboy replied, “Rainwater from the roof collects in the reservoir. The reservoir is connected to your throat by lead pipes and a faucet. When it rains, the water sprays out through your throat.”

龙王问：“现在工程的总造价是多少钱了？”

牛郎回答：“没人知道！二郎神拒绝公布他运输这些材料的花费。”

龙王听后不出声了。

Dragon King asked, “What is the total cost of the project now?”

Cowboy replied, “No one knows! Second Wolf God refuses to disclose how much it cost him to transport these materials.”

Dragon King fell silent upon hearing this.

5.

牛郎安慰龙王说：“现在钱到位了，龙宫的构件运到这里后，安装的工期才三个月。下个月，我就去内陆学习龙宫的安装了。”

龙王没出声。

Cowboy reassured Dragon King, “Now that the funds are in place, once the Dragon Palace components arrive here, installation will take only three months. Next month, I'll head inland to learn how to assemble the Dragon Palace.”

Dragon King remained silent.

牛郎继续说：“这肯定是咱中华共和国建国的第一大工程了！竣工时你妹妹，尧皇，肯定也会来主持开幕仪式，和你一起住进这龙宫。你怎么还不高兴呢？”

龙王回答：“因为你还没结婚，我妹妹她不敢来，怕看见你给黄帝大禹戴绿帽子。我妹妹和我不一样，她得考虑一万年的名声！”

Cowboy continued, “This is undoubtedly the greatest project since the founding of Republic of China! When it's completed, your sister, White-king Yao, will surely come to preside over the opening ceremony and live with you in this Dragon Palace. Why aren't you happy yet?”

Dragon King replied, “Because you're not married yet, my sister dares not come—she fears seeing you cuckold ‘Yellow Creator Big Yu.’ Unlike me, she must consider her reputation for ten thousand years!”

牛郎立刻给龙王跪下了，说：“这事谁都明白，您是唯一对我说实话的人。我发誓：以后无论发生了什么事，你永远是我的师傅。我听从您的安排！”

Cowboy immediately knelt before Dragon King and said, “Everyone understands this matter. You are the only one who has spoken truthfully to me. I swear: no matter what happens from now on, you will always be my master. I will obey your arrangements!”

龙王说：“结婚了，你也能收收心，俩孩子也算有个家了。那我就通知地方官帮你物色一位合适的姑娘，你同意了？”

牛郎回答：“我听从龙王的安排！”

Dragon King said, “Once you're married, you can settle down. The two children will finally have a proper home. I'll have the local officials find you a suitable young woman. Do you agree?”

Cowboy replied, “I'll follow Dragon King's arrangements!”

6. 牛郎结婚了 Cowboy Got Married

龙王在地方官的陪同下，亲自面试牛郎的候选新娘。看了几位姑娘后，龙王都觉着不合适。后来，没人知道龙王从哪儿给牛郎找来了一位姑娘。龙王还为牛郎买了一套小房子，亲自为牛郎和那位姑娘主持婚礼。

传说，牛郎结婚后的第二天就回到了工地，一就住在工地，很少回家。

Accompanied by local officials, Dragon King personally interviewed the candidates for Cowboy's bride. After seeing several young women, Dragon King found non-suitable. Later, no one knew where Dragon King had found a girl for Cowboy. Dragon King also purchased a small house for Cowboy and personally presided over the wedding ceremony for Cowboy and the girl.

Legend says it that the day after his wedding, Cowboy returned to the construction site, where he lived most of the time, rarely going home.

7.

随后，牛郎跟随同事去大陆参观学习龙宫的构件安装。他总是默默地听着，不笑。没事时，他常常一个人呆在那里，从不主动搭讪别人。注，这表明牛郎的病情又恶化了。

Later, Cowboy accompanied his colleagues to the mainland to observe the installation of Dragon Palace components. He always listened quietly, never smiling. When he had free time, he often sat alone, never initiating conversation with others. Note: This indicates that Cowboy's condition had worsened again.

返回大禹治水的目录 Return to Catalog of Yu's Water Treatment