When the Sea Turned to Silver

Pinmei notices that their rice supply is dwindling and accidentally uses a special bowl, blue with a white rabbit painted on it, for dinner. When Pinmei expresses her wish to see the mountain spirit, Amah reassures her that the spirit appears in many forms, including the moon. Pinmei is worried about her shyness, and Amah comforts her. Pinmei worries about the winter’s severity. Amah says that the Black Tortoise of Winter will eventually leave, but he is too powerful for anyone to force him away. To explain further, Amah shares The Story of Nuwa:

The sky’s four pillars collapse, causing the Starry River to flood the earth, killing many. The goddess Nuwa, a beautiful woman with a fish tail, intervenes, killing a massive turtle and using its legs to replace the pillars. Though the sky is supported again, it remains broken. Nuwa places five colored stones to block some of the holes. Nuwa sacrifices herself to block the last gap, turning to stone. She leaves her husband with only a strand of her hair, with a drop of blood attached.

Amah explains that the turtle Nuwa killed was the Black Tortoise of Winter’s younger brother, emphasizing the Black Tortoise’s unimaginable power. When Pinmei asks if Nuwa’s stories are real, Amah leaves it up to Pinmei to decide.

Amah shakes Pinmei awake in the night, urging her to stay quiet. Amah quickly ushers Pinmei into the storage room. As Pinmei hears soldiers marching toward the hut, Amah helps her hide inside a large, old wine container called a gang. Before closing the lid, Amah tells Pinmei that Yishan will help her and warns her again to remain silent. Pinmei asks where Amah will hide, but her grandmother does not answer.

The soldiers arrive, breaking down Amah and Pinmei’s front door. Through a crack in the gang, Pinmei watches as Amah remains calm despite the soldiers’ aggression. Amah greets them without fear, and they take her away.

The soldiers ransack Amah and Pinmei’s house, roughly tossing their belongings to the floor. The commander comments that the house is too small for all of them and orders everyone to leave except for a soldier dressed in green. After the others leave, the commander reveals that the green-clad soldier is the Tiger Emperor. The commander asks what they are searching for, and the Tiger Emperor replies that Amah, the Storyteller, surrendered too quickly and must be hiding something. Pinmei holds her breath as the Tiger Emperor approaches the gang, but he does not look inside. Instead, he steals the blue bowl with the rabbit painted inside.

The Tiger Emperor orders the commander to take the Storyteller down the mountain. Pinmei hears a commotion, and soon after, a soldier shoves a dirty, beaten Yishan into the room. Yishan shouts at the commander and the disguised Tiger Emperor to let “her” go. The Tiger Emperor tells Yishan to bring him the Luminous Stone if he wants the Storyteller back. Then, the Tiger Emperor throws Yishan to the ground and commands the soldiers to burn down the hut.

Pinmei panics silently in the gang, hearing Yishan calling for her. Overcome with fear, she cannot speak, but Pinmei manages to push off the lid. Yishan pulls her out and tells her they must leave as the soldiers set fire to the hut’s thatched roof. He quickly moves some shelves, revealing a hidden window, and kicks open the shutters as the fire spreads inside. Pinmei hesitates momentarily, watching her home burn, before grabbing Yishan’s hand. He pulls her out of the window to safety.

The next morning, Pinmei confides in Yishan that the green-clad soldier is the Tiger Emperor. They both wonder why the Tiger Emperor would take Amah, concluding that he might believe she can lead him to the Luminous Stone. Yishan struggles to recall details about the Luminous Stone, but Pinmei comforts him, reminding him that they do not have the “Paper of Answers” and cannot know everything (31).

Pinmei then shares The Story of the Paper of Answers:

A new king takes over a land plagued by poverty, flooding, and despair. One day, the king’s men accidentally knock over an older man carrying water. The king himself helps the man up and refills his water. In gratitude, the older man advises the king to ask for a specific wedding gift: the paper inside the mouth of a tiger statue.

That evening, the king requests the paper as his gift. His father, thinking it worthless, gives it to him. At first, the paper seems crumpled and useless. As the king ponders how to save his kingdom, which is on the verge of revolt, the paper reveals words in an unknown language under the moon’s light. The king deciphers the message: “You are only a leader to those who choose to follow” (33).

Realizing he cannot control his kingdom by force, as the previous king did, the new king orders his men to stop building a wall to contain the nearby river. Instead, they dig ditches to irrigate the farmland. The floods end, and the city becomes one of the most prosperous in the land. The king renames it the “City of Bright Moonlight” to honor the Paper of Answers (34).

After retelling Amah’s story, Pinmei feels better. She and Yishan brainstorm, wondering if the Luminous Stone might be a dragon’s pearl. They decide to travel to the City of Bright Moonlight to search for the pearl.

Once Pinmei agrees to go to the City of Bright Moonlight, Yishan hands her some warmer clothes that once belonged to his Auntie Meiya, who passed away several years ago. The clothes are in poor condition, so they check the burned hut for anything salvageable. When they reach the hut, they discover that almost everything has turned to ashes, except for a few items inside a charred box. Inside, they find a quilted jacket and a jade bracelet, both intact.

The point of view shifts to the Black Tortoise of Winter, who recalls being forced out of the heavens. Now, an unknown object traps him, its weight preventing any movement. The world around him is so bright and golden that it hurts to open his eyes. Confused and disoriented, the Black Tortoise wonders if he is a prisoner.

Amah is sore from traveling on horseback with the soldiers, who surprisingly treat her kindly, unlike the chained male prisoners accompanying them. They give her a tent to sleep in and share their rations. The soldier in green enters her tent, and Amah realizes he is the Tiger Emperor. He accuses Amah of being more than just a storyteller and demands that she tell him The Story of the Ginseng Boy, which she last shared with Auntie Meiya before her death.

Amah recalls telling Auntie Meiya The Story of the Ginseng Boy:

A little girl goes to live with her disinterested aunt and uncle. Struggling to adjust, she leaves the house, claiming to play with a friend—a boy with a red hat. The aunt and uncle realize she is playing with the mythical Ginseng Boy and devise a plan to capture him. On the day of the red moon, they follow the girl and discover that her friend is the Ginseng Boy. As the children fall asleep, the aunt cuts the boy’s sleeve, and the uncle ties a thread to a branch. That night, they follow the thread to a large ginseng root shaped like a child. They dig it up, intending to cook it and grow young again. The noise wakes the girl, who learns their plan and tearfully tries to save the Ginseng Boy. The aunt and uncle each privately plot to eat the entire root without the other, becoming immortal. Eventually, they both leave the house in separate directions, claiming to visit their parents. However, both the aunt and uncle are trying to trick the other so they can return alone and eat the whole root. After they leave, the girl frees the Ginseng Boy. They escape together, never to be seen again.

Auntie Meiya tells Amah and Yishan that immortality would drive humans mad and dies shortly after.

Returning to the present, Amah refuses to tell the Tiger Emperor the story. Enraged, he storms off, promising retaliation.

Pinmei and Yishan reach a village at the mountain’s base, where the villagers are recovering from the soldiers’ attack. An older man, Old Sai, offers them shelter. At his house, they learn that the Tiger Emperor took all the healthy men and livestock. Old Sai’s son, Sifen, is injured, sparing him from being taken by the soldiers. When Pinmei tells them about Amah’s capture, they realize Pinmei is the Storyteller’s granddaughter.

Suya initially refuses to feed Pinmei and Yishan, explaining that the soldiers took nearly everything, leaving them only a meager amount of food hidden under a floorboard. When some rice spills onto the floor, Pinmei helps Suya pick it up, wishing they had the magic red stone. Suya presses her about the stone, but Pinmei, fearful of speaking, tries to dismiss it. However, she eventually overcomes her fear and begins to tell The Story of the Red Stone:

After Nuwa fixed the sky, monsters still filled the sea. A fisherman named Ku-Ang gives up fishing, switching to selling firewood because the sea has become too perilous. One day, Ku-Ang finds a beautiful red stone and puts it in his lunch bag. To his surprise, he discovers two dumplings instead of one at lunchtime. That evening, he places the stone in the rice jar; the next day, the half-empty jar is full. Ku-Ang tells his parents, but his father insists that he return the stone to where he found it.

Ku-Ang returns to the spot and meets an old man, asking if the stone belongs to him. The old man revealed that Nuwa left behind three things: “a tear, a strand of hair, and a drop of blood” (60). The red stone was Nuwa’s blood. Ku-Ang hands the stone to the old man, who instructs him to take it to the Sea King at the top of the Northern Mountain to calm the seas. Despite the mountain being full of evil beasts, Ku-Ang embarks on the journey.

On the Black Bridge, a serpent demands that Ku-Ang bring him the ears of the horrible Haiyi’s mother, but Ku-Ang refuses. The serpent throws Ku-Ang. Continuing despite his injuries, Ku-Ang encounters a huge bird who demands the bones of Haiyi’s younger brother. Again, Ku-Ang refuses, and the bird flings him away. Severely injured but undeterred, Ku-Ang reaches the mountain’s summit, where Haiyi demands the stone. Ku-Ang refuses and falls off a cliff, only to transform into a dragon. As Ku-Ang touches the water, it parts for him, revealing that he is the Sea King.

Moved by the story, Old Sai, Suya, and Sifen thank Pinmei, and Suya sets about making dinner for everyone.