[[8] Soaked to the Bone, Blessed for Life!]
A primary task for village cadres is to seek development for their own village. As for how to achieve this, each village has its own methods.
The most direct, simplest, and least publicly discussable method is to devise every possible means to secure funds from the county, exerting all efforts to squeeze benefits from the annual fiscal budget.
If there are relatives from one’s hometown among the leadership, it’s even easier—simply go and plead poverty, using familial bonds to pressure them. After a few repeated attempts, it can prove effective.
In this regard, Liang Youyun greatly admired Village Chief Yan Wenkan.
Yan Wenkan’s surname is not actually “Yan.”
“Yan” signifies a male, while “Yu” signifies a female. In the old days, nobles typically used “Dao” (“Dao”) or “Zhao,” indicating a lord or master. For example, the last Dai king of Xishuangbanna, Dao Shixun, and Zhao Cunxin, who served as prefectural governor for 40 consecutive years.
Dai people often have several names: a childhood name at birth, a monastic name upon becoming a monk, and a parental name after becoming a parent.
A parental name is formed by adding the name of the eldest son or eldest daughter after “Bo” (father) or “Mi” (mother). For instance, Yu Xiang’s mother is also called “Mi Yu Xiang,” and Yan Nuo’s father is also called “Bo Yan Nuo.”
Names within a village usually don’t repeat. Those who bestow names are often senior elders who have returned to secular life and come back to the village. They have a good understanding of the villagers. Although the characters used for names are limited—such as Xiang, Ying, Kan, Jiao, Bian, Guang, etc.—there are many possible combinations and permutations.
However, with societal development and Dai-Han intermarriage, many Dai people have adopted Han Chinese names for convenience in communication. But in the villages around Jinghong, traditional Dai names are still used.
Yan Wenkan is a native Dai elder, with generations of Dai ancestry and relatives spread throughout Xishuangbanna. Because he served in the military in his early years and maintained contact with many comrades-in-arms who were reassigned to Yunnan, he has various connections. When it comes to requesting funds, he can act on a whim.
Sometimes Liang Youyun felt that local affairs indeed couldn’t be handled too rigidly. In places where kinship ties are so tight-knit, morality often governs more effectively than the law.
In fact, the central government provides annual subsidies to ethnic minority regions, and the amounts are not small, increasing year by year. However, getting them approved is not easy.
In recent years, based on state subsidies, Manle Village has developed tourism through a “village-enterprise co-construction” model.
The cooperating company is Yunshui Cultural Tourism from Jinghong, which was established with support from Liang Youyun’s unit. Village Chief Yan Wenkan concurrently serves as the company’s deputy general manager, while the company’s general manager concurrently serves as deputy secretary of the village Party branch.
Although the company is quite profitable and villagers’ incomes are relatively high compared to Mengla County, subsidies are still needed because developing tourism is extremely costly.
Yan Wenkan parked the car in the government compound. Getting out without an umbrella, he was half-soaked by the heavy rain. Sitting in Director Dao’s office, he looked utterly bedraggled.
Liang Youyun knew this was a deliberate act of suffering.
Yan Wenkan’s purpose this time was to build two more attractions in the rainforest area along the Nanla River. The tourism industry isn’t doing well these days; only by continuously creating new selling points can they attract tourists to a greater extent.
Director Dao had already rejected this matter several times. He believed Manle Village had no need to further expand its tourism projects. The village is too small and located on the southwestern border. No matter how attractive they make it, not many more tourists would spend the time and effort to visit.
Moreover, he had his own plans. The leadership of Liang Youyun’s company had discussed with him the need for comprehensive planning and integrated development of the entire Mengla region to build it into a southwestern destination for wellness and residential tourism. Otherwise, the company wouldn’t have frequently dispatched village cadres for research over the years.
After a long back-and-forth, from pleading poverty to arguing, Yan Wenkan finally revealed his trump card. He called Director Dao by his childhood nickname, “A Ban,” reminding him that he had often come to the village for meals as a child and that his “yiya” (grandmother) had been well taken care of in the village. Now over ninety years old, she still frequently visited the village committee to “inspect” their work!
However, Director Dao wasn’t swayed by this. Still, out of consideration for their shared hometown ties, he relented. Citing the recent incident of a missing college student on a hiking trip, he agreed to provide appropriate subsidies to Manle Village under the pretext of repairing rainforest protection facilities and cleaning up garbage.
Securing the funds was indeed a cause for joy. Liang Youyun felt that what was lost in the east could be gained in the west. Every situation had two sides, and the risks they had encountered this time were thus resolved. Her performance report would also look much better.
On the way back, Yan Wenkan laughed and told her, “Actually, building a tourist attraction was just an excuse. Such projects are costly, and Director Dao would never agree. So, we had to settle for subsidies. But if you had directly asked him for money, claiming it was for rainforest protection or something, he wouldn’t have agreed so quickly.”
“So that’s how it is. It really takes someone like you,” Youyun said admiringly.
Yan Wenkan smiled. “Construction means cutting down trees, and the rainforest can’t withstand that kind of damage. As the village head, I’m already very satisfied with how Manle Village looks today. But as your ‘big uncle,’ I can’t let my own girl suffer. Once the fiscal funds are transferred, we’ll start working on these protection measures and find people to promote them. Don’t worry, A Yun. When you return to Beijing, I’ll make you a commendation banner so your leaders can properly recognize you!”
Youyun was grateful. Yan Wenkan was not only skilled in negotiations but also adept at handling the aftermath.
But the mention of a “commendation banner” suddenly reminded her of Jiang Jun, the one who had rescued people. For some reason, she felt a vague sense of unease, as if things weren’t entirely over yet.
The Dai Water-Splashing Festival, also known as the Dai New Year, is the most grand and significant festival for the Dai people.
Before the festival, every household cleans their homes, soaks rice, steams it, picks banana leaves, and prepares “hao beng” (a traditional Dai snack).
There are also various sacrificial activities. The Dai people are devout Buddhists, and every home has a shrine. On New Year’s Day, a Buddha-bathing ceremony is held. Villagers, dressed in vibrant reds and greens, gather at the temple to chant scriptures, clean ritual objects, and bathe the Buddha statues. The water used to bathe the Buddha is then taken home, as it is considered sacred water imbued with spiritual energy, believed to bring peace and safety to the family.
According to national regulations, all units are granted a three-day holiday during the Water-Splashing Festival.
On the day of the festival, tourists swarmed like schools of fish emerging from the deep sea, filling every corner of the village.
The liveliest area was around the Nanla River, reminiscent of Beijing’s Houhai bar street. Various bands and open-air bars set up stalls, with music playing nonstop. Drones flew back and forth in the sky, and live streamers surrounded the Nanla River in multiple layers.
A small celebration was also held in the village committee courtyard.
Liang Youyun got up early to help with the preparations. Drawing from experience, she didn’t wear traditional Dai attire. Instead, she opted for a dark-colored T-shirt and shorts, along with earplugs and a sun hat. The moment she stepped out of her house, she was already being splashed with water.
“Splash until you’re soaked, and happiness will follow you for life!”
The neighbors were up early, with ladles and basins filled with water ready to go. Everyone splashed each other, and amid the flying water droplets, the festive atmosphere of the Water-Splashing Festival quickly reached its peak.
Especially in the village’s central square, where tourists gathered in the largest numbers, water curtains sprayed several meters high. Everyone was already drenched, with laughter and cheers ringing out continuously. Using the phrase “bustling with activity” to describe the Water Splashing Festival was no exaggeration at all.
When Liang Youyun first experienced the Water Splashing Festival, she was genuinely stunned by such a grand spectacle.
In her imagination, the Water Splashing Festival was a rather refined affair—dipping willow branches into pottery bowls of water and gently sprinkling it on others. She had thought, how could anyone possibly have the nerve to splash water directly on people?
But the reality was, if you didn’t splash others, you’d end up soaked like a drowned rat! Moreover, splashing water on others was also a way of offering blessings.
Rainbows formed across the water curtains, and young Dai girls adorned with flowers wore traditional attire, their vibrant Dai brocade dazzling the eye, making them the most striking scenery in the square.
The Dai people are inherently skilled in singing and dancing. Every year during the Water Splashing Festival, lively festival songs are released from various regions. Men and women, young and old, all join together, dancing and singing to the music.
Of course, there were times when things went too far. In the past, some tourists would throw water-filled balloons at people, but this has since been banned—it was simply too painful and unfriendly. Over the past two years, Liang Youyun and other village officials have also focused on cracking down on such irregular water-splashing behavior.
By noon, the bustling fairground was packed with people, as tourists flocked to sample Dai ethnic specialties.
Barbecue stalls were the most popular, with Dai-style grilled fish and chicken being the classics. Alcohol was also a must, with drinking often lasting until dawn.
Every household opened their courtyard gates, setting out a variety of delicacies in their yards—water-splashing rice cakes, rice noodles, and rice sheets. Particularly the rice noodles and rice sheets, served in a large pot with various dipping sauces on the table. These sauces were made from locally sourced ingredients, finely chopped and mixed together. Adding just a bit of anything made them delicious, and guests helped themselves freely.
Liang Youyun once felt as though she must have been a Dai person in a past life, as these dishes infused with generous amounts of mint awakened her taste buds.
Of course, there were also dishes she simply couldn’t stomach, such as “Bai Wang,” made primarily from fresh pig’s blood, and soft-bodied insects.
On the afternoon of the second day of the festival, after finishing the long-table feast at the village chief’s home, Liang Youyun was pulled by Yu Xiang onto a bus heading to Jinghong.
The journey to Jinghong took over two hours, and since they planned to drink heavily, Yu Xiang didn’t drive.
“How can you celebrate the festival without dancing to Dai disco?”
Yu Xiang, wearing heavy makeup, a tank top, and denim shorts, said she would take her to the hottest bar in Jinghong to drink and dance.
During previous festivals and holidays, Yu Xiang had suggested this several times, but Youyun had always refused. When it came to singing and dancing, she had little talent and couldn’t let loose.
Unlike Yu Xiang, who prioritized having fun over work. The girls here were generally carefree, and going to bars was a common pastime—making friends, drinking, and falling in love, all without missing a beat.
This time, Youyun gladly agreed. She thought to herself that this might be her last chance to indulge. Once she returned to Beijing, this kind of atmosphere and relaxation would be hard to come by.
Liang Youyun’s understanding of bars was still stuck at the stage of drinking and listening to music. It wasn’t until nightlife began and the Dai disco music started blaring that she realized bar culture was so rich—not only could you drink, but you could also watch handsome men perform!
Almost everyone in the dance floor moved to the rhythm. On the central stage, dancers in golden costumes performed a modernized version of ethnic dance.
After a few songs, the most exciting part began.
Shirtless muscular men began strutting their stuff on the T-stage. Yu Xiang tugged at Youyun, pushing forward through the crowd, shouting loudly, “Hurry, hurry, or we won’t get to touch those chest muscles!”
In the booth closest to the stage, a pair of eyes pierced through the crowd, locking onto Liang Youyun’s figure amidst the chaos.
Jiang Muhe never expected to see her here!
The woman was wearing a goose-yellow spaghetti-strap dress, her hair completely loose, with bright red lips and striking eyes—she stood out sharply in the crowd.
He had spotted that flash of yellow the moment he walked in, thinking he must have mistaken her for someone else. After looking several times, he confirmed it was indeed her and began to feel distracted, the dice in his hand no longer obeying his command.
His friends across
The current content involves sensitive information. Please try a new topic.