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A Father's Prank: A Naxi Folk Story
 by Jacqueline Pinson

“Ello, can you tell us a Naxi folk story?” Tom asked. “I’ve wanted to hear one for a long time.”

Weyal’s grandfather paused, pulling on his beard again. “Here’s a story my grandfather told me.”

Once upon a time, there was a father with four daughters. After these four daughters grew up, they went off to do business by themselves. One day, the father went to see his daughters. When he reached the one who sells purple-gray bean jelly, he said, “I would like to eat a big bowl of bean jelly. Make me a bowl.” The daughter said to him, “Father, I am so busy right now. Go see my younger sister who sells noodles.” When the father reached his daughter who sells noodles he said, “I would like to eat a bowl of noodles. Boil some up for me.” The daughter replied, “I’m busy right now. Go to my sister who sells flat bread.” So he walked over to the daughter who sells flat bread and said, “I would like to eat two cakes of flat bread. Make two

Naxi
A Naxi man smoking his pipe in Lijiang

Yunnan Province
cakes up for me.” The daughter said, “Right now, I’m too far behind. Go see my sister who sells whiskey.” So he walked over to the daughter who was selling whiskey and said, “I would like to drink two glasses of whiskey. Pour me two.” The daughter said, “Right now, I’m too far behind. Go see my older sister who sells bean jelly.”

This father was so angry that after he got home he said to his neighbors, “Tomorrow I’m going to pretend that I’m dead. Would you please tell my four daughters that I’m dead?” And so this father pretended that he had died. The four daughters all came and kneeled before their father, crying. The eldest daughter said, “Oh Daddy, if only you had come to me yesterday and eaten two big bowls of bean jelly.” The next eldest daughter, crying, said, “Oh Father, if only you had come to me and eaten two big bowls of noodles yesterday.” Crying, the daughter who sold flat bread said, “Father, if only you had come to me and eaten two cakes of flat bread.” Crying, the youngest daughter said, “If you had only come to me and drunk two glasses of whiskey yesterday.”

Suddenly the father got up. While hitting the eldest daughter with his walking cane he said, “So, two big bowls of bean jelly, huh?” Then he struck his next eldest daughter. “So, two big bowls of noodles.” While hitting the daughter who sold flat bread he said, “So, two cakes of flat bread.” Striking the youngest daughter he said, “So, two glasses of whiskey.”

Weyal’s grandfather finished his story, and the crowd that had gathered burst out in laughter.


Excerpt from “What you can’t see is medicine: Naxi culture through American eyes”, by Jacqueline S. Pinson, Nationalities Publishing House of Yunan, 2006.