I am not Ximen Qing.

The thousand layers of pearly whiteness overwhelmed Guo Baoshan's ambitions. Pearls are born from river mussels; the imperial pearls used to be harvested from pearl mussels in the Heilongjiang, Songhua, Wusuli, and Yalu Rivers. Guo Baoshan was completely captivated by the pearly whiteness of this woman, a woman of boundless charm. His original plan to return to his hometown in Shanxi was extinguished in the vortex of her soft, snow-white flesh. He thought, "Look at how Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, or rather, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, managed to control the country." Guo Baoshan had taken, or rather possessed, that pearly, translucent body. Lacking much thought and education, the pearl's allure filled his empty, yearning mind, a place desperately seeking warmth. This was the beginning of his descent into depravity; the woman's body was simply too tempting. To enjoy Zhenzhu's body more, Guo Baoshan bought all sorts of sweets and treats for the temperamental Jinyu every day, so that Jinyu would suckle on them and stop crying and fussing, and even sleep soundly at night. It wasn't a change of heart; it was a selfish desire to possess Zhenzhu's body exclusively. Guo Baoshan even craved Zhenzhu's breast milk. What was so alluring about Zhenzhu's milk? During the day, Jinyu wouldn't let go of Zhenzhu's nipple. Guo Baoshan realized this child was truly formidable. But for Zhenzhu's sake, he had to endure it, to quickly cultivate and sow the seeds in Zhenzhu's whirlpool of love. A man wins when he gets a woman completely devoted and pregnant.

"pearl"

Call me Tana

"Is Jin Yu asleep?"

"Don't worry, Pearl Tana, I'm going to sleep."

For seven consecutive days, whenever Jin Yu slept, Guo Baoshan's eyes would light up, and he would be like a wolf, engulfing the snowdrifts of pearl. Ah! The snow kingdom was filled with endless tenderness and warmth. Guo Baoshan was lost in staring at pearl's soft breasts; that was Jin Yu's territory. He dared not touch pearl's full, milky breasts. Pearl was too beautiful a woman, embodying motherhood, maternal love, the divinity and radiance of a mother. The woman knew that Guo Baoshan was a kind-hearted man from Shanxi. Let him do as he pleased, let him find warmth in the endless white snowdrifts of his snow kingdom. After two hours of this, lying naked, he said, "Tana, I've thought it through. Let's name the child."

She has a name.

“Take my surname. The child is still young, so let him have the surname Guo. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Let’s add Guo before Jin Yu, so it’ll be Guo Jin Yu. That way, the child won’t suffer when he grows up. What do you think, Tana?”

Jin Yu has woken up.

"Guo Jinyu, Daddy's here, okay, stop making a fuss."

"She's hungry, let's breastfeed her."

"Don't be angry, little one!"

"Baoshan, stop fooling around with the kids."

"She just wants to nurse, it's okay. I'm the father, you're the mother, we're his parents, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Guo Baoshan, how old are you? Why are you acting like a child?"

“Tana, in your presence, Guo Jinyu is a child, and I, Guo Baoshan, am a big child.”

"Does Baoshan have any ideas?"

"What are your thoughts, Pearl?"

"A way out!"

“If you don’t agree to go to Shanxi, and there’s no hope in this county, how about the three of us go to Shenyang? I have a relative there.”

"You're afraid of famine in the city, but have you ever seen a real mountain?"

"The real mountains are Wutai Mountain and the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi."

"Guo Baoshan, what a wonderful name your parents gave you, 'Baoshan'!"

"That pearl sounds even better."

"Why don't we go to Changbai Mountain? It has everything there, that's a real treasure trove."

"The entire Changbai Mountain is white, it's no different from a snow-capped mountain, it must be freezing cold."

“I went there with my grandfather when I was a child. Changbai Mountain not only has Tianchi Lake, but also forests and snowfields, ginseng, deer antlers, roe deer, wild boar, pheasants, and the rivers are full of fish and shrimp. Have you ever eaten frogs? In autumn, you can catch female frogs with oil on them.”

"Pearl, is it a hen raised in the field? It should be a field hen. Field roosters also have oil. I'm a professional roast chicken and roast duck chef."

"Guo Baoshan, don't play dumb with me. You know the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, but you still don't understand what 'field chicken' means? It's a type of frog, not a green frog, but a brown frog. Frogs are also called field chickens."

"Tana, I ate frogs when I was a child, but I have never eaten toads."

"A frog is not a toad, much less a toad."

“Pearl, let’s go to Changbai Mountain to catch frogs. You’re craving frogs, okay, we can go to Changbai Mountain for that.”

"Baoshan, be serious."

"I'm quite serious."

"There's food there. The mountains have all sorts of wild mushrooms and fungi, wild vegetables, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine cones, schisandra berries, wild grapes, jujubes, and all kinds of delicious ground cherries, wild berries, and hazelnuts..."

"Wait a minute, Tana, is Dianguo a monster?"

"Do you believe there are fire foxes that create 'fireballs' in winter, as well as 'water ghosts' and 'clamps'?"

"I'm a restaurant owner and businessman."

"Opening a guesthouse in the mountains won't interfere with your business."

"Pearl, are you out of your mind?"

"Guo Baoshan!"

"Fine! Fine! Pearl, you two both have big tempers, but you have to tell me, why do you insist on going into the mountains?"

"Baoshan, where there's no hope in the city, at least I've been there, and I'll never forget it. There are two great rivers teeming with fish and shrimp, and you can eat roe deer, bears, and wild boars as you please. Every year there's meat to eat, and it's all vast forest. As long as the cat survives the harsh winter with its heavy snow, the rest of spring, summer, and autumn will be worry-free. This is a secret I've kept hidden for decades, unknown to anyone else." Changbai Mountain is Pearl's true home. Pearl had many relatives in Beijing, but like the last emperor, they were all struggling to survive amidst the chaos of war, and almost all contact had been lost. Even if Jin Hai hadn't died, Pearl wouldn't have felt good thinking about him. That day, Pearl refused to let Jin Hai go out, but Jin Hai couldn't break his years-long habit of walking his bird, and a stray bullet struck him in the head—it was fate. Pearl's mind was filled with images of azaleas in full bloom—so beautiful! In spring, the mountains and fields are covered in azaleas.

“Pearl, it’s great! You could open a restaurant that serves wild pheasant, wild boar, roe deer, and venison from the mountains. We could call it Wild Boar Forest Restaurant. Pearl, now that you mention it, I’m tempted. Besides serving the Manchu Han Imperial Feast from the mountains, you could also serve bear paw from the mountains. The Empress Dowager loves that dish.”