Full Title: Strange Folklore Miscellany Ep. 1: The Yuhan Village "Blessing" Ritual (Part A)

Audio: Chinese (Mandarin)

Subtitles: Chinese & English Dual Subtitles

Welcome to the *Strange Folklore Miscellany*, a series exploring the world's most bizarre, hidden traditions. In this opening chapter, we journey to the secluded **Yuhan Village**, where the "Blessing" ritual has been observed for generations.

When y*ung, city-bred Xiao Wei marries Chen Fan, she agrees to participate in the village’s mandatory matrimonial tradition. It is a ritual designed to ensure her family's future prosperity—provided she survives the intense endurance required by the local "Yuhan" (fisher-guard).

**Key Highlights of Part A:**

* **The Preparation:** Watch as the Village Chief meticulously prepares the bride. She is bound, gagged with her own underwear, and sealed with complex rope-work and internal devices to ensure her "purity" until her return.

* **The Ritual Procession:** Xiao Wei is paraded through the village in a high-slit qipao, tethered and sensory-deprived, asked to ring the bell of her own restraint for 30 minutes in the village temple to summon the Yuhan.

* **The Encounter:** asked to serve a masked stranger, Xiao Wei must navigate the humiliation of being bound while performing domestic chores under the watchful eye of her captor.

* **The "Protector" Conflict:** Experience the friction as the Yuhan, a "well-intentioned" but infuriatingly oblivious guard, disrupts the established rules of the ritual, leading to a hilarious yet agonizing clash of wills where Xiao Wei cannot speak to explain why he is actually making her s*ffering *worse*.

The Origin of the "Fisherman’s Blessing"

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, to escape the ravages of war, a village of people fled deep into the mountains. Upon arriving at this spot, they suddenly discovered a vast plain with a lake in its center, where a man was rowing a boat, fishing. At that time, due to the incessant military conscription caused by the war, the village consisted only of the elderly, the frail, women, and orphans—there were no able-bodied men left. Exhausted and starving from their long, desperate flight, the village elders stepped forward to seek help.

As they approached, they noticed that the man had bl*ck spots covering everything from his nose upward. The elders knew these were birthmarks, but the y*ung women were terrified and screamed. The man quickly covered his face with his sleeve and rushed back into his hut. When he emerged again, he wore a half-mask, leaving only his mouth and teeth exposed. The elders explained their plight, and the man, moved to pity by their wretched state, brought out his stored fish for them all to share.

Afterward, the villagers settled there. From that day on, the man always wore his mask. Over time, they learned his history: as a boy, he had been placed in a bamboo basket and drifted to the edge of this lake, where he was found and raised by a solitary fisherman. That fisherman had originally been a talented scholar who, after failing the imperial examinations multiple times, grew disillusioned and retreated from the world. For over a decade, besides teaching the boy to fish, he had educated him in the classics and the six arts. Shortly after the man reached adulthood, the foster step-father p*ssed away from illness, leaving the man to live alone. Except for the rare occasions he ventured out of the mountains to trade fish for daily necessities, he spent all his time fishing alone, having long since forgotten his own name, known to those in the town markets only as "The Fisherman."

Once the villagers settled, the Fisherman was happy to have company and spared no effort in helping them catch fish and build houses. With his help, the village finally survived and began to thrive. The elders urged him to stop wearing the mask, but he persisted, saying only that he did not want to frighten the boys and women. Grateful for his kindness and seeing that he was well past the age of thirty and still alone, the elders tried to set him up with a y*ung widow. The widow, also moved by his goodness, was willing to marry him.

However, the elders encountered an unexpected obstacle: the Fisherman. While kind-hearted and industrious, he was c*mpletely clueless when it came to romantic matters. If someone needed help with chores, he was brilliant and capable, but if a woman approached him to talk, he would instantly stutter and become flustered. He remembered his foster step-father’s teaching: never trifle with women, especially married ones, and always treat them with respect. Consequently, he panicked and refused the elders’ offer, leaving them helpless.

Later, many women took the initiative to approach him, but the Fisherman remained utterly dense to matters of the heart. He could not grasp subtle romantic hints. If a woman was too forward and accidental physical contact occurred, he would simply flee in terror. The village was at a loss; they had received his grace but had no way to repay him.

Finally, one day, a y*ung widow who had often received his help went to the village head. She proposed that the headman bind her tightly with hemp rope, half-dressed, and leave her at the Fisherman’s doorstep, then take the rest of the village away for the day. If the Fisherman untied her, there would inevitably be physical contact. If he refused to touch her, then she would simply remain bound until the end. Although gentle by nature, the widow was remarkably resolute. The village head agreed, believing the kind-hearted man would not stand idly by, and perhaps this would help him overcome his psychological barrier.

A few days later, at dawn, the village was silent, and the path was empty. Outside the Fisherman’s door lay the woman, tightly bound in hemp rope. She had not realized how agonizing it would be to be trussed up like this, and within a short time, she was in great. To ensure the Fisherman felt pity for her, she had specifically asked the village head to tie the rope tightly around her most private areas, which now caused her unbearable p*in with the slightest movement. She hoped he would come out soon, but the sun had not yet risen, and she feared he wouldn't emerge for a while. She regretted her decision but had no choice but to wait.

Suddenly, she noticed a small bell ornament on her clothing. An idea struck her, and she began to shake her body, the crisp sound of the bell ringing through the quiet morning. Shaking caused the ropes to dig in even deeper, but without it, the Fisherman might never notice her. After a long time, she heard footsteps from within. The Fisherman opened the door and was shocked to see her. She quickly said, "Don't be alarmed, there are no villains. I asked the village head to tie me here, but I’ve sent everyone away for the day. If you don't untie me, I fear I will be bound to go by the end of the day."

The Fisherman stuttered, panicked. She urged him, "I know your step-father taught you not to touch a woman's body or trifle with her, but this is to save me, it does not count as trifling." He remained hesitant, afraid to step forward. She continued, "I’ve been tied here since sunrise, an hour has p*ssed. If you don't untie me, I fear my hands will be cr*ppled."

Alarmed, he finally summoned the courage to untie her. She stopped him: "Wait. My clothes are half-undone. If you untie me, they might slip off. Would you have me exposed on the road? Please carry me inside first." He hesitated for a long time before finally picking her up and taking her into the hut.

Once inside, he placed her on the ground. She winced in p*in, "Fisherman, I’m bound like this, and you just put me on the floor?" He didn't understand, "Where else should I put you? You were lying on the ground just now." His lack of romantic awareness left her speechless for a moment before she replied, "The floor is cold and hard, it hurts. Please put me on the bed."

He placed her on the bed and, under her urging, began clumsily untying the knots. She had intentionally asked the village head to tie complex knots in hidden places. He sweated profusely, working for a long time. As the ropes p*ssed over private areas, his hands inevitably brushed against her sensitive spots, causing his own body to react. Finally, he untied her hands. As soon as she was free, she pulled him onto the bed, pinning him down and embracing him tightly.

They both went still. After a while, his instincts began to override his reason, and his hands began to wander. His movements became fluid. The woman cooperated, pressing her body into his hands. His hands wandered between her legs, where a rope was still tightly binding her. Though he didn't understand romance, he felt an instinctive attraction there. Just as he moved to untie that final rope, he caught a glimpse of her eyes. His reason returned, and he froze.

He scrambled up, grabbed a fishing harpoon from the wall, and declared, "I have been bewitched and have trifled with you, ruining your reputation. Rest assured, I will end my life here to preserve your honor." The girl turned pale with fear and pleaded, "If you d*e, I will follow you! Besides, what happened today was to repay your kindness; it was my heartfelt wish."

He countered, "But I touched the places I should not have touched. If this gets out, it will be bad for you." She replied, "The whole village knows of today's plan. Everyone agreed to help me repay you. How could it be bad for me? Furthermore, you were separated by my undergarments; there was no direct contact." Hearing this, he lowered the harpoon but remained silent.

She urged him to continue untying the ropes, but he refused, turning his back to her: "Your hands are free; you can untie the rest yourself." Finding him hopelessly stubborn but do want to give up, she said, "If you won't let me repay you with my body, then let me do some chores for you."

She stood up, dragging her partially bound body and slipping clothes, and began to tidy his house. She was still bound in many places, and every step was agonizing, but she was resolute. She continued working from morning until evening. Watching her determination, the Fisherman was finally moved and said, "Alright, I will untie you."

This led to more unavoidable contact. When only the rope between her legs remained, he again refused to untie it. She proposed, "I came to represent the village in thanking you for your protection. If they return tomorrow and see me gone and nothing accomplished, they will be disappointed. May I stay here until tomorrow?" He hesitated for a long time before saying, "That... is alright."

By now, only that one rope remained. As she lay there, she looked at him with such earnestness that he finally set aside his gentlemanly reservations. She eventually devised a plan: she asked him to bind her hands and feet again and blindfold her. "Now I cannot see you, and I cannot move. Do whatever you wish."

For the rest of the night, he finally allowed his hands to wander, tracing her body, though he never crossed the final boundary. The next day, he asked her to return home. She left, promising that if he ever needed help with chores—or wanted to touch her again—she would return bound. He didn't answer, and he never asked her back. Yet, he continued to be kind and diligent, especially in helping her family.

As the story spread, the "Fisherman's Blessing" became a tradition. When the Fisherman eventually reached old age, he remained strong and healthy. One day, he began weaving a bamboo raft. When asked why, he smiled and said, "I am not going fishing. I am returning to the place I came from. When you grow up and catch fish, just throw them into this lake, and I will be able to eat."

A few days later, he called the villagers to the lake and said, "The time has come." He lay down on the raft, and his breathing ceased. As the villagers wept, a warm breeze pushed the raft away from the shore, toward the direction from which the bamboo basket had originally drifted.

After he was gone, the villagers named the village "Fisherman's Village" and built a temple to honor his memory. The tradition of the "Fisherman's Blessing" continued, evolving over the ages into a beloved custom. The village flourished, and every year, y*ung men would strive to be as kind, industrious, and helpful as the Fisherman, hoping to earn the title of "Fisherman" themselves, for the benefit of the entire community.

Asiatsich Rollenspiel Kämpfend PlotBound-Strange Folklore The Blessing P1 mit C4s.com