The River God’s Secret

I have been able to breathe underwater since I was little, and I often hide at the bottom of the river to play with the fish and shrimp. When I am seven, the county magistrate begins sacrificing young girls to the River God in exchange for favorable weather. The family of each chosen girl receives five taels of silver and two sacks of rice. Every time, I rescue the girl and secretly hide her in the mountains beside the river. When I am sixteen, my parents bind my hands and feet while I sleep. “Yuniang, your brother is old enough to take a wife.” “This year, it is your turn to be sacrificed to the River God!”