Story
of Glossy Privet Berry ( nv
zhen zi)
There was once a sweet girl
named Zhenzi who married an
honest and kindly farmer.
They lived together in loving
bliss.
One day the farmer was pressganged
into the army to fight in a war. "Take good
care of yourself, I'll be waiting for you to come
home safe and sound. " "I'll be
back for sure. Wait for me and don't worry!"
No news came from Zhenii 's husband,
and she spent her days in loneliness. One
day a young man from their village who had also
been pressganged returned and told Zhenzi that her
husband was dead. Zhenzi was so stricken
with grief that she lost the will to live. Her neighbor
looked in on her many times each day. "I won't
live much longer, and I have no parents, or children,
so I must ask you to hear my last wish. "
"Don't say such things! But what is it you
want to say?". "When I'm dead,
please plant a Chinese holly tree infront of my
grave. If my husband comes back, tell him it's me
waiting for him. " "I'll do what
you ask, I swear. . . . "
A few days later Zhenzi left this
world. Just as she had promised, her neighbor planted
a Chinese holly tree infront of her grave.
In a few years the holly tree had grown tall and
thick with dense, lush foliage. Then Zhenzi
's husband suddenly returned to the village. The
neighbor told him all that had happened. When she
took him to Zhenzi's grave, it was as if he could
see Zhenzi standing there waiting to meet him.
Zhenzi's husband wept for three days and nights,
his great tears wetting the roots of the holly tree.
Strangely, the holly tree flowered
and then fruited, bearing many pea-sized berries.
"I've never heard of a holly tree flowering
and bearing fruit. This really is something strange.
"There's a spirit living in this
tree perhaps she's changed it into a different kind
of tree. "Zhenzi must have turned into
a fairy after she died, and now she's living in
this tree. "I'm sure Zhenzi's soul is
in this tree. Perhaps if I eat some of the berries,
I'll be able to see her again. Zhenzi
's husband ate the berries for several days. He
didn 't see Zhenzi, but he felt his health steadily
improving. "The holly tree in front of
Zhenzi's grave has medical properties. It's a tonic
for the liver and kidneys. " Later, herbalists
took the berries from the tree and planted them.
They called them "Nv Zhenzi berries" after
Zhenzi.("Nv" means female in Chinese)
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