Ox Family Village.
The moon shone bright amid sparse stars as Jintong, a grass basket on his back, trudged unevenly toward a farmhouse.
"You're back this late again? No dinner for you!"
From inside the house came Madam Ma's foul-mouthed scolding. "Remember to feed the cow... otherwise I'll skin you alive tomorrow!"
"Okay!"
Jintong's stomach growled with hunger, but he did not dare talk back to his sister-in-law. He could only head for the cowshed to feed the ox.
In ancient times, cattle and horses were precious. Feeding an ox was much like feeding a horse—there was a saying: "A horse never grows fat without night fodder."
Horse feed was sometimes better than what people ate. Quite a few stable hands secretly skimmed off the horses' feed for themselves.
Jintong came to the cowshed and saw an old ox with a gaunt back. As he fed it grass, he wept and poured out his grievances.
His bed was right beside the cowshed. During the day, he cut grass to feed the ox; at night, he slept alongside it.
As he stroked the ox's back and thought of Madam Ma's abuse over the years, tears streamed down his face. His voice choked as he said, "Ox, oh ox... sob... I suffer so much. My heart suffers so much..."
Little Jintong had a secret in his heart—his family's ox could speak!
"Kid, the day your fortunes change is almost here."
The old ox glanced at him, a flash of brilliance suddenly passing through its bovine eyes. "Tomorrow... your sister-in-law will split the household with you. You can ask for just one ox... Three days from now, seven fairies will descend to bathe by the river east of the village. You only need to steal one of their clothes, and you'll have yourself