Rank
Alternative
Author(s)
Shan Ling is a plump little bird (a “xiaofeijiu,”). In order to become a “Phoenix Fledgling” at the “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Banquet,” Shan Ling decides to go out into the human world to gain merit. She wants to be the first phoenix in the shrike family.
But human life is hard. After helping an old lady cross the road every day, the little bird is so poor she can’t even afford corn and is on the verge of being homeless. That’s when she meets a woman.
Shan Ling discovers that whenever she helps this woman, a lot of merit points appear in her merit box. Shan Ling instantly feels hopeful about becoming a phoenix!
Just as Shan Ling is excited about her new way to accumulate merit, an accident happens and she reverts to her original bird form. Shen Qingyi, the woman she was helping, sees the little plump bird and takes her home, putting her in a cage.
Shan Ling is a very polite little bird. Whenever Shen Qingyi feeds her delicious food, Shan Ling plucks a feather from herself and places it in Shen Qingyi’s palm. She looks up at her with her little head, as if to say that she has to pay for her meal.
Shen Qingyi looks at the fluffy little feather in her hand and thinks. She has heard that when a bird plucks a feather for someone, it is a form of courtship.
She quietly thinks to herself, “This little plump chicken seems to like her very much.”
