Stories true love

In the grasslands along the Yarlung Zangbo River, there lived a nomadic Tibetan family—a mother and her son, who depended on each other for survival. The old mother had white hair and a face full of wrinkles, while her son, A Sang, was short and thin but loved to sing. The old mother often held a prayer wheel in her hands, praying for her son’s early marriage. However, it was not easy for A Sang, who spent every day with the cattle and sheep, to find a bride.

One day, A Sang was sleeping on the grass when he was awakened by a song. The voice was pure and sweet, definitely sung by a beautiful girl. A Sang immediately became alert and started singing loudly in response. His voice was powerful and resonant, attracting the girl to sing softly along with him.

A Sang jumped on his horse and followed the sound of the girl’s singing. Amidst a flock of white sheep, he found a plump girl. A Sang was a bit disappointed and was about to leave. But the girl shyly sang an ancient love song, sounding like a celestial melody. A Sang couldn’t help but stop and interact with the girl through their songs.

The girl’s name was Zhuoma, and she wandered with her family, falling in love with singing out of loneliness. They shared the same hobby and quickly grew close.

When it came time to talk about marriage, Zhuoma’s parents disapproved of A Sang due to his weak physique. However, after Zhuoma’s persistent pleading, her father agreed but set a condition: if A Sang could carry Zhuoma home, he would let them marry.

From Zhuoma’s tent to A Sang’s tent, it was a distance of 30 li (about 9 miles). Carrying Zhuoma home seemed impossible, as she was tall and plump, weighing 180 pounds, while A Sang was short and thin, weighing only 100 pounds. A Sang would find it difficult to take even three steps with Zhuoma, let alone 30 li.

Zhuoma’s father was clearly rejecting A Sang. But A Sang vowed to marry Zhuoma, asking for a year to accomplish the task. Zhuoma’s father, seeing A Sang’s determination, agreed to give him a year.

A Sang set off on horseback to find the great strongman of the grasslands. The strongman’s home was on the high Niaotuo Mountain, with an altitude of over 5,000 meters, and the steep mountain paths were impassable for horses.

A Sang left his horse with an old Tibetan family and started climbing the mountain on foot. But soon, he felt the thin air and struggled to breathe. He rested and walked, taking a full day and night to finally reach the strongman Zashi’s home. Exhausted and hungry, he collapsed at Zashi’s doorstep.

Zashi, who was drinking butter tea, heard a thud outside. He rushed out of his tent and saw a short, thin young man lying in the snow. Zashi picked up the lightweight A Sang like a lamb and brought him inside, giving him a sip of butter tea, which slowly revived him. A Sang looked up at Zashi, whose robust build and muscular frame made him worthy of being called the greatest strongman on the grassland.

A Sang struggled to get up, knelt at the strongman’s feet, and said, “Brother Strongman, please teach me how to gain strength!” Zashi looked at the short and thin A Sang, shaking his head, “You’re too short and weak. You can’t become a strongman.”

A Sang told Zashi about his love story with Zhuoma. Zashi was silent for a long time before he said, “I can help you, but you might not be able to endure such hardship.”

Zashi recounted his journey to becoming a strongman. After his parents passed away early, he had to support his five younger sisters by chopping trees on the mountainside to sell for money. He carried trees down the mountain every day, and gradually, he developed great strength and won championships in competitions.

Hearing this made A Sang’s heart sink. He struggled to walk empty-handed on the steep mountain paths, let alone carrying trees down. Zashi saw A Sang’s fearful expression and said, “I think you should go back tomorrow. You won’t be able to endure such hardship.” A Sang remembered Zhuoma’s hopeful eyes when they parted and gritted his teeth, saying, “I’ll go carry trees tomorrow!”

The next day, A Sang and Zashi went to chop trees.

Zashi chose a thick, sturdy tree, while A Sang picked a small, weak one. Zashi moved swiftly on the mountain path, quickly disappearing from sight. A Sang struggled with every step, sweating profusely. By nightfall, A Sang was still crawling like a snail at the mountaintop, while Zashi had already returned. A Sang could only carry a tree down the mountain every three days, but he didn’t give up and persisted.

A year later, A Sang returned, still looking thin. He went to Zhuoma’s house to propose again, declaring that he could now definitely carry Zhuoma home. Her father reluctantly agreed to let A Sang marry Zhuoma three days later but with a condition: if Zhuoma touched the ground, the wedding party would immediately turn back. A Sang agreed.

On the wedding day, A Sang dressed in groom’s attire, confidently came to fetch his bride, but inside the tent were two brides. Although they were the same height, one was plump and the other slim, both with their heads covered by embroidered red cloth.

Her father smiled and said, “A Sang, I’ll give you a chance. You can choose the slim girl; she’s prettier than Zhuoma, and you might succeed in the challenge.” A Sang firmly shook his head, insisting on marrying Zhuoma. Without hesitation, he picked up the plump girl and left, with the wedding party following him.

A Sang carried the bride all the way home without stopping, receiving enthusiastic applause from everyone. The bride, startled by the applause, suddenly lifted her veil, revealing a man’s face. Everyone was shocked. Behind the wedding party, Zhuoma’s father led a slim, tall bride. A Sang lifted her veil and found Zhuoma.

It turned out that after A Sang left, Zhuoma ate only a little milk each day to lose weight, hoping A Sang could carry her home. Her father, seeing Zhuoma more beautiful after slimming down, was reluctant to let her marry A Sang. So, he had Zhuoma’s brother dress as the bride to test A Sang.

Unexpectedly, A Sang’s love for Zhuoma was unwavering, choosing the plump girl. Touched by A Sang’s determination, her father brought Zhuoma along. Unexpectedly, A Sang had grown so strong that he carried Zhuoma’s brother home in one breath.

Everyone was moved by the true love of the bride and groom, joining hands to bless them. The old mother happily brought out large chunks of mutton and filled big bowls with barley wine.

Everyone sat on the ground, drinking and eating heartily. A Sang, excited, drank several large bowls of barley wine, his face flushed.

Someone asked A Sang, “How did you become a strongman?” A Sang shyly replied, “It was Zhuoma who gave me strength.”

On the day A Sang left, Zhuoma gave him a stone, saying it represented their unwavering love. She also told A Sang that if he missed her, he should put a stone in his pocket, so she could always be with him. So, A Sang carried trees every day, and when he missed Zhuoma, he put a stone in his pocket. A year later, he could still only carry a small tree but now with a bag full of stones. Everyone followed A Sang’s gaze and saw that the stones in the bag weighed at least two to three hundred pounds.

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