Silver and Plum: And Other Stories

By Tang Tang, Lü Qiumei and Rebecca Moesta

Welcome to Fairy Tales from Tang Tang

Tang Tang weaves traditional Chinese storytelling with Western fantasy elements, using vivid language to craft unique stories of wonder and magic. These beautiful, poignant fairy tales will leave an imprint on your heart with their universal themes of friendship, family, loyalty and loss.

What happens when …

• two children promise to reunite in a year and two toy cats make the same pledge?
• a ghost carries an orphan girl away to his island to teach his plants to talk?
• an immortal phoenix falls in love with a mortal man?
• a young boy rides a mysterious train into the wilderness?
• a sleepless ghost decides to hang upside down in a girl’s chimney?

This book is for children and for adults who never lost their sense of wonder.

Translated from the original Chinese

Edited by Rebecca Moesta and illustrated by Lü Qiumei. Translated by Li Xiaochun and Rebecca Moesta

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781680573077

Book preview

Silver and Plum and Other Stories

Welcome to Fairy Tales from Tang Tang

Tang Tang weaves traditional Chinese storytelling with Western fantasy elements, using vivid language to craft unique stories of wonder and magic. These beautiful, poignant fairy tales will leave an imprint on your heart with their universal themes of friendship, family, loyalty and loss.

What happens when …

two children promise to reunite in a year and two toy cats make the same pledge?

a ghost carries an orphan girl away to his island to teach his plants to talk?

an immortal phoenix falls in love with a mortal man?

a young boy rides a mysterious train into the wilderness?

a sleepless ghost decides to hang upside down in a girl’s chimney?

This book is for children and for adults who never lost their sense of wonder.

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Silver and Plum and Other Stories

Text Copyright © 2021 Tang Tang

Original Copyright © 2021 Blossom Press

English-Language Translation © 2022 WordFire Press, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, except where permitted by law. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

The ebook edition of this book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share the ebook edition with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

EBook ISBN: 978-1-68057-307-7

Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-68057-306-0

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-68057-308-4

Casebind ISBN: 978-1-68057-309-1

WordFire Press Edition 2022

Cover design by Janet McDonald

Cover artwork images by Lü Qiumei

Kevin J. Anderson, Art Director

Published by

WordFire Press, LLC

PO Box 1840 Monument CO 80132

Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Publishers

Contents

Silver and Plum

The Ghost in the Jasmine Coat

Feather

Are You a Star?

Chim Ney

Publisher’s Note

About the Author

Other WordFire Press Titles By Tang Tang

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Silver and Plum

Silver had a simple heart, as simple as his form.

He was a wooden kitten, small enough to fit in a child’s hand. His body was made from only two pieces of wood fitted together, a square flat piece for the head, and a longer flat piece for the body. Not even a tail. But his triangular ears and large round eyes made it obvious that he was a cat. His golden eyes stayed open morning and night.

For many years Silver’s simple heart held only two things: a promise and a master.

His master’s name was Yingu. When Yingu was young, he would tuck Silver into his coat pocket and touch him every now and then, which made Silver happy. A master could own countless things: clothes, bowls, cups, a bed, pillows, toys … Yingu was the master of many things, yet Silver had only one master.

One day Silver rolled under the bed and stayed there for many days and nights. He never saw his master search for him, but what did it matter? He could smell the young man, and he was a wooden kitten with a master.

Then came the worst part. Yingu moved away, but Silver did not. The new owner of the house came, and after a thorough cleaning, Silver and a pile of dust and debris were whisked out the door to a new destination: a trash bin by the side of the road. Silver missed the bin and fell on the ground.

Silver was confused for a long while before he realized, Oh my god, I have no master! He was at a loss.

Without a master, what am I? he asked himself.

I am nothing without a master, he concluded after thinking for a few days. This sort of reasoning did not make him unique, since these are exactly the same thoughts