A Mother Beneath the River

For a hundred years, the soul at the bottom of the Luo River was lonely—until a little mute boy named Changsheng brought warmth with a single red paper lantern, quietly keeping him company as he grew. When Changsheng was swept away by the river, she gave up her chance at reincarnation to save the young child, Jiangsheng, and raised him on her own. In her daily life she secretly protected the people along the riverbank, and in the blink of an eye, as her two-hundred-year lifespan drew near, the tribulation of fading away approached. Just then a landslide struck, and she poured out all her strength to shield the whole village; the villagers lit lanterns one after another and prayed with sincere hearts. Thousands of acts of goodwill melted away the cold of the past, and she shed her spirit form to become the River Goddess, finding lasting peace amid the warmth of human life.