My cousin Xiao Chen from Jiangxi was our local tour guide. A local guide is someone who guides tourists in their local area. She met us at the foot of Mount Lu. At first, she gave me an ordinary impression.
The term "Jiangxi Laobiao" refers to people from Jiangxi. In the late Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang fiercely fought around Poyang Lake. Once, Zhu Yuanzhang was defeated and had nowhere to run, so he came to a temple on Mount Lu where the monks saved him. Zhu Yuanzhang promised to repay them and used the word "Laobiao" as a signal for recognition. When Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing, those monks went to find him, saying they were "Jiangxi Laobiao". Zhu Yuanzhang did not disappoint them. Since then, the term "Jiangxi Laobiao" has become a synonym for people from Jiangxi.
Calling a girl from Jiangxi "cousin" stems from this. Last time I attended an event in Zhuhai, there were two women from Jiangxi. I joked with them and called them "Jiangxi cousin". This time when we climbed Mount Lu and saw Xiao Chen, I immediately called her "Jiangxi cousin". As a result, everyone on the bus started calling her "cousin". She was happy to accept it and considered herself a cousin throughout the journey.
Xiao Chen's appearance was ordinary, giving off a rural vibe. However, when she spoke in front of the bus, I found her quite charming. She appeared dignified and delicate, and upon closer inspection, she somewhat resembled the Calabash Kid from the story "Calabash Brothers".
Xiao Chen speaks straightforwardly without beating around the bush, saying what she means. Tourists fear eating poorly or not enough. Each time before meals, she would always say: "I can't guarantee you'll eat well, but I can guarantee you'll be full." This was the truth. The food at lunch on the second day on Mount Lu was indeed hard to swallow. Several times I wanted to put down my chopsticks, but thought better of it and decided to eat until I was full. It was better to endure the taste. However, some places served food that was quite to our liking.
Like other guides, Xiao Chen hoped we would participate in optional activities. In fact, half of the people on our red tourism trip paid extra fees. The Mount Lu waterfall was an optional activity, and she enthusiastically introduced it, hoping we would go see it. She said people coming to Mount Lu should see the waterfall, otherwise, it would be like not coming at all. With that, many felt they must see the Mount Lu waterfall. Immediately, 24 people paid. After arranging for those who didn't want to go, she happily led us out. Unexpectedly, the weather didn't let her make money. It rained all the way, getting heavier. By the time we reached Hanpo Pass, everyone's pants were soaked. Some wanted to give up and go back. She didn't insist, quickly leading everyone back. But because she didn't earn any money, Xiao Chen pouted.
In the evening, we were going to watch "Lovers of Mount Lu" at the Mount Lu Cinema. She enthusiastically arranged taxis and accompanied us there. After we finished watching, she came inside to find us, arranged the same taxi, and sent us back to the hotel.
What everyone liked most about the Jiangxi cousin was her narration of the revolutionary history of Jinggang Mountain. On the way to Jinggang Mountain, we finished lunch at 1:30 PM. After getting on the bus, she began introducing the revolutionary history of Jinggang Mountain until nearly 3 PM when we arrived at Ciping. She talked for over two hours non-stop, standing the entire time without drinking water. Besides basic information about Jinggang Mountain, she mainly described Mao Zedong's process of establishing a revolutionary base for the Red Army on Jinggang Mountain. From the August 7th Conference to the Nanchang Uprising and the Autumn Harvest Uprising, from the Sanwan Reorganization to reaching Jinggang Mountain, persuading Yuan Wentai and Wang Zuo, all the way to the failure of the fifth counter-encirclement campaign, she recounted the twists and turns vividly. When we reached Ciping, she hadn't finished yet, so she continued the next day. For this reason, everyone on the bus was very impressed and naturally took a liking to this Jiangxi cousin.
On Mount Lu, some people wanted to shop. She said things on Mount Lu were expensive. "Tomorrow, I will arrange specific shopping time for you." After visiting the Jinggang Mountain Martyrs' Cemetery, we followed her to shop. She recommended tungsten steel knives. Perhaps due to our affection for this cousin, everyone actively bought knives, with one person buying seven sets. This made the Jiangxi cousin extremely pleased. Later, she also took us to see agricultural products and bamboo goods, and everyone bought something.
As the Jiangxi cousin got familiar with us, she enjoyed telling jokes. Someone told a dirty joke on the bus and asked if she understood. She replied: "No, I didn't understand." Then burst out laughing herself, clearly having understood. I asked her: "Do you have a boyfriend?" She said: "No." Someone said: "There are so many cousins on this bus, just pick one." She laughed and said: "You're all married." Then added: "Even if you're married, it's fine, but you need to be rich." So everyone enthusiastically recommended a rich married cousin to her. She refused again, causing laughter throughout the bus.