In the old days, Teochew women liked to wear a “head scarf.” It was both aesthetically pleasing and provided shade, and was called a “forehead scarf.” The origin of the “forehead scarf” worn by Teochew women has a story tied to a woman’s forehead scar.

60-year old palace graduate

During the Ming Dynasty, a man named Li Shichun lived in Teochew. Nearly sixty years old, he passed the imperial examination and became a palace graduate (was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. ). The following year, he married his wife, Wang.

The Bride’s Scar

On his wedding night, Li Shichun removed the bride’s veil. He discovered a large scar on her forehead and asked, “My dear, how did you get that scar?”

This question brought tears to Wang’s eyes. She cried, “More than ten years ago, I was calling a few helpers home for dinner in an open field in Tuxiang Gong (a place name), and a scoundrel threw a stone at me for no apparent reason…”

After hearing this, Li Shichun looked at Wang again carefully. Finally, he realized that the scar on Wang’s forehead was the result of his own hand, more than ten years ago. Everyone, why did Li Shichun throw a stone at Wang?

The Poor Scholar

Li Shichun was bright and studious from a young age, but his family was very poor. His mother’s income from mending clothes supported the family and Shichun’s education. However, Shichun was unlucky. He didn’t become a scholar until he was nearly thirty.

Forgetting a wife, even eating was a struggle. To care for his elderly mother, Li Shichun was recommended to a neighboring village to become a teacher.

Although life as a teacher was frugal, Li Shichun was deeply filial. He was frugal, saving money to buy fish and shrimp to bring home to his mother. Mother and son lived a carefree and leisurely life together.

Teaching Yama’s Son

One day, Li Shichun was on his way home when a violent gust of wind swept him to Yama’s palace(Yama is the King of Hell,decide everyone when to die and how to die). Yama had invited him to teach his son how to read and write.

Shichun refused to teach Yama’s son, citing his elderly mother’s lack of care. But Yama explained that he had already made arrangements, explaining that an uncle had recently arrived in search of his relatives and had taken his mother to live a peaceful life.

Li Shichun knew that he did have an uncle, but they had been separated during the war. So, with nothing to say, he settled for teaching there.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye. Yama’s son had grown up, and he prepared to dismiss Li Shichun, allowing him to return to the mortal realm.

Before leaving, Li Shichun asked Yama, “Your Majesty, when will I pass the imperial examination? Who will I be on the same list with? Where is my wife from?”

Yama replied, “Sir, don’t ask when you will pass the imperial examination, but it’s already been determined in the records that you will be on the same list with Guo Zhiqi from Jieyang. Your wife lives at Tu Xiang Gong in Jieyang. When you first saw her, she was calling for dinner.”

Going to Jieyang to Find Out

After hearing this, Li Shichun was escorted back to the mortal realm by a patrolman sent by Yama. Upon his return, Li Shichun resolved to visit Jieyang (a county in Teochew) to discover the true nature of “Guo Zhiqi and future wife.” He made a special trip to Jieyang and settled in a village there.

He continued to teach. Whenever he had free time, he would inquire about the identity of “Guo Zhiqi” and the whereabouts of “Tu Xiang Gong.”

A Chance Encounter with Guo Zhiqi

Hard work pays off. One day, he finally found out where Tu Xiang Gong was and headed for it early in the morning in Jieyang.

It was drizzling that day, and the streets were sparsely populated.

He saw a child carrying a schoolbag on his back, heading for school. “Guo Zhiqi” was written on the bag.

He approached and asked, “Are you Guo Zhiqi?”

The child answered without hesitation, “Guo Zhiqi is me.”

Li Shichun’s heart sank at this. This child was only a little over ten years old. When would I be on the same list as him?

He touched his head, a little absentmindedly, and said, “Brother, grow up quickly.”

The child tilted his head and said to Li Shichun, “我比你大(means older than you,’大’ not only means old,also means a high positon’)!”

Ladies and gentlemen, this is indeed true. Guo Zhiqi later rose to the position of Minister of War, a position that was indeed higher than Li Shichun’s. How could Li Shichun compare to him?

Not an ordinary child

At that moment, the child slipped and fell. Passersby on both sides, seeing the child fall flat on his back, burst into laughter.

With a quick flip, the child stood up and chanted aloud:

“雨仔油油，路滑如绸；骗跌郭公，笑死群牛!”

(“The rain is pouring down, the road is slippery as silk.It tricked Mr. Guo into falling, making the cows laugh to death!”)

After hearing this rhyme, Li Shichun knew he was a remarkable child, destined to become a prominent official in the future. So he turned and headed straight for TuXiangGong.

Tu Xiang Gong Meets His Six-Year-Old Wife

Inside the rain shelter next to Tu Xiang Gong, several men working part-time jobs stood.

As they took shelter from the rain, they kept muttering:

“It’s almost noon, why haven’t you eaten yet?”

“The rich man’s wife doesn’t know what it’s like to be hungry…”

Li Shichun stood in the rain shelter for a full hour, hoping a beautiful young woman would come and tell them to “go home for dinner.” That would have been enough to satisfy him.

Just as Li Shichun was drifting off into a trance, a little girl of six or seven years old emerged from Tu Xiang Gong. She skipped towards the rain shelter and said to the men, “Everyone, go home for dinner!”

Li Shichun’s heart sank! “When will this little girl marry me?” He was so enraged that he wished he could crash into the rain shelter and die. He cursed Yama inwardly, thinking, “By the time this girl grows up, ‘骨头好扣鼓了’(means I will be already dead that time).”

Killing a Little Girl to Exchange for a Wife

“I might as well just stone this little girl to death and let Yama find me another!” Li Shichun decided. He picked up a stone from the roadside and viciously hurled it at the little girl’s head…

But as the saying goes, “凡事都由阎罗王簿注定”(“Everything is determined by Yama,” )it was absolutely true. Li Shichun’s stone didn’t kill the girl, only leaving a small hole in her forehead. Suddenly, she cried and ran home…

Facing His Injured Wife

Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s return to Li Shichun’s wedding chamber.

Facing his wife, Wang, whom he had injured over a decade ago, a flood of thoughts washed over him:

He was convinced of the accuracy of Yama’s predictions, and he regretted his sinful act of harming someone for no reason.

But when friends and family later asked about the scar on his wife, Wang’s forehead, how could he explain it? Could a scholar like me have done such a cruel thing?

Finally, after much searching, he came up with a solution: a specially made “forehead band” to be worn around Wang’s forehead. This not only concealed the scar, making her look more beautiful, but also provided protection from the wind and cold.

After that, the “forehead band” became a popular custom in Teochew village.