The Chinese people believe that the star Vega（织女星）, east of
the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation of Aquila（天鹰座）, on the
western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife.
Zhi Nu was said to be the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of
Heaven. With her sisters, she worked hard to weave beautiful clouds in the sky,
while Niu Lang was a poor orphan cowherd, driven out of his home by his elder
brother and his cruel wife. Niu Lang lamented over his lonely and poor life
with an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly told him
of a way to find a beautiful and nice woman as his life companion. Under the
direction of the cow, Niu Lang went to the riverside on an evening, where the
seven fairies slipped out of their heavenly palace to bathe. He took one of the
beautiful silk dresses the fairies had left on the bank. When the fairies left
the water, the youngest couldn't find her clothes and had to see her sisters
fly back to heaven without her. Then Niu Lang came out with the dress and asked
the youngest fairy, Zhi Nu, to stay with him.
Several years passed on Earth, which were only a few days in heaven. Niu
Lang and Zhi Nu lived happily together and had two children before the Queen of
Heaven discovered Zhi Nu's absence. She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought
back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niu Lang was
terrified. He caught sight of the cowhide hanging on a wall. The magical cow
had told him before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide（牛皮） for
emergency use."Putting the cowhide on, he went after his wife with his two
children. With the help of the cowhide, Niu Lang was able to follow Zhi Nu into
heaven. He was about to reach his wife when the Queen showed up and pulled off
her hairpin to draw a line between the two. The line became the Silver River in
heaven, or the Milky Way. Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, going on
weaving the clouds. But she was so sad, and missed her husband across the
Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen
showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the
Silver River.
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