Long, long ago there was an Altair and a Vega in the sky watched by the Qianniu and the Weaving Maid respectively. They hit it off and discovered a mutual affinity. However, boys and girls were not allowed to fall into love without permission in accordance with the laws of heaven. The Weaving Maid was the granddaughter of the Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West), who ousted Qianniu into the earthly world and ordered the Weaving Maid to make a colorful brocade as beautiful as the clouds as her punishment.
The Weaving Maid wove layers of beautiful clouds with a kind of supernatural silk on her loom. At different times and seasons, the cloud presented diff erent colors. This is the clothing of heaven. From the time Qianniu was demoted, the Weaving Maid was deeply sad and shed many tears. She ceaselessly wove the beautiful brocade of cloud, hoping that the Xiwangmu would show mercy to Qianniu, thus allowing him to return to heaven. One day, several fairy maids implored the Xiwangmu to allow them to visit the Bilianchi Pond. Being in a good mood, the Xiwangmu gave them her permission. Meanwhile, they found the Weaving Maid terribly depressed, and begged Xiwangmu to let her go with them. The Xiwangmu dearly loved her granddaughter and ordered them to go and return quickly.
After Qianniu was demoted, he was born into the family of a farmer and named Niulang (cowherd). Later his parents died and he had to subsist in hardship with his brother and sister-in-law. In fact they were so harsh to the Cowherd that they gave him only a single cow when dividing up family property.
From then on, the Cowherd and the cow depended on each other for survival. They engaged in farming and built their house on a strip of barren land. They barely kept body and soul together. Apart from the cow (which of course could not speak) there was only the Cowherd in the house, and he was very lonely. The cowherd did not know that this old cow was really Taurus.
One day, the cow suddenly began to speak. It said, “Cowherd, you must go to the Bilian Pond, where the fairies will come to bathe. Take the red clothes you find there, and the one to whom they belong will be your wife.” The Cowherd was astonished and happy at the sound of the cow speaking human language. He asked, “Brother Cow, are you really able to speak? And is what you said really true?” The cow nodded his head. Then the Cowherd stealthily hid himself in the reeds near the Biyao Chi and awaited the arrival of the fairies.
Soon the fairies lightly arrived, took off their clothes, and jumped into the pond. The Cowherd immediately dashed out from behind the reeds and took away the red immortal clothes. Seeing people coming, the fairies hasted to put on their own clothes and flew away like birds, with the fairy who had no clothes to wear being left behind. With no clothes the Weaving Maid was shy and anxious, but had no way out. Then, the Cowherd went up to her and asked her to be his wife so that he could give her back her clothes. As soon as she fixed her eyes upon him, she knew that the cowherd was none other than the very Qianniu who she missed every day. She immediately said yes. And so it happened that the Weaving Maid became the Cowherd’s wife.
After they were married, the Cowherd engaged in farming while the Weaving Maid wove. They loved each other and lived a happy life. Before long, they had a son and a daughter. They were content to think that they would live into old age together.
Meanwhile, the Xiwangmu gave vent to her rage and sent immortals and fairies to catch the Weaving Maid so she could receive punishment in heaven.
