Strange Tales from Liaozhai--Volume 5

by Pu Songling

  After saving for several years, Qiao’s daughter managed to save enough money to marry Wutou to a wealthy family, then paid to have his childhood home renovated, and instructed Wutou to make his home there. Wutou wept and begged her to come live with them, so she agreed to do so; however, she continued her spinning and weaving work as always.

  When Wutou and his wife took her weaving equipment away, Qiao’s daughter told them, “If my son and I don’t work, we’ll just become parasites, and we’ll always feel uneasy.” Thus she always rose early to take care of family business for Wutou, while her son made the rounds of inspecting the fields, as if he was just another servant.

  Any time that Wutou and his wife made some small error, Qiao’s daughter always scolded them and wouldn’t just let it pass; and if they stinted making amends for it even a little bit, she’d look angry and threaten to leave. Wutou and his wife would then prostrate themselves and apologize profusely, after which she’d agree to stay.

  Before long, Wutou was admitted into a government school, and Qiao’s daughter again expressed her intention to leave. Wutou couldn’t stand for this to happen, thus he gave money to her son, so he could marry well. Qiao’s daughter then sent her son to live at their former residence. Wutou detained him long enough to send someone secretly to a nearby village marketplace to purchase a hundred mu of farmland, and after giving it to the son, allowed him to leave.

  Afterwards, when Qiao’s daughter fell ill, she begged to go home. Wutou wouldn’t hear of it. As her condition worsened, she urged him, “Be sure that I’m returned to scholar Mu’s home for burial!” Wutou promised he would do so. Following her death, he privately sent money to her son so he could bury her at the Meng home.

  When the funeral ceremonies had been completed and the coffin was to be carried to burial, it was so heavy that not even thirty people could lift it. The son of Qiao’s daughter suddenly fell to the ground, bleeding from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nostrils, reproaching himself, “You’re no filial son, for how could you have sold out your own mother!”

  Wutou, horrified, did obeisance and reiterated that they would do as she wished, and consequently the son began to recover. They waited several days, reverentially repairing Mu’s tomb in the interim, and then buried Qiao’s daughter together with him.

  The collector of these strange tales remarks, “Meng was so moved by the loyalty of Qiao’s daughter, that when he died, it was as though he’d already married her—this is what an upright man can do. Even recognizing this, how could the woman behave as grandly and marvelously as this? If Jiu Fanggao met her, he’d know her to be as loyal and upright as any man.”

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  Mu: A measure of land equal to 1/6 acre.

  Jiu Fanggao: A Spring and Autumn period (771-476 B.C.E.) figure, known for his extraordinary ability to judge the quality of a horse by its appearance.

  384. The Clam

  In the East China Sea, there lives a particular type of clam and when it becomes hungry, it swims close to shore, where its two shells open up; from inside, a small crab emerges, connected to the clam via a thin red tube, and it hunts for food until it’s sated, then it returns to the clam shell, which proceeds to shut.

  If someone secretly severs the tube, both of the creatures die. Within the laws of nature, this is a strange thing indeed.

  385. Lady Liu

  Scholar Lian was from Zhangde. From an early age he’d been a dedicated student, but because his parents died while he was still young, his household was extremely poor. One day he went out, but as he was returning home at dusk, he lost his way. He walked into a village where an old lady came up to him and said, “Aren’t you Master Lian? What are you doing out in the dark of night?” Lian, who’d been feeling anxious and worried about being lost, was too preoccupied to ask who she was, and instead asked her whether she might help him find a bed for the night.

  The old woman led him into a large residence. A pair of young maidservants holding lanterns conducted him to the lady of the house, a woman of about forty, with the bearing of someone from a wealthy, influential family. The old woman announced, “Master Lian has arrived.”

  Lian quickly did obeisance to the lady, who was pleased and remarked, “Such a good-looking gentleman, with the bearing of a wealthy family!” She had a feast set out, then sat at his side, urging him to drink up and enjoy the rich delicacies, and though she continually raised her cup, she never drank, nor ate, though she kept picking up her chopsticks.

  While finding this puzzling, Lian repeatedly inquired about her distinguished family. “Finish three more cups of wine and I’ll tell you,” she smiled. Lian then did so. “My husband, now deceased, was named Liu,” she explained, “and was living in Jiangyou, where he met with misfortune and died. I’ve been living as his widow, alone in this remote place that becomes more desolate by the day. Though I have two grandsons, they’re both reprobates and good-for-nothings. Even though you have a different surname than ours, sir, it’s feels as though you’ve been kindred with us in some previous life, or will be in the future; besides, you clearly love your family, you’re honest and devoted, which is why I wanted to meet you. I don’t wish to trouble you, but I’ve managed to set aside some money and I’d like to ask you to invest it for me in some ventures so I can receive a percentage of its profits, which is certainly better than simply exhausting all my resources.”

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  Zhangde: A prefecture in Pu’s time, the site of modern Henan province’s city of Anyang.

  Lian declined, on grounds of his youth and his scholarly lack of worldly experience, fearful of having the burden of her great trust placed on his shoulders. The lady replied, “To be able to afford to study, first you need a livelihood for support. With your intelligence, why doubt whether you can do it?” She dispatched a maidservant to bring out some money, intending to give more than eight hundred taels to him.

  Scared to be entrusted with so much, Lian firmly refused to take it. “I know you’re not used to engaging in business dealings,” lady Liu encouraged him, “but if you give it a try, you’ll definitely turn a profit.” Considering the great amount of money involved, Lian didn’t believe he could handle it alone so he thought about finding some traveling merchants to assist him. “There’s no need for them,” she told him. “But if you search for a servant who’s simply honest and skilled at negotiating, that’ll be all the help you’ll need.”

  Then she performed calculations with her delicate fingers to predict his future, and informed him, “The surname Wu will be auspicious for you.” She told her servants to load a horse with the taels for Lian, then walked him outside, remarking, “Near the end of the year, I’ll hold a banquet to celebrate your return home.” Afterwards she turned to a servant and said, “This horse will suit him perfectly, since he’ll be able to ride it, so offer it to him as a present and then he won’t feel obliged to return it.” While it was still night, Lian returned home, and once they arrived, the servant tied up the horse and left.

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  Jiangyou: Another name for Jiangxi province.

  The next day, Lian looked everywhere until he found a man surnamed Wu, and accordingly offered to pay him generously if the man would work for him. Wu was an experienced traveler who conducted himself conscientiously, with simple honesty, thus Lian trusted him completely and turned over all of the money to him to handle. They journeyed throughout the countryside, and thanks to Wu’s assistance, by the end of the year when they returned home, Lian had tripled his money. For Wu’s many efforts on his behalf, Lian rewarded him with additional payment taken from other expenditures of the profits, making sure that lady Liu didn’t find out.

  No sooner had they arrived home than they found that lady Liu had already sent someone to report that she’d prepared a welcome for them, so they left to see her. They discovered that a grand banquet was waiting for them in her hall; she came out to greet them, com
mending them for their hard work. Proposing to account for their use of the money, Lian submitted his bookkeeping records to her; but lady Liu simply ignored them.

  A little later, to encourage their enjoyment of the banquet, people performed singing and dancing to the accompaniment of bells and drums, while Wu was also entertained with a banquet of his own outside the hall till he’d finally had enough to drink and went home. Since Lian had no wife, the lady invited him to stay and celebrate the New Year with her.

  The next day, he asked her once again to look over his account records. She smiled and replied, “There’ll be no need, for I had the calculations performed quite some time ago.” Then she took out an account book to show Lian, in which everything had been recorded correctly, including the bonus that he’d given Wu.

  Stunned, Lian exclaimed, “You’re truly a goddess!” For several days afterwards, lady Liu entertained him sumptuously, treating him like he was her son or nephew.

  One day, she set up another banquet in the hall, with seats facing east and south; outside the hall, she set up a different banquet, with the seats facing west. She explained to Lian, “Tomorrow everything is aligned auspiciously for you to embark on a journey. Tonight I’m hosting a farewell dinner for you and your servant, to give you a stirring send-off.”

  Shortly afterwards, Wu also arrived, and was given a seat outside the hall. At that point, drum and bell music noisily began playing. A performing girl presented Lian a list of songs to select from, and the scholar asked her to sing “Tao Zhu.” Lady Liu smiled and remarked, “This is a promising sign, implying that you’ll be able to obtain a wife like Xi Shi.”

  Once the banquets were concluded, she took all of the money that Lian had returned to her and gave it back to him with the advice, “On this journey, don’t worry about how long it takes, but at any rate, don’t return home until your income exceeds ten thousand taels. Between you and me, we must count on our fortunate fates, and trust each other with what is in our hearts. You needn’t bother recording your transactions, for even from a great distance, I’ll know what they are.” Lian assured her he would do his best and went on his way.

  He traveled as a merchant along the banks of the Huai River, selling salt, and in the course of a year, he’d increased lady Liu’s funds several times over. Yet most of all, Lian loved to read. Wherever he was conducting his business, he never neglected his books and scrolls, and the acquaintances he made during his travels were all scholars; as his profits rose, he thought about no longer personally handling the business, so he gradually turned things over with gratitude to Wu.

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  Tao Zhu: Lord Tao Zhu, better known as Fan Li, flourished during the 5th century B.C.E., served as a political advisor, and was the author of texts outlining principles of economics that remain popular today.

  Xi Shi: One of the archetypal Four Beauties of ancient China. Fan Li obtained her for King Goujian of Yue, when Fan was serving him as a minister; legend has it that Xi Shi and Fan Li went off together eventually on a fishing boat and were never heard from again.

  Huai River: The river originates in Henan province, and also flows through portions of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.

  Scholar Xue, from Taoyuan, was Lian’s best friend; it happened that when Lian went to call on him, Xue’s whole family had gone to stay at their villa, and since it was dusk by the time Lian arrived, too late for him to return home, the gatekeeper invited him to enter, had a bed made up for him and saw that he was fed. As Lian inquired about how the Xues were doing, he learned that there had been rumors circulating about the imperial court looking for daughters from respectable families to serve as rewards for military leaders policing the country’s borders, so people were naturally upset. They’d heard that unmarried local young men, without having to deal with matchmakers, were being given the daughters of these families, and that one night, a particular young fellow was given two wives. Xue had similarly just married into an aristocratic family and was worried that if someone came to stir things up, the court might hear of it; hence he moved his family temporarily to the countryside.

  Near the end of the first watch, just as he was getting ready to go to bed, Lian suddenly heard several people forcibly enter the house. The gatekeeper didn’t know what to say to them, but Lian heard one man say, “If your master isn’t at home, then who’s burning the candle?”

  “It’s Master Lian,” the gatekeeper replied, “a guest visiting from far away.” Presently the fellow who’d asked the question entered Lian’s room, his clothing bright and clean, and raised his hands in greeting, asking the scholar about his name and birthplace. Lian accordingly identified himself.

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  Taoyuan: Part of modern Hunan province.

  First watch: Approximately 7:00-9:00 p.m.

  “I’m also from there,” declared the man cheerfully. “What’s the name of your wife’s family?”

  “I haven’t got a wife,” answered Lian. This seemed to make the fellow even happier, so he hurried outside and beckoned in a young man who also entered, then very courteously paid his respects to Lian.

  “To tell you the truth, sir,” he said, “my name is Mu. Tonight I came here to give my younger sister to Master Xue, and it wasn’t until I came in just now that I learned it wouldn’t be possible. I thought I was struck in a real dilemma, but then we happened to come across you, which couldn’t be anything but fate!” Since there was a great deal that Lian didn’t know about these people, he hesitated and didn’t dare agree to it. Mu ignored his reaction and quickly called for his sister.

  In moments, two older women entered, accompanying a young woman who proceeded to sit down on Lian’s bed. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, noting she was fifteen or sixteen years old and without equal for sheer beauty. Very pleased, Lian straightened his robe and turned to express his gratitude; he then asked the gatekeeper to go purchase some refreshments, so they could enjoy a pleasant conversation.

  Mu told him, “Our ancestors lived in Zhangde; mother also came from an important family, though now it’s in decline. I’ve heard that my maternal grandfather had two other grandsons, but I don’t know what their situation is like.”

  “What’s your grandfather’s name?” Lian asked him.

  Mu replied, “Liu was his surname, his courtesy name was Huiruo, and I’ve heard that he lived thirty li north of there.”

  “I live southeast of there,” Lian informed him, “quite a few li from that northern area; since I’m young, I don’t know all that many people. In Zhangde, there are many more people named Liu than anything else, so all I’m sure of is that north of the city, there’s a man named Liu Jingqing, a literary scholar, who might or might not be related to you, but is certainly from a poor family.”

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  Li: A distance equal to 1/3 mile.

  “My grandfather’s tomb is still at Zhangde,” Mu said, “so I’ve been hoping to relocate my parents’ remains and bury them in my home town, but I don’t have the money to do it and hence I’ve had to delay. Now that you’re marrying my sister, I’m even more determined to return home and do this.” When Lian heard this, he quickly took charge of the matter. Mu and his sister were both overjoyed.

  The wine was passed around several times, then Mu said goodbye and left. Lian had a servant remove the lanterns, and the happy couple made love joyously—words can’t express how happy they were. The next day, Xue found out about what had happened and rushed back to the city, where he had another house prepared for Lian’s lodging.

  Lian returned to the Huai River region, resumed his business dealings, then asked Wu to watch over his shop; he gathered up some money and returned to Taoyuan, where he worked together with the Mu brothers to open their parents’ graves and unearth their bones, then took them home to Zhangde. After they’d returned and taken care of everything, Lian took his bags of profits and went to see lady Liu.

&nb
sp; He encountered servants along the way who were already waiting for him. He followed them and when lady Liu came out to greet him, she looked pleased as she exclaimed, “Tao Zhugong has returned with a Xi Shi! In the past, you were my guest, but today you become my son-in-law.” She had wine set out to celebrate, and treated him with even greater affection than before.

  Lian, fully convinced of her prescience, accordingly asked her, “Are you and my mother-in-law relatives?”

  “Don’t ask,” she replied, “and in time you’ll come to know.” Then, on a table, she piled up the money that Lian had returned, and divided it five ways; she took two stacks for herself, saying, “I have no use for all of this, so I’ll just bequeath the rest to my first grandson.”

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  Tao Zhugong: Fabulously wealthy 5th-century B.C.E. former minister; also used to connote any extremely rich individual.

  Lian felt that she’d given him too much, so he told her he couldn’t accept it. “My family has fallen into decay,” she said sadly, “and all of the tall trees on our land have been cut down for firewood; my grandsons have both moved far away, but given your respectable status, I hope I can trouble you to continue managing it.” Lian promised he would do so, but would only accept half of the money that was there. Lady Liu subsequently talked him into taking all of it.

  She walked him outside, and after waving tearfully as he departed, went back inside. Lian sensed something strange, and when he turned around to look at her home, it had become an abandoned graveyard. He began to realize that lady Liu was his wife’s maternal grandmother. After returning home, to honor her, he purchased a hundred mu of land around the graveyard and created a truly beautiful memorial to her.