by Pu Songling
Fan, pleasantly surprised, immediately got up and dragged Feng over to sit with her on the mattress, reproaching her for failing to keep their agreement to meet, and then asked her where she’d just come from. Feng told her, “My family lives far away from this area, and sometimes I visit my uncle’s family for fun. When I told you before that I lived in the neighboring village, I was actually meaning my uncle’s home.
“After we parted company, I missed you bitterly; however, I’m poor and humble, so becoming friends with someone from a wealthy family made me feel ashamed of my own condition—since I was afraid that even your servants would look down on me—and that’s why I never came to visit you.
“Just now, as I was passing outside your walls, I heard a young woman’s voice, and so I climbed up to take a look, hoping it was you, and now it’s proved to be just as I’d wished.” Fan then told her what had caused her illness.
Feng’s tears fell like rain, and she said, “My coming has to be kept a secret. If word gets out, it’ll cause trouble, spreading malicious gossip, and I couldn’t bear to face that.” Fan promised she would be discreet. They went into the house together and shared the same bed, where they happily revealed their deepest feelings to each other. They agreed that they would treat each other like sisters, and they often wore each other’s clothing and shoes. Whenever Feng saw someone coming, she’d find a curtain to hide behind.
While this was continuing for five or six months, Fan’s father and mother eventually found out about it. One day, while the two young women were playing chess, the official’s wife silently entered the room. After scrutinizing their interaction, she exclaimed, “My daughter really does have someone here!” Then she told Fan, “Your father and I are happy that you’re sharing your room with such an excellent friend, so why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
Fan told her mother about Feng’s suggestion. The official’s wife turned to look at Feng and said, “You’re keeping our daughter company, which is what we want most—so why are you hiding it?” Feng’s cheeks blushed with shyness as she silently picked at her belt, then said nothing. The wife left, and Feng then also took her leave. Fan entreated her to stay, until Feng finally relented.
One night, Feng ran into the room from outside, crying, “I knew I shouldn’t have stayed, and now as a consequence of being here I’ve suffered this great disgrace!” Startled, Fan asked her to explain. She replied, “I’d just gone out to the toilet, when a young man violently approached like he wanted to do something to me, but fortunately I was able to run away. Now, how can I restore my reputation!”
Fan carefully inquired about the young man’s looks, and then apologizing to her, said, “It’s not some stranger, it’s my foolish brother. I’ll tell my mother about this, and he’ll be punished with a whipping.” Feng firmly said farewell, wanting to leave.
Fan begged her to wait until dawn. “My uncle’s family is very close by,” Feng replied, “I only need a ladder and I can get over the wall.” Fan knew she couldn’t ask her to stay, so she sent two maidservants to accompany her beyond the wall. After they’d gone about half a li, Feng politely thanked them for walking with her, and then left. The maidservants returned, and Fan laid down on her bed, sighing sadly, like a married woman who’d just lost her spouse.
After several months, a maidservant went to visit the village to the east, and as she was returning home at dusk, she met Feng, who was following an old woman. The maidservant was very happy to see her, greeting her respectfully and asking about her. Feng was also sincerely interested and asked in return about Fan’s daily life.
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Half a li: One li is equal to 1/3 of a mile.
The maidservant grabbed her sleeve and said, “Third aunt, come with me. Our mistress longs for you so much that she wants to die!”
“I’ve also been missing her,” Feng replied, “but we can’t let her family know about it. Go home and leave your garden gate open, and I’ll come.” The maidservant returned home and told Fan; she was overjoyed, and by the time she could act on the maid’s words, Feng was already waiting for her in the garden.
They met, each describing what had transpired while they’d been separated, talking continuously without respite. When Feng saw that the maidservant had fallen fast asleep, she got up to share a pillow with Fan, whispering, “I’m well aware that you’re not engaged. Given your family’s status and your beauty, nobody worries about not getting a respectable son-in-law; however, he could turn out to be the good-for-nothing son of a wealthy family, arrogant, impertinent and unworthy of you. If you wish to be engaged to a worthy spouse, then please don’t make the decision according to his financial status.” Fan agreed to her suggestion.
Feng then said, “It’s time now to celebrate the Lantern Festival again at the place where we met by chance last year, so tomorrow I’ll trouble you to take a walk there once more, and I’ll see to it that you meet a satisfying young gentleman. Ever since I was quite young, I’ve been reading books about how to tell a person’s fate from his appearance, so I’m quite good at it.”
At daybreak, as Feng was leaving, they arranged to meet at the monastery. By the time Fan set out as planned, Feng had already arrived. From a high vantage point, she watched until Fan arrived and invited Feng to ride with her to the monastery.
Hand-in-hand they walked through the monastery gate, where Feng spotted a xiucai, about seventeen or eighteen, his clothing not showy, and his appearance eminent. Feng secretly pointed at him and told Fan, “This one will become a Hanlin academic.”
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Xiucai: A scholar who has passed the imperial civil service examination at the county level.
Fan looked briefly in Feng’s direction. Feng prepared to leave, and told her, “You go home first, and then I’ll follow.” At dusk, consequently, Feng arrived and said, “I got a very detailed look at him, this Meng Anren, and he’s from the same home village.”
Fan could tell from looking that he was poor, so she couldn’t agree to him. Feng remarked, “Don’t let yourself sink to the level of common prejudices, too! If this man’s been poor and humble for a long time, I’ll poke my eyes out and never tell anyone’s fortune ever again.”
“Why are you making such a big deal of this?” asked Fan.
Feng replied, “I only want one thing from you—to set up a marriage agreement with him.”
“Why do you want to do it so hastily, sister?” Fan asked. “My parents are living, so what if they oppose it?”
Feng answered her, “I want to do this simply because I’m afraid that they may not agree to it. Let me ask you this: if you’re firmly determined, can either life or death shake you to give up?” Fan said they certainly couldn’t. “Your marital destiny has already taken shape,” Feng told her, “and neither demons nor disaster can prevent it. Accordingly, I’ll come along to help you, since we’re good friends. For now, I must ask to leave you and take with me the golden hairpin that you gave me, so I can give it to him, pretending that you’ve sent it as a gift.” Though Fan wanted to discuss the matter further, Feng went out to get started.
At the time, scholar Meng was poor despite being multi-talented, and had been just about to select a spouse, since he was eighteen and not yet married. That same day, he’d suddenly observed two beauties, and when he went home he found himself deep in thought about them.
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Hanlin academic: An intellectual assigned to the imperial Hanlin Academy, which was founded by the Tang dynasty emperor, Xuanzong (ruled 712-56).
As it was drawing near the end of the first watch, Feng knocked at Meng’s door and entered. By the candlelight, Meng recognized her as one of the beauties he’d seen that day, so he happily began asking her questions about the two of them. She told him, “My surname’s Feng, the female companion of eleventh sister Fan.” Meng was delighted to hear this, and without asking a lot of detailed questions, he hastily em
braced her.
Feng resisted him, saying, “I’m not doing this for myself, but out of kindness for you. Fan hopes that you can be joined together in love forever, and she asked me to take care of arranging it.” Meng was so stunned that he couldn’t believe it.
Feng then took out the hairpin and showed it to him. Meng was overjoyed and declared to Feng, “I’m grateful to you for doing this for us, and if I can’t marry her, I’ll be a bachelor all my life rather than take anyone else as my wife.” On that note, Feng left.
The next morning, Meng entrusted an old woman neighbor to pay a visit on his behalf to Fan’s mother. Mrs. Fan could tell that the old woman was poor, so she refused to discuss anything with the woman and informed her daughter of it. When Fan learned about the incident, she began to lose hope, resentfully thinking Feng was causing trouble for her; but it would be difficult for her to get the gold hairpin back, and she’d vowed to be true to the agreement until death.
After several days, there was a certain nobleman who wanted to propose marriage to Fan’s daughter, the eleventh sister, but was worried he might not be able to work out an agreement, so he entrusted the country magistrate to act as his go-between. At the time, the nobleman had a very powerful position, so Fan’s father was intimidated by him. When he took the matter of the proposal to Fan, she was very unhappy about it. Her mother asked her why, but she just remained silent, weeping.
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First watch: The first of five two-hour divisions of the night, from approximately 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Fan secretly sent someone to tell her mother, but not Meng, that she’d rather die than marry. When her father heard about this, he became even more outraged, till finally he betrothed her to the young nobleman. He suspected that Fan had a secret relationship involving some scholar, and hence he chose an auspicious day so they could hold the ceremony as quickly as possible.
Fan was so angry that she wouldn’t eat, and did nothing but lie in her bed. On the evening before the marriage, she suddenly got up and sat in front of a mirror to put on her make-up. Her mother was quite pleased by this.
Immediately thereafter, a maidservant rushed out and cried, “My lady has hanged herself!” The entire household, alarmed and in tears, was plunged into deep sorrow, as there was nothing that could be done about it. They buried Fan three days later.
When Scholar Meng learned that the old woman neighbor had been unable to carry out his instructions, he became so frustrated that he felt like giving up. However, he went out on his own, planning a visit in the rash hope that he might still pull off his goal. When he learned that his beautiful beloved had already been spoken for by another man, he burned in rage and all of his interest in her was completely dissolved.
Before long, learning that Fan had died, he directed his rage inward and grieved for her loss, angry with himself that he hadn’t also died. Toward evening, he went outside because he was about to ride off at twilight, to weep at Fan’s grave. Suddenly, someone arrived and approached him—it was third sister Feng.
She faced Meng and said, “A happy marriage and love can soon be yours.”
Sobbing, Meng asked, “Don’t you know that Fan is dead?”
“You’ll realize I said ‘soon’ because she just died,” Feng replied. “You can ask your family members to dig up her grave quickly, for I have a rare medicine that will revive her.” Meng followed her to the burial site and dug up Fan’s grave, broke open her coffin, and then filled in the grave again.
Carrying Fan’s corpse, Meng and Feng took her to his home, where he placed her on a bed; Feng applied the medicine, and after some time had passed, she revived. Looking to Feng, she asked, “Where am I?”
Feng pointed to the scholar, and told her, “This is Meng Anren.” Once they explained to her what had happened, it all began to seem like she’d just awakened from a dream. Feng was afraid that news of her resuscitation would get out, so together they traveled fifty li, to where they could hide in a mountain village.
Feng wanted to take her leave and depart, but Fan wept and begged her to stay and keep her company, convincing her to stay in a nearby house. Since jewelry and other adornments had been buried with Fan, they used them to raise a certain amount of money to supplement the little they had. Whenever she ran into Meng, Feng always avoided him.
Fan calmly told her, “Sister, you’re like my own flesh and blood, and that will never change in our lifetimes. I think perhaps you and I should serve this man together.”
“Since childhood, I’ve had a slight knack for the magic arts,” replied Feng, “and I know the Daoist method of breathing to achieve longevity, and that’s why I don’t wish to marry.”
Fan smiled and said, “There are so many traditions of cultivating longevity, how could you possibly tell which one would actually work?”
Feng answered, “Not everyone can understand what I’ve learned. With the exception of the exercises of Hua Tuo, other traditions may not be genuine. But all of them teach that to cultivate longevity, one must achieve a smooth flow of blood and breath within the body. But if one’s vital energy flows in the wrong direction, even if you act with the bravery of a tiger, how can you achieve what you desire?”
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Hua Tuo: A doctor of almost supernatural skill who cures Guan Yu of poisoning in The Three Kingdoms, the historical Hua Tuo (d. 220 C.E.) is said to have been versed in Daoist techniques.
Fan planned secretly with Meng, who later pretended to leave and travel some distance away. When night fell, Fan strongly urged Feng to take some wine; once she’d become tipsy, Meng secretly entered and made love to her. Feng sobered up and exclaimed, “You’ve undone me, sister! If I’ve been avoiding sex, it was in order to follow the Dao and become an immortal. Now I’ve fallen into depravity, so it must’ve been fated!” Then she got up to take her leave.
Fan told her that she’d tried to act in good faith, and dolefully apologized.
Feng replied, “I’ll tell you the truth of the matter: I’m actually a fox. It was fated that I would look at your beauty and suddenly adore you, like a cocoon that spun itself, and that’s how we came to be where we are now. This feels like a disaster caused by some kind of evil spirit, not by mortals. Once you’d detained me, the evil spirit grew more powerful until there was no stopping it.
“Sister, good fortune lies ahead for you in the long run, so take good care of yourself.” As soon as her words were finished, she vanished. Meng and Fan sat together, sighing mournfully, for a long time.
When a year had passed, Meng successfully took the provincial-level imperial civil service examination, and was appointed an official in the Hanlin Academy. He decided to pay a visit to Master Fan, but Fan’s father, mortified and regretful, wouldn’t see him. Meng begged insistently to speak with him, and finally he agreed.
The scholar entered and treated Master Fan the way a dutiful son-in-law would, doing obeisance to him very reverentially. Master Fan, ashamed and angry, suspected that Meng was being cruelly frivolous and taunting him about his dead daughter. Meng begged for him to believe that he was entirely sincere about being married to her.
Master Fan, in utter disbelief, sent some people to Meng’s home, where they learned the truth of the matter, to Master Fan’s amazement and joy. They kept Fan’s revival a secret, to avoid any other misfortunes or incidents.
After another two years, when the father of the young nobleman who’d wanted to marry Fan was discovered to have taken a bribe, both he and his son were banished far away, forced to help guard the seaboard. For that reason, Fan was able to return home to visit her parents.
178. A Fox Dream
My friend, Bi Yi’an, was a relaxed and merry fellow of outstanding character, forthright and happy-go-lucky. Rather rotund in appearance, he also had a sizable beard. Scholars would be familiar with his name. There was an occasion when Bi came to visit his uncle, a district magistrate, at his villa, and went to take a rest up
stairs.
Rumor had it that there were quite a number of foxes appearing in one of the buildings there. After reading my story, “Qingfeng,” he’d often looked forward very much to meeting one of them. Hence he went up into the haunted building, concentrating in anticipation, lost in thought.
After awhile, he decided to return to his own study, for the sun was already beginning to set. It was during the summer months and quite sultry, so he left the door open and went to sleep. While he was sleeping, someone came and shook him.
As he woke up and looked around, he saw a woman who was over forty but elegant and youthfully exuberant. Startled, Bi got up and asked her who she was. With a smile, she replied, “I’m a fox. Sensing your thoughts about me, I was moved to acknowledge them secretly.”
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Bi Yi’an: Supposedly the nephew of Pu Songling’s employer, Bi Jiyou. A variety of rationales have been offered to support the belief in the existence of such a person, despite the absence of the name “Bi Yi’an” from the Bi family’s genealogy. See Zeitlin (175).
“Qingfeng”: See story #39 in volume one.
Bi was elated to hear this and teased her with some bawdy suggestions. The woman laughed and told him, “I’m too old for you, and even if you don’t find me ugly, I’d still feel embarrassed about it. I have a daughter who’s reached fifteen, and she could serve you as you need. Tomorrow night, make sure there’s no one else in your room, and she’ll come to you.” With these words, she departed.
When the next night arrived, he burnt some incense and sat, waiting for her. Keeping her promise, the woman brought a girl with her. Her manner was refined and gentle, unique and peerless. The lady fox told her, “You’re fated to have a relationship with Master Bi, so you must stay with him awhile. You need to return home tomorrow morning, so don’t sleep late.”
Bi then took her hand and guided her through the bed curtains, where they made love to their hearts’ content. When they’d finished, the girl laughed and exclaimed, “Master Fatty is so ridiculously heavy, I can hardly bear it.” It wasn’t yet daylight when she left.
