Original Text
There was a man surnamed Xu, who lived in the northern city of Zichuan and made his living by fishing. Every night, he would take wine to the riverbank, drinking while he fished. Whenever he drank, he would first sprinkle some wine on the ground as an offering, praying, "Let the drowned ghosts in the river come and drink!" This became his custom. Others who fished there could scarcely catch anything, but he alone always filled his baskets and hampers with fish.
One evening, as Xu was drinking alone, a young man lingered nearby, unwilling to leave. Xu invited him to share a drink, and the youth, without any hesitation, joined him cheerfully. Yet the whole night passed without a single fish being caught, and Xu felt deeply disappointed. The young man rose and said, "Allow me to go downstream and drive the fish toward you!" With these words, he drifted away lightly. Before long, he returned and announced, "Many fish are coming!" Indeed, Xu soon heard the chattering and gulping sounds of a shoal of fish in the river. He cast his net and hauled in several fish, each over a foot long. Overjoyed, he promptly thanked the youth. On his way back, Xu offered the fish to the young man, but he declined, saying, "I have often partaken of your fine wine; this small service is hardly a repayment. If you do not mind, I hope we may continue this way often." Xu replied, "We have only shared one evening of drinking—how can you speak of 'often'? If you are willing to visit frequently, it would be my greatest wish, though I am ashamed that I cannot repay your kindness in driving the fish." Xu then asked his name and style, and the youth answered, "My surname is Wang, and I have no style; when we meet, you may call me Wang Liulang." With that, they parted. The next day, Xu sold the fish for money and bought more wine. That evening, he arrived at the riverbank to find the youth already there, and the two drank together with great joy. After a few cups, the young man rose again to drive the fish for Xu.
Thus passed half a year. One day, the youth suddenly said to Xu, "Since I made your acquaintance, our affection has surpassed that of blood brothers. Yet the day of our parting is drawing near." His words were exceedingly sorrowful. Startled, Xu asked what was the matter. Several times the youth began to speak but stopped, until at last he said, "With feelings as close as ours, perhaps you will not be shocked by what I reveal? Now that we are about to part, I might as well tell you the truth: I am in fact a ghost. In life, I was most fond of drinking, and having become heavily intoxicated, I drowned here, several years ago. The reason you have always caught far more fish than others is that I have been secretly driving them toward you, as a repayment for your kindness in offering libations of wine. Tomorrow my term of punishment will be fulfilled, and someone will come to take my place; I shall be reborn in the world of the living. This is our last night together, and I cannot help but grieve." At first, upon hearing that Wang Liulang was a ghost, Xu was greatly alarmed, but having been so long in close companionship, he soon lost his fear and also sighed with sorrow at the impending separation. Xu filled a cup of wine and said to Wang Liulang, "Sixth Brother, drink this cup and grieve no more. To meet and then part so soon is indeed sad, but since you have completed your penance and escaped from the sea of suffering, this is cause for celebration; to mourn would be improper." So they drank freely together once more. Xu then asked, "Who is it that will take your place?" Wang Liulang replied, "Watch by the river tomorrow, brother. At noon, a young woman will cross and drown—she will be my replacement." Hearing the village roosters crow, Wang Liulang and Xu parted in tears.
The next day, Xu waited earnestly by the riverbank, prepared to witness this strange occurrence. At noon, as expected, a young woman appeared carrying an infant in her arms. When she reached the river, she fell into the water. The baby was cast upon the bank, waving its arms and kicking its legs, crying loudly. The young woman sank and surfaced repeatedly in the river, until suddenly, drenched all over, she climbed back onto the bank. After resting for a moment on the ground, she picked up the child and walked away without looking back. When the woman fell into the water, Xu felt a pang of pity in his heart and wanted to rush over to save her. But then he thought, she was meant to replace Wang Liulang, so he held back and did not go to her aid. When the young woman crawled out of the river, he began to doubt whether Wang Liulang’s words would come true. That evening, Xu still fished in the same spot. Wang Liulang appeared again and said, “Now we meet once more; let us not speak of parting for the time being.” Xu asked him the reason, and Wang Liulang replied, “That young woman had come to take my place, but I took pity on the infant she held in her arms. I could not bear to let two lives perish just to replace one, so I let her go. When the next person will come to replace me, I do not know. Perhaps our bond is not yet exhausted!” Xu sighed and said, “With such a benevolent heart, Heaven will surely know.” From then on, they continued to meet and drink together as before.
After a few days had passed, Wang Liulang came again to bid farewell. Xu suspected that another soul had come to take his place. Wang Liulang said, "This time it is not a matter of someone replacing me. My act of compassion the other day was indeed noticed by Heaven, and now I have been appointed as the Earth God of Wu Town in Zhaoyuan County. I am to assume my post in a few days. If you do not forget our old friendship, you may come to visit me; do not fear the distance or the difficulty of the journey." Xu congratulated him, saying, "It is truly gratifying that your uprightness has led you to become a deity. But man and god dwell in separate realms; even if I do not fear the distance or hardship, how could I possibly see you?" Wang Liulang replied, "Just go ahead and come; do not worry." After repeated exhortations, Wang Liulang departed.
Upon returning home, Xu began to pack his belongings for an eastward journey to visit Wang Liulang. His wife laughed and said, "The town of Wu in Zhaoyuan County is several hundred li away. Even if such a place exists, I fear you will find nothing but a clay idol there, unable to speak a word." Xu paid no heed to her advice and ultimately set out for Zhaoyuan. Upon inquiring among the locals, he indeed found that there was a town called Wu. He arrived at the place, lodged at an inn, and asked the innkeeper where the Earth God's temple was. The innkeeper, startled, asked in return, "Sir, is your surname Xu?" Xu replied, "Yes, how did you know?" The innkeeper then asked, "Is your hometown in Zichuan County?" Xu said, "Yes, how did you know?" Without answering, the innkeeper hurried out. Soon, men carrying children, wives and maidens crowded at the doorway, peering in; the townsfolk gathered like a wall, surrounding Xu. Even more astonished, Xu was then told by the crowd, "A few nights ago, we dreamed that the Earth God said, 'A friend of mine named Xu from Zichuan is about to arrive; please offer him some traveling expenses.' Thus, we have been awaiting you for a long time." Xu was greatly amazed. He then went to the Earth God's temple to offer a sacrifice, saying, "Since our parting, I have thought of you day and night, and now I have come from afar to fulfill our pact. Moreover, you instructed the people in a dream to aid me, for which I am deeply grateful. I am ashamed to have only a humble cup of wine to offer; if you do not disdain it, please drink as you did by the river." After his prayer, he burned paper money. Soon, a wind arose from behind the shrine, swirling for a long time before dispersing. That night, Xu dreamed that Wang Liulang came to meet him, dressed in neat official robes, quite different from before. Wang thanked him, saying, "Your long journey to visit me moves me to tears of joy. But now that I hold this minor office, it is inconvenient for us to meet face to face; though we are close at hand, it feels like a thousand mountains and rivers separate us, causing me great sorrow. The people here will offer you some modest gifts as a token of my old friendship. If you set a date for your return, I will come to see you off then." After staying a few days, Xu decided to return. The locals earnestly pressed him to stay, inviting him to breakfast and supper, changing hosts several times each day. When Xu insisted on leaving, the people came with gift lists and bundles, vying to offer him presents; before morning, his bag was filled. At his departure, the old and young of the town all came to bid him farewell. As soon as he left the village, a sudden whirlwind rose from the ground, accompanying Xu for over ten li. Xu bowed repeatedly and said, "Liulang, take good care; do not trouble yourself to see me further. Your kind heart will surely bring blessings to the people here, and I need not add more words of advice." The wind circled on the ground for a long time before gradually fading away. The villagers who had come to see him off marveled and returned to their homes.
Xu returned home and gradually grew wealthy, no longer fishing. Later, he encountered someone from Zhaoyuan and inquired about the local earth god; all said that the deity was exceedingly efficacious, granting every prayer. Some also said that Wang Liulang's post was at Shikeng Village in Zhangqiu County. None could confirm which account was true.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Having attained high office yet never forgetting the friends of humble days—this is the very reason Wang Liulang became a god. But look at those grand officials riding in their carriages today—would they still recognize their old straw-hatted companions from times of poverty? In my native village there was a scholar who was exceedingly poor. He had a childhood friend who had taken a lucrative official post, and he thought to go and seek him out, believing he would surely receive assistance. So he spent all his savings on travel gear and journeyed a thousand li to that place, only to be bitterly disappointed. In the end, he exhausted his funds, sold his horse, and barely managed to return home. One of his younger kinsmen, by nature fond of jest, composed a mock "monthly ordinance" to ridicule him, saying: "In this month, the elder brother arrives; his sable cap is doffed, his umbrella is not unfurled, his horse turns into a donkey, and his boots at last fall silent." Reciting this may well provoke a laugh.
Commentary
The tale of Wang Liulang recounts how a fisherman named Xu from Zichuan, who each night while fishing would pour wine onto the ground as an offering, saying, "Let the drowned ghosts in the river drink," thus befriended Wang Liulang, a ghost of the river, and forged a deep bond. This friendship was not severed by the divide between life and death, nor marred by suspicion of otherness, nor broken by distance of a thousand miles, nor altered by changes in status or rank. The story's purpose is to extol Wang Liulang's principle of friendship: "Though raised to high station, forget not the lowly days of poverty."
However, modern readers, when perusing the tale of Wang Liulang, are far more captivated by the narrative of seizing a substitute for death, and especially by Wang Liulang's resolute abandonment of his own hope for life, his steadfast refusal to be thus replaced, a choice that stirs them profoundly, even to the point of awe.
A ghost who forgoes the chance to secure a substitute for its own release is akin to a mortal who relinquishes life itself, requiring the courage to sacrifice righteousness for a greater good, sustained by a profound faith. What faith is this? The old fisherman Xu called it "the heart of benevolence," which in modern parlance is "humanitarianism." Humanitarianism permeates every facet of human existence, from the most trivial to the most earth-shattering, yet it always tests the moral bedrock of humanity. In the face of life and death, to willingly forsake one's own existence rather than harm another, even when such harm is sanctioned by so-called "tradition" or "law," is beyond the capacity of ordinary people. Wang Liulang's "heart of benevolence" is rare not only among ghosts but also among men, and it is this that truly commands our reverence for him.
In comparison, the so-called intention of writing about "rising to high positions without forgetting one's humble origins" indeed appears utterly insignificant!
Wang Liulang underwent a process in deciding whether to take a substitute for his own death. At first, he was prepared to submit to fate and seize the woman as his substitute, but upon seeing the infant on the bank "waving its arms and kicking its feet while crying," he abandoned the plan. The fisherman surnamed Xu, witnessing the woman "sinking and rising repeatedly," also felt "greatly reluctant in his heart." Because this revelation of their inner conflict was so genuine, the process inspired an even deeper layer of respect.