Original Text
In the household of Grand Commandant Wang of Xincheng, there was a servant who managed accounts; though he held no official rank, his family was wealthy. One day, he suddenly dreamed of a man rushing in hurriedly, saying, "You owe me forty strings of cash, and now it is time to repay the debt." When he asked the man who he was, the man did not answer but went straight into the inner chamber. Upon waking, his wife gave birth to a son. Knowing in his heart that this was retribution for past misdeeds from a former life, he set aside forty strings of cash in a room, and for everything the child needed—clothing, food, medicine, and nursing—he took the money from that store. After three or four years, he checked the remaining cash and found only seven hundred coins left. Just then, the wet nurse came carrying the child, playing and amusing him nearby. The man then called out to the child, saying, "The forty strings are nearly spent; you should depart as well." As soon as the words left his mouth, the child suddenly knitted his brows, his face changed color, his neck drooped, and his eyes stared fixedly. When he felt the child, he had already stopped breathing. So he took the remaining money, bought burial items, and interred the child. This incident may serve as a warning to those who are in debt.
In times of old, there was a man who was aged yet without a son, and he went to inquire of a lofty monk the reason for this. The monk said, "You owe nothing to others, and others owe nothing to you—how then could you have a son?" For it is generally so: if a good son is born, it is that another comes to repay a kindness from me; if a wayward son is born, it is that another comes to collect a debt owed to him. Thus, one who gains a son need not rejoice, and one who loses a son need not grieve.
Commentary
China is a country that places great importance on progeny, as the saying goes, "There are three unfilial acts, and having no posterity is the greatest." But why would one have no posterity? Due to the lack of scientific advancement, people often could not seek reasons from physiological or pathological perspectives, but instead sought explanations from the standpoint of karmic retribution. After having a son, they further explored why there were differences between good and bad sons, again due to a lack of scientific understanding, still drawing conclusions from the standpoint of karmic retribution. This tale is an explanation of this issue through storytelling. "To bear a fine son is to repay my good fortune; to bear a wayward son is to collect my debts. Let not the one who gives birth rejoice, nor the one who dies grieve." This is Pu Songling's view on these matters, and to some extent reflects the common consensus among the Chinese people.