Original Text
Ding Qianxi was a native of Zhucheng. He was wealthy in both money and grain, and he traveled far and wide practicing chivalry and righteousness, greatly admiring the conduct of Guo Jie from the Han dynasty. The imperial censor's office was about to investigate Ding Qianxi, so he left his home and fled. When he reached Anqiu, he encountered a heavy rain and took shelter in an inn. The rain continued until noon without stopping. A young man came out to receive him, arranging his lodging and meals with great abundance and thoughtfulness. Soon dusk fell, and Ding decided to stay the night; the household provided meals for the guest and prepared fodder for his horse, attending to everything with meticulous care. Ding Qianxi asked the young man his surname and given name, and the young man said, "The master's surname is Yang, and I am his nephew by marriage. The master delights in socializing and has gone out today, so only the mistress is at home. Our family is poor and cannot entertain guests properly; please forgive us." Ding Qianxi inquired about the master's occupation and learned that the family had no property and merely made a living by running a small gambling den each day. The next day, the rain still fell without cease, and the household provided meals without any slackening. In the evening, when they cut fodder, it was very wet and uneven in length. Ding Qianxi found this quite puzzling. The young man confessed, "To tell the truth, our family is poor and has no fodder to feed the horse; what was just cut was the thatch the mistress removed from the roof." Ding Qianxi found this even more strange, thinking their purpose was to seek payment. At dawn, Ding Qianxi tried to pay, but the household refused to accept. He forced the young man to take the money inside, but shortly after, the young man came out and returned the money to Ding Qianxi, saying, "The mistress says that we do not rely on this to earn our food. When the master goes out, he often goes several days without carrying a single coin. Since a guest has come to our home, why should we accept his money?" Ding Qianxi sighed in admiration repeatedly, prepared to take his leave, and instructed, "I am Ding Qianxi of Zhucheng. When the master returns, it would be best to tell him. If you have leisure, please come to my home as a guest."
Several years passed without any news between them. One year, a famine struck, and the Yang family was in dire straits, unable to find a way to survive. Yang's wife, in casual conversation, urged her husband to go and see Ding Qianxi, and he heeded her advice. He arrived in Zhucheng and announced his name to the gatekeeper. When Ding Qianxi heard the gatekeeper's report, he was bewildered and could not recall such a person; the gatekeeper repeated it several times before he finally remembered. He hurriedly slipped on his shoes and rushed out, bowing and inviting the guest inside. Seeing that Yang's clothes were tattered and his shoes exposed his heels, Ding had him lodged in a warm room and arranged a feast in his honor, treating him with exceptional courtesy and respect. The next day, Ding made him new clothes and a hat, making him comfortable inside and out. Yang thought Ding was very chivalrous, but recalling that his family had no rice to cook, he could not help feeling anxious, hoping to receive some assistance from Ding's household. After staying for several days, Yang still saw no sign of Ding intending to see him off. Growing increasingly worried, Yang told Ding, "I dare not hide the truth from you. When I came, there was less than a peck of rice left at home. Now, thanks to your generous hospitality in food and clothing, it is indeed a pleasure, but what about my wife and children?" Ding replied, "You need not trouble yourself with worry; I have already taken care of it. Please set your mind at ease and stay a few more days, and I will arrange some funds for you." So Ding summoned a number of gamblers, had Yang sit in to take a cut of the winnings, and in one night, he earned a hundred taels of silver. Only then did Ding send Yang home. When Yang returned, he saw his wife dressed in fine, bright clothes, attended by a young maidservant. Greatly astonished, he asked what had happened. His wife said, "After you left, the very next day someone drove a cart here, delivering cloth and grain that filled the whole house, saying it was a gift from a Mr. Ding. They also gave me a maidservant to serve me." Yang was overcome with gratitude. From then on, his family became moderately well-off, and he was unwilling to return to his old trade of running a gambling den.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: To be poor yet fond of hosting guests is a practice especially favored by drunkards, gamblers, and wanderers; most peculiar of all, Yang's wife turned out to be one of their kind. To receive another's kindness without seeking to repay it—is that still human? Yet to remember a single meal forever in one's heart—such virtue belongs to Ding Qianxi.
Commentary
This tale is composed of two parts: the first part recounts how the wife of a man surnamed Yang showed kindness to Ding Qianxi, while the latter part describes how Ding Qianxi repaid the favor to the master of the Yang household.
The utmost limit of generosity had been reached, as one could say all that was possessed was given and every effort exhausted: the wife of the host surnamed Yang not only entertained Ding Qianxi for several days without charge, providing lavish meals and unceasing hospitality, but even stripped the thatch from her own roof to supply fodder for Ding's livestock. If the wife managed matters with such devotion, one can imagine how the master of the house, had he been present, would have exerted himself even more without reservation. The repayment of kindness was equally meticulous: when the Yang family encountered hardship and sought out Ding Qianxi, Ding not only received them with warm hospitality and exceptional honor, but upon their departure, in a manner acceptable to Yang, enabled him to gain a hundred gold pieces overnight, while also providing aid to Yang's household. When Yang returned home, he found his wife attired in fresh and fine garments, attended by a young maidservant, and gifts of cloth, grain, and beans piled high throughout the house. From then on, the family enjoyed modest prosperity and abandoned their former occupation. Because both the bestowal and the requital of favor approached perfection and completeness, the tale of Ding Qianxi, though it merely recounts the chivalrous and righteous conduct of both parties without any hint of the supernatural, possesses a considerable legendary charm.
In terms of the moral principle articulated in the work, that 'one must never forget a meal's kindness,' the story's theme is hardly novel. What is original is that Pu Songling portrays the hospitable host surnamed Yang as a gambler, and in the 'Historian of the Strange's commentary,' he advances the view that 'the poor who are fond of entertaining guests are often those given to drinking, gambling, and frivolous pursuits.' This is perhaps where this tale differs slightly from others of its kind, owing to Pu Songling's own observations and analysis. But is this indeed the truth? If it is, why does such a phenomenon occur in the lower strata of Chinese society?