Original Text
In Jiyang County's Zhu Village, there lived an old man named Zhu, aged over fifty, who fell ill and died. As his family entered the room to don mourning clothes, they suddenly heard him shouting urgently. Everyone rushed to where the coffin was laid out and saw that the old man had revived. Overjoyed, they approached to offer their greetings, but the old man only said to his wife, "When I first departed, I was determined never to return to the world of the living. After walking a few li, I had a change of heart, thinking of leaving you, an old bones, in the hands of our children and grandchildren, dependent on them for warmth and sustenance, with no joy in living. It would be better for you to come with me. So I have returned, intending to take you along." Everyone thought he was still delirious from just waking and did not believe him. The old man repeated himself, and his wife said, "That would be fine, but you have just revived—how can you die again?" The old man waved his hand and said, "That is no trouble. Hurry and settle the household affairs." The wife smiled and did not move, but the old man urged her repeatedly. She then went out, delayed for some time, and returned, deceiving him by saying, "All is settled." The old man told her to quickly dress and adorn herself. She refused, but he grew more insistent. Unwilling to defy his wishes, she dressed neatly and came out. The daughters-in-law and daughters secretly laughed. The old man shifted his head on the pillow and patted it, bidding her to lie down. She said, "With the children present, for us old couple to lie together in bed—what kind of spectacle is that?" The old man pounded the bed and said, "What is there to laugh at about dying together?" Seeing his anger and urgency, the children urged the wife to humor him for the moment. She complied, lying stiffly beside him on the same pillow. The family laughed again. Soon, they noticed her smile fade, her eyes slowly close, and after a long stillness, she seemed truly asleep. They went to check and found her body cold, her nostrils without breath. Testing the old man, they found him the same. Only then did they become alarmed. In the twenty-first year of the Kangxi reign, Old Zhu's sister-in-law, while working as a servant in Prefect Bi's household, recounted this story in detail.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Old Man Zhu must have possessed extraordinary conduct in his daily life, for the Yellow Springs road is vast and unfathomable, yet he came and went freely—truly a marvel. Moreover, with a spouse who had grown old together, if he wished to depart together, he could call and they would follow—how serene and unhurried was this! When a person is on the verge of drawing their last breath, the hardest to part with is the loved one at the bedside. If Old Man Zhu's art could be widely applied, then such matters as Cao Cao's final instructions to divide his incense and sell his shoes, worrying over his wives and concubines' livelihoods, would cease to exist.
Commentary
Zhu Weng's family life was not impoverished, nor were his sons and grandsons unfilial, yet having already died, Zhu Weng, reflecting that his aged wife "remained in the hands of the younger generation, dependent on others for warmth and cold, and thus had no further joy in living," resolved to temporarily revive himself, and then calmly depart this life together with his old companion.
The tale is indeed novel, but its novelty lies not only in the remarkable account of Old Man Zhu dying and then returning to life, only to die again with such ease and composure, but more so in the ingenious reason he gave for asking his old wife to accompany him in death. The renowned commentators of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Feng Zhenluan and Dan Minglun, both expressed profound emotion over Old Man Zhu's words: "These few lines bring tears to one's eyes. In matters concerning aged parents, without filial sons and dutiful daughters-in-law, few escape such sorrow." "I have seen old men who died and left their wives behind, with their children dividing the household, taking turns to provide for her by the day, leaving her to depend on others for warmth and cold, each shirking responsibility, and even when she begged for a single meal or a piece of clothing, none would respond—truly, there was no joy left in living. Old Man Zhu calling her to go with him was a wise act, a swift and satisfying resolution!" In this sense, the tale of Old Man Zhu truly reflects the suffering of elderly people in Chinese society, both in their twilight years and in their psychological anguish—a theme rarely seen in ancient Chinese fiction.
In the world's cultures, Chinese civilization was perhaps the earliest to pay attention to the living conditions of the elderly and proposed resolving them through "filial piety," which became a major characteristic of traditional Chinese culture. However, the living conditions of the elderly cannot be solved solely by ethical preaching, as proven by facts throughout history. The key is to establish a practical system for supporting the elderly; only with a reasonable system in place can the elderly live happily and with dignity.