Original Text
Wan Fu, styled Zixiang, was a native of Boxing County. From his youth he studied the Confucian classics. His family possessed modest wealth, but fortune was unkind to him, and by the time he was over twenty years old he had yet to pass the imperial examinations and become a xiucai. In the countryside there was a frivolous custom of reporting wealthy households to serve as village headmen, and honest, gentle families often lost their entire fortunes as a result. On this occasion, it happened that Wan Fu was reported and appointed as village headman. Terrified, he fled to Jinan, where he rented a room in an inn. One night, a woman came secretly to visit Wan Fu; her appearance was exceedingly beautiful. Wan Fu fell in love with her and became intimate with her. When he asked her name, she said, "In truth, I am a fox spirit, but I will not harm you." Wan Fu was delighted and believed her without doubt. She instructed him not to share the room with any other guests, and then came every day to share his bed. From then on, all of Wan Fu's daily expenses were provided by the fox maiden.
Not long after, two or three friends came to visit Wan Fu, always staying for two nights without leaving. Wan Fu grew weary of them but was too embarrassed to refuse their visits, and being left with no choice, he told his friends the truth. The friends wished to catch a glimpse of the fox lady's beauty, so Wan Fu informed the fox lady. She said to the friends, "Why must you see me? I am just like any human." Her voice was melodious and pleasing, as if right before them, yet when they looked around, nothing could be seen. Among the friends was one named Sun Deyan, fond of jesting, who repeatedly begged the fox lady to appear, saying, "Hearing your delicate voice makes one's soul flutter; why begrudge us your moon-like face and flower-like beauty, letting us merely hear your voice and fall into longing?" The fox lady laughed and said, "Master Sun is truly filial! Are you trying to make a portrait of your great-great-grandmother for pleasure?" All the friends burst into laughter. The fox lady continued, "I am a fox; allow me to tell you a tale of foxes. Would you care to hear it?" Everyone agreed. She said, "Long ago, in a certain village inn, there were many foxes that always played tricks on travelers. When travelers learned of this, they warned each other not to stay there. This went on for half a year, and the inn became desolate. The owner was deeply distressed and tabooed any mention of foxes. Suddenly, a traveler from afar arrived, claiming to be a foreigner, and seeing the inn, he decided to stay. The owner was overjoyed. Just as he was about to invite the traveler in, a passerby quietly told the traveler, 'This inn has foxes.' The traveler, terrified, told the owner he wished to seek another inn. The owner vehemently denied it, calling it nonsense, so the traveler stayed. As soon as he lay down in his room, he saw a swarm of mice scurrying from under the bed. The traveler, greatly alarmed, fled in panic, shouting, 'There are foxes!' The owner, startled, asked what had happened, and the traveler complained, 'The fox den is right here; how could you deceive me into saying there were none?' The owner asked, 'What did the foxes you saw look like?' The traveler replied, 'What I just saw was tiny and small—if not fox cubs, then fox grandchildren!'" At this, all the friends in the room roared with laughter. Sun Deyan said, "Since you refuse to grace us with your presence, we'll stay the night and not leave, spoiling your good times." The fox lady laughed and said, "Staying is fine, but if you are slightly offended, pray do not take it amiss." The friends, fearing her mischief, all dispersed. Yet every few days, they would inevitably come again, exchanging jests with the fox lady. She was exceedingly witty, and every word she spoke charmed the friends, so much so that even the most skilled jester could not outdo her. They all playfully called her "Fox Lady."
One day, a feast was laid out and a banquet held, with Wan Fu seated in the host's place, Sun Deyan and two friends seated to the left and right respectively, and an upper couch left vacant for the fox woman. The fox woman declined, saying she did not drink, but all urged her to join them for conversation, and she agreed. After several rounds of wine, they cast dice to play the melon-vine drinking game. One guest rolled a melon color and was to drink, so he jokingly moved his cup to the upper seat and said, "Lady Fox is quite sober; please drink this cup for me." The fox woman laughed and said, "I never drink wine. But I would like to tell a story to enliven your drinking." Sun Deyan covered his ears and said he did not wish to hear it. The guests all said, "Whoever curses another shall be fined." The fox woman smiled and said, "What if I curse a fox?" Everyone said, "That is acceptable." So they all pricked up their ears to listen. The fox woman said, "Once there was a high minister sent as an envoy to the Red-Haired Kingdom, wearing a cap made of fox-fur armpit pelts. When he entered the king's presence, the king was greatly astonished and asked, 'What kind of fur is this, so warm and thick?' The envoy replied it was fox armpit fur. The king said, 'I have never heard of such a thing in my life. How is the character for fox written?' The envoy traced the character for fox in the air with his hand and reported, 'On the right is a big melon, and on the left is a little dog.'" The host and guests all burst into thunderous laughter.
Those two guests were the Chen brothers, one named Chen Suojian and the other Chen Suowen. Seeing Sun Deyan's extreme embarrassment, they said, "Where has the male fox gone, that he allows a vixen to hurl such venomous words?" The fox maiden replied, "My tale was just now interrupted by a dog's barking before it was finished; allow me to continue. The king, seeing the envoy riding a mule, found it most strange. The envoy told the king, 'This was born of a horse.' The king was even more astonished. The envoy said, 'In China, a horse gives birth to a mule, and the mule gives birth to a foal.' The king inquired closely into the matter. The envoy said, 'The horse giving birth to a mule is "Chen Suojian" (what Chen saw), and the mule giving birth to a foal is "Chen Suowen" (what Chen heard).'" The entire company burst into laughter once more.
Everyone knew they could not outwit the fox girl in jest, so they mutually agreed: henceforth, whoever started a joke would be fined to host a feast. By and by, as the wine flowed freely and spirits ran high, Sun Deyan teased Wan Fu, saying, "I have an upper couplet; pray give me the lower one." Wan Fu asked, "What is the upper couplet?" Sun Deyan replied, "A courtesan goes forth to visit her lover; coming, she says 'Wan Fu' (ten thousand blessings), going, she says 'Wan Fu'." All those present racked their brains but could not devise a matching line. The fox girl laughed and said, "I have the lower couplet." Everyone clamored to hear it. She recited, "The Dragon King issues a decree seeking forthright remonstrance; the turtle says 'Deyan' (virtuous speech), the tortoise says 'Deyan'." The whole company burst into laughter, rocking back and forth. Sun Deyan was greatly displeased and said, "We just made a pact—how dare you break it again?" The fox girl smiled and replied, "I am indeed at fault. Yet without this, the couplet could not be perfectly matched. Tomorrow I shall set out a feast to atone for my transgression." The company enjoyed a merry laugh before dispersing. The fox girl's wit was inexhaustible.
After several months had passed, the fox woman returned home with Wan Fu. When they reached the borders of Boxing County, the fox woman told Wan Fu, "I have a distant relative here, with whom I have not corresponded for a long time, and I must pay a visit. As dusk is approaching, let us go together and borrow a lodging for the night; we can set out again at dawn." Wan Fu asked where this relative lived, and the fox woman pointed ahead, saying, "It is not far." Wan Fu thought that there had never seemed to be any village in that direction before, but he followed her nonetheless. After walking about two li, they indeed saw a manor, which Wan Fu had never visited in his life. The fox woman went forward and knocked at the gate; an old servant answered and opened the door. Once inside, there were successive gates and tiered pavilions, as if belonging to a great hereditary noble household. Presently, Wan Fu met the masters, an elderly man and woman, who bowed and invited him to sit, laying out a sumptuous feast and treating him as a relative by marriage. The fox woman and Wan Fu lodged there for the night. The next morning, the fox woman said to Wan Fu, "If I suddenly return with you, I fear it will cause a stir. It would be best if you go ahead first, and I will follow shortly." Wan Fu did as she said, returning home and forewarning his family. Soon after, the fox woman arrived. She chatted and laughed with Wan Fu, and everyone could hear her voice, though no one could see her form.
After a year had passed, Wan Fu again went to Jinan on business, and the fox woman accompanied him. Suddenly several people arrived, and the fox woman conversed with them, exchanging warm greetings. She then said to Wan Fu, "I was originally from Shaanxi, and I had a predestined bond with you from a former life, which is why I have followed you all these days. Now my brothers have come, and I will return with them; I cannot serve you for the rest of my life." Wan Fu could not persuade her to stay, and so she departed.
Commentary
"The Fox's Jest" is exceptionally unique within "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio." Although it is a complete narrative with a beginning and an end, featuring the witty and humorous Fox Lady, Wang Yuyang remarked, "This fox is both eloquent and cunning, truly of the same ilk as Dongfang Manqian," yet the story's emphasis centers on wordplay within the context of foxes, mocking the fox at every turn while delivering sharp counterattacks in each sentence, playful and quick-witted, with a glib tongue that displays a high degree of linguistic ingenuity. This not only reveals another facet of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" in its tales of foxes and ghosts, but also, where Lady Fox speaks extemporaneously with a torrent of clever phrases, it is not difficult to recall the sharp and witty conversational style of Pu Songling himself.