Original Text
In Binzhou there lived a scholar who was reading in his study when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw an old man with white hair and beard, whose bearing and demeanor were ancient and refined beyond the ordinary. The scholar welcomed the old man inside and asked his name. The old man called himself Hu Yangzhen, claiming in truth to be a fox immortal, and said, "I admire your lofty character and wish to keep company with you day and night." The scholar, being broad-minded by nature, found this no cause for alarm and began to discuss past and present with the old man. The old man's learning was vast and profound; his words were ornate as carved flowers and embroidered brocade, his speech elegant as a hundred blossoms dazzling the mouth with fragrance; at times he expounded the classics, distinguishing names and principles with such depth that the scholar felt utterly outmatched. Struck with awe and admiration, the scholar kept the old man with him for a long time.
One day, the scholar quietly implored the old man, saying, "You have shown me great kindness. Yet I am so impoverished, and you, with but a wave of your hand, could bring money forth instantly. Why not relieve my distress a little?" The old man remained silent, seeming quite disapproving. After a pause, he smiled and said, "This is a very easy matter. But I need a dozen or so coins as capital." The scholar did as he was told. Then the old man and the scholar entered a secret chamber together, where he chanted incantations and paced about performing his arts. In no time, tens of millions of coins came clattering down from the beams, like a torrential downpour of rain. In an instant, the coins reached their knees; when they pulled out their feet to stand upon the coins, the coins rose to their ankles. The room, about ten feet square, was piled with coins three or four feet deep. Then the old man looked at the scholar and asked, "Are you satisfied now?" The scholar replied, "It is enough." The old man waved his hand, and the coins ceased falling at once. Then he locked the door and left with the scholar.
The scholar secretly rejoiced, thinking he had suddenly become immensely wealthy. After a while, he went to the secret chamber to fetch some money to spend, only to find that the entire roomful of coins had vanished into thin air, with merely a dozen or so of his original capital scattered sparsely on the ground. Utterly disappointed, the scholar stormed off in a rage to confront the old man, accusing him of deceit. The old man retorted angrily, "I originally formed a bond with you through literary pursuits, not wishing to become a thief alongside you! If you seek to satisfy your desires, you must only befriend a rooftop gentleman; this old man cannot comply with such demands!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and departed.
Commentary
The fox elder in this tale is undoubtedly the most morally and academically distinguished fox in the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, calling himself an 'immortal fox,' a title he truly deserves. The scholar from Binzhou who associated with him was not only broad-minded but also exceptionally learned. However, due to poverty, the scholar indulged in wishful thinking, hoping the fox could grant him some unexpected wealth, only to be mocked, sternly reprimanded with righteous words, and ultimately cut off from their friendship.
The work may carry a hint of self-mockery, for Pu Songling, in his dire poverty, once whimsically hoped for a windfall. Consider his poem "Golden Chrysanthemum Facing Hibiscus: Written on the Kitchen God's Day in the Year Jiayin": "If I ascend to see the Emperor above, I pray you speak on my behalf: beg a thousand bushels of grain from the granaries, and let ten thousand ingots of silver rain down from the sky." The scholar's awkwardness and helplessness likely reflect Pu Songling's momentary self-ridicule.