Original Text
My friend Bi Yi'an was a man of outstanding character, finding his joy in unrestrained and unconventional behavior. He was stout, with a thick beard, and well-known among scholars. Once, on business, he visited the villa of his uncle, who served as a prefect, and rested in an upper chamber. It was said that many foxes had long inhabited the building. Whenever Bi Yi'an read the tale of "The Green Phoenix," he longed in his heart to encounter such a fox, regretting that he had never met one, and so he sat in the chamber lost in deep thought. Later, he returned to his study as dusk fell. It was the height of summer, the weather sultry, and he lay down to sleep by the door. As he slept, someone shook him awake; opening his eyes, he saw a woman, past forty but still retaining some charm. Startled, he rose and asked who she was. The woman smiled and said, "I am a fox. Moved by your longing, I have come to accept your affection." Delighted at this, Bi Yi'an began to jest and flirt with her. The woman laughed and said, "I am old; even if others do not disdain me, I myself am already ashamed and disheartened. I have a young daughter of fifteen who can attend to your toilet. Tomorrow night, let no one else stay in the room, and she will come." With these words, she rose and departed. The next night, Bi Yi'an lit incense and sat waiting. The woman indeed brought her daughter, a maiden of graceful and gentle bearing, unmatched in the world. The woman said to the maiden, "Bi has a predestined bond with you from a former life; stay here. Return home early tomorrow morning, and do not be lazy in sleep." Bi Yi'an took the maiden's hand, and they entered the bed-curtains together, sharing utmost intimacy. Afterwards, the maiden said with a smile, "The stout gentleman is too heavy, quite unbearable!" She left before dawn.
When evening came, the young woman arrived alone and said, "My sisters wish to celebrate my wedding feast, and I beg you to accompany me there tomorrow." Bi Yian asked, "Where will it be held?" She replied, "Our eldest sister is hosting the banquet, and it is not far from here." Bi Yian indeed waited for the feast. After waiting a long while, the young woman still had not arrived, and he gradually felt weary. Just as he was resting his head on the desk, the young woman suddenly entered and said, "I have kept you waiting long." She then took his hand and they set off. Suddenly they arrived at a place where there was a large courtyard. They walked directly into the main hall, where candles and lamps glimmered like stars. Soon the hostess came out, a woman of about twenty, dressed simply and elegantly, exceedingly beautiful. She respectfully adjusted her robes, offered congratulations, and prepared to seat them. Just then a maid entered and announced, "The second young lady has arrived." A woman of about eighteen or nineteen entered, smiling at the young woman and said, "Little sister has now tasted the joys of marriage; is the bridegroom to your liking?" The young woman struck her second sister's back with her fan and glared at her. The second sister said, "I remember when we were young and played together, little sister was afraid of having her ribs tickled; if I but breathed on my fingers from afar, she would laugh uncontrollably. Little sister would then become angry and say I would marry a dwarf prince. I retorted that you would marry a man with a bushy beard, and his whiskers would prick your little mouth—and today it has indeed come true!" The eldest sister laughed and said, "No wonder the third sister is so angry she curses you; the bridegroom is right here, and yet you carry on so wildly!" Soon they all gathered to drink, sitting close together, feasting and chatting, all thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Suddenly a young girl appeared, carrying a cat in her arms. She was about eleven or twelve years old, her childish locks not yet fully grown, yet her delicate charm and enchanting beauty seemed to penetrate to the very bone. The elder sister said, "Has Fourth Sister also come to see her brother-in-law? There is no place to sit here." She then drew the girl over and set her on her lap, picking morsels of food and fruit to feed her. After a while, the elder sister placed Fourth Sister in Second Sister's arms, saying, "My legs have grown sore from the weight!" Second Sister replied, "The girl is so big now, yet her body feels as heavy as several hundred catties, and I am too frail to bear such weight. Since she has come to see her brother-in-law, he is tall and robust, with sturdy knees that can well support her." So she lifted Fourth Sister and set her in Bi Yi'an's lap. In Bi Yi'an's arms, the girl was fragrant and soft, light as if no one were there, and Bi Yi'an held her as they drank from the same cup. The elder sister said, "Little one, do not drink too much, or you will lose your composure and cause your brother-in-law to laugh at you." Fourth Sister could not stop smiling, and she played with the cat, which mewed loudly. The elder sister said, "Why do you not put that cat aside? You will bring fleas and lice all over yourself!" Second Sister said, "Let us use the cat for a drinking game. Pass the chopsticks around, and when the cat meows, whoever holds them must drink." They all followed the rule. As soon as the chopsticks reached Bi Yi'an's hand, the cat meowed. Bi Yi'an was a heavy drinker, and after several cups, he realized that Fourth Sister had been pinching the cat to make it cry, at which everyone burst into laughter. Second Sister said, "Little sister, go back now! You will crush the bridegroom, and I fear your Third Sister will blame us." Fourth Sister then rose, holding the cat, and left the table.
The eldest sister, observing that Bi Yi'an was a hearty drinker, removed her hairpin and used it as a vessel to serve him wine. He noticed it could hold only about a pint, yet when he drank, it seemed to contain several gallons. Once he had drained it, the hairpin transformed into a large lotus leaf. The second sister also wished to offer a toast, but Bi declined, claiming he could drink no more. She then produced a rouge box no larger than a pellet, filled it with wine, and said, "Since your capacity is reached, let this serve as a mere token." Bi, thinking he could finish it in one gulp, drank over a hundred mouthfuls without emptying it. A maiden nearby replaced the rouge box with a small lotus cup, remarking, "Do not let the rogue toy with you." She set the rouge box on the table, and it became a massive bowl. The second sister retorted, "What business is it of yours? Having been his bride for only three days, are you already so fond of him?" Bi raised the cup to his lips and drained it in a single draught, but felt the vessel turn slippery and soft in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it was not a cup but an embroidered shoe of exquisite craftsmanship. The second sister snatched it away, scolding, "Wily wench! When did you steal my shoe? No wonder my feet feel so icy cold!" With that, she rose and went into the chamber to change her footwear.
The young lady took Bi Yi'an by the hand, leading him away from the feast to bid farewell to the assembled company. She escorted him out of the village and let him return home on his own. At that moment, he suddenly awoke, realizing that what had just transpired was but a dream, yet his mouth and nose still reeked of strong wine, exuding a rich, fragrant aroma, leaving him deeply astonished. As dusk fell, the young lady arrived and said, "Were you not drunk to death last night?" Bi Yi'an replied, "I was just suspecting it was a dream." The young lady said, "My sisters feared your wild and clamorous behavior, so they pretended it was a dream, but in truth, it was no dream."
Every time the young lady played chess with Bi Yian, Bi Yian always lost. The young lady smiled and said, "You indulge in this pastime all day long; I thought you must have some extraordinary skill, but now it seems merely ordinary." Bi Yian begged the young lady for guidance, and she said, "Chess as an art depends on one's own enlightenment; how can I make you improve? If you are subtly influenced over time, perhaps you may make some progress." After a few months, Bi Yian felt he had made slight advancement. The young lady tested his skill and said with a smile, "Not yet, not yet." When Bi Yian went out and played against his former chess companions, everyone found him much improved and could not understand why. Bi Yian, being open and straightforward, could not keep anything in his heart, so he revealed a little of the matter. When the young lady learned of this, she reproached Bi Yian, saying, "No wonder those of the same pursuit do not associate with reckless scholars. I repeatedly urged you to guard the secret carefully; how could you still act like this?" She was so angry that she wanted to leave at once. Bi Yian apologized profusely, and only then did the young lady calm down a little, but from then on she came less and less frequently.
After more than a year had passed, one evening the young lady came and sat facing Bi Yian in a daze. When he invited her to play chess, she declined; when he suggested they retire to bed, she refused. She remained melancholy for a long while before finally speaking: "How do you compare me to Qingfeng?" Bi Yian replied, "I fear you surpass her." The lady said, "Yet I feel unworthy of such praise. However, Mr. Liaozhai is a friend with whom you share poetry and prose; I beg you to ask him to write a brief biography for me. A thousand years hence, there may still be those who cherish and long for me as you do." Bi Yian answered, "I have long harbored this thought, but in the past I adhered to your earlier injunction and kept it secret." The lady said, "That was my instruction then, but now we are about to part—why still conceal it?" Bi Yian asked where she was going. She replied, "My fourth sister and I have been summoned by the Queen Mother of the West to serve as envoys of flowers and birds, and we cannot return. In times past, an elder sister of mine was intimate with your elder cousin; before parting, she had already borne two daughters, who remain unmarried to this day. Fortunately, you and I have no such burdens." Bi Yian asked her for parting words of counsel. The lady said, "Quell your fiery temper, and naturally you will make few mistakes." Then she rose, took his hand, and said, "See me off." After walking about a li, she wept as she bid him farewell, saying, "As long as our hearts remain true, there may yet be a day when we meet again." Then she departed alone.
On the nineteenth day of the twelfth month in the twenty-first year of the Kangxi reign, Bi Yi'an and I slept foot-to-foot on the same bed in the Chuoran Hall, and he recounted this strange tale in full detail. I said, "With such a fox spirit to write about, the brush and ink of Liaozhai also shine with brilliance." Thus I recorded this story.
Commentary
While there are certainly many works of solitary indignation in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," there are also quite a few playful writings. The creative state of mind may include those who are "startled by frost, cold sparrows cling to trees without warmth; mourning the autumn insects, they lean against the railing to warm themselves," as well as moments when "with flowers and wine, spring is ever present; without lamp or candle, the night shines bright." "The Fox Dream" is probably a representative work of the latter. This piece blends elements such as the natural environment where the author taught, his host, friends, the author himself, and his works, and it even includes a clear date of creation. From this, we can see Pu Songling's fondness and pride in his own works, as well as the praise, admiration, and participation of his friends around him, revealing the leisure, harmony, and ease of his teaching and creative environment—which was also an important factor in the successful creation of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
The charm of "The Fox Dream" lies not in the intricacy of its plot or the delineation of its characters, but rather in its deliberate contrast with the tale "Green Phoenix," as it paints a romantic and playful world of a friend and a fox maiden, weaving in details of daily life and intimate boudoir confidences. It is a dream that is not a dream, yet not a dream but a dream; the dialogue, all rendered in colloquial speech, is vivid and lively, as if heard and seen, evoking an atmosphere and mood akin to Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."