Original Text
In Yishui County there lived a man named Ma, who married a woman named Wang, and their love for each other was very deep. Ma died young after their marriage, and Wang's parents wished for her to remarry, but Wang swore she would never marry another. Her mother-in-law, pitying Wang's youth, also urged her to remarry, but Wang refused to comply. Wang's mother said, "Your resolve is admirable, but you are still young and have no son. I have often seen women who at first forced themselves not to remarry, only to later bring shame upon themselves; it would be better to remarry early, as this is only human nature." Wang's expression grew stern, and she swore she would rather die than remarry, so her mother finally let the matter rest. Wang had a clay statue of her husband sculpted, and whenever she ate a meal, she would set out a portion for him as if he were still alive.
One night, as Wang was preparing for bed, she suddenly saw her clay statue of a husband yawn, stretch, and step down. Wang stared in terror as the clay figure swiftly grew to the height of a living man, and indeed it was her own husband. Frightened, she called out for her mother-in-law, but the ghost stopped her, saying, "Do not do so. I am moved by your deep affection, and even in the underworld I feel bitterness. Our family has a chaste daughter-in-law, bringing glory to generations of ancestors. My father, while alive, committed deeds that harmed virtue, and thus deserved to have no posterity, causing me to die young in my prime. The underworld, mindful of your steadfast fidelity, has allowed me to return, so that I may beget a son with you to carry on the lineage." Wang, her tears wetting her lapel, then shared with him the same conjugal love as in days past. At cockcrow, the ghost left the bed and departed. This continued for over a month, until Wang felt a slight stirring in her belly. The ghost then wept and said, "My allotted time is fulfilled; from now on, we part forever!" And he never came again.
At first, Lady Wang did not speak of it, but later her belly gradually swelled, and unable to conceal it any longer, she secretly told her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law suspected the daughter-in-law was speaking nonsense, yet observing that Lady Wang had committed no improper act, she too was greatly perplexed. After ten months, Lady Wang unexpectedly gave birth to a son. When she explained the matter to others, all who heard it secretly laughed, and Lady Wang could not defend herself. It happened that the village head, who had a prior grudge against a certain Ma, reported the case to the county magistrate. The magistrate summoned the neighbors for questioning, and their accounts were all consistent. The magistrate said, "I have heard that children born of ghosts have no shadow; if there is a shadow, it is false." The child was brought into the sunlight, and his shadow was like a faint wisp of smoke. Then, pricking the child's finger to draw blood, they applied it to a clay statue, and it immediately seeped into the clay; when the blood was applied to other clay statues, it wiped off easily. Thus, the magistrate believed Lady Wang's account to be true. When the child grew to several years of age, his appearance and mannerisms were in every way like those of Ma, and only then did the doubts of the people dissipate.
Commentary
In feudal society, whether a widow remarried after her husband's death, whether driven by love or principle, whether voluntary or forced, gave rise to profound psychological and social issues. "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" offers deep reflections on this matter, as seen in tales such as "Geng Shiba," this story, and the later "Jin Shengse." If one sets aside the supernatural and ghostly elements, the true social attitudes and positions regarding this issue become evident. Wang's mother said, "Your intention is indeed commendable, but you are still too young, and you have borne no child. I have often seen those who endure at first only to bring shame upon themselves later; thus it is better to remarry early, as is the common way." This sentiment, considerate, truthful, and close to human feeling, likely reflects Pu Songling's own attitude and stance.
According to modern medical understanding, it is utterly absurd that Wang could bear a child; perhaps it was an adopted child or one conceived through surrogacy. Yet the so-called "paternity test" that followed should actually be called a "ghost child test" or a "clay effigy child test," which, though equally preposterous, is nonetheless a derivative of the same supernatural belief system.