Original Text
A resident of Baijiazhuang, west of the city, stole his neighbor's duck and cooked it for a meal. That night, he felt his skin itch, and at dawn, he saw that a downy coat of duck feathers had grown all over his body, which ached at the slightest touch. Greatly terrified, he could find no cure. In his dreams that night, a man told him: "Your affliction is a divine punishment. You must endure the curses of the one you wronged, and only then will the duck feathers fall away." However, the elderly neighbor was always magnanimous and never showed any sign of anger when things went missing. The man falsely told the old man, "The duck was stolen by a certain fellow. He fears being scolded most; if you curse him, it will serve as a warning against future theft." The old man smiled and said, "Who has the leisure to waste breath on a scoundrel?" Thus, he never uttered a curse. The man grew even more distressed and finally confessed the truth to the neighbor, who then cursed him, and his illness was cured.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: The consequences of theft are truly fearsome—once a man steals a duck, duck feathers sprout from his body! The consequences of cursing are also worthy of heed—once a man curses a thief, the thief's guilt is lessened! Yet the practice of goodness takes different forms; that old neighbor, by his cursing, manifested his compassion.
Commentary
This is a rare satirical sketch within the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
In certain rural areas of old China, when something was lost, the owner would customarily unleash a torrent of curses, partly to vent their anger and partly to inflict insult and curse upon the thief. This was, of course, an unwholesome folk custom, and "The Cursing Duck" is a jest aimed at this practice. Interestingly, Pu Songling did not directly preach against it, but through the story, he spoke in reverse, saying: "How grave it is that the curser should be warned: one curse reduces the thief's guilt!" This reveals Pu Songling's wisdom and humor as an educator.