Original Text
Zha Yihuang was a native of Zhejiang. On the day of the Qingming Festival, he was drinking wine in a wild temple, when he noticed an ancient bell before the main hall, larger than a jar that could hold two piculs of grain. On the bell, above and below, were handprints stained with earth, smooth as if freshly made, which struck him as strange. He bent down and peered through the lower edge of the bell, and saw inside a bamboo basket that could hold about eight pints of something, though he could not tell what it contained. He ordered several men to grip the bell's ears and lift with all their strength, but the bell did not budge. Even more astonished, he sat down to drink, waiting for the person who had hidden the basket there. Before long, a beggar entered the temple, piled the dried provisions he had collected beneath the bell, then lifted the bell with one hand, took the food with the other, and placed it into the basket, repeating this several times until the food was all stored. After finishing, he replaced the bell on the ground and departed. After a while, the beggar returned, went under the bell to fetch food and eat. When he finished eating, he went again to take more, lifting the bell as easily as opening a wooden box. All present were stunned. Zha Yihuang asked him, "A sturdy fellow like you, why are you a beggar?" The beggar replied, "I eat too much, and no one will hire me." Seeing his robust build, Zha advised him to join the army. The beggar sighed, worrying that he had no connections. Zha then brought him home, fed him, and estimated his appetite to be that of five or six men. He changed his clothes and shoes, and gave him fifty taels of silver for travel expenses before sending him off.
After more than ten years had passed, Zha Yihuang's nephew was serving as a magistrate in Fujian, when a general named Wu Liuyi suddenly came to call upon him. During their earnest conversation, General Wu asked, "What relation is Yihuang to you?" The nephew replied, "He is my uncle. Where did you and he become acquainted?" The general answered, "He was my teacher. We have been parted for ten years, and I miss him deeply. I beg you to convey my request that he honor my humble abode with his presence." Zha Yihuang's nephew readily agreed. Yet inwardly he pondered, for his uncle was a renowned scholar—where could he have gained a military disciple?
It happened that Zha Yihuang arrived in Fujian, and his nephew informed him of this matter, but Zha Yihuang was utterly bewildered and recalled nothing. Because General Wu's inquiries were so earnest, he ordered his servant to prepare a horse and set off; upon arriving at the gate, he presented his name card. General Wu hurried out to greet him at the main entrance. Zha Yihuang looked at him but did not recognize him at all. He secretly suspected that General Wu had made a mistake, yet General Wu bowed and bent his back with ever-increasing reverence. With utmost respect, he invited the guest inside; after passing through three or four doors, Zha Yihuang suddenly saw women coming and going, realized this was the inner quarters, and halted in his steps. General Wu again gestured for him to proceed, and soon they reached the main hall, where young maidservants were rolling up curtains and arranging seats. After they were seated, Zha Yihuang was about to inquire, when General Wu slightly moved his chin, and a maidservant presented court robes; General Wu immediately rose and changed his attire. Zha Yihuang did not know what he intended to do. The maidservants, some pulling at his sleeves, others adjusting his lapels, helped him dress; once fully attired, General Wu first ordered several people to press Zha Yihuang into his seat, preventing him from moving, and then knelt before him in obeisance, as if paying homage to a sovereign or father. Zha Yihuang was greatly astonished and utterly perplexed. After the bowing was complete, General Wu changed into casual clothes and sat beside him, saying with a smile, "Sir, do you not recall the beggar who lifted the bell?" Only then did Zha Yihuang suddenly understand. Soon, General Wu laid out a sumptuous feast, with the household musicians performing below the hall to enliven the proceedings. As the wine was nearly finished, the maidservants stood in a row to attend to the guest. General Wu went to the bedchamber and personally arranged the guest's lodging before departing. Because he was drunk, Zha Yihuang rose late the next day, yet General Wu had already inquired after him many times at the door. Zha Yihuang felt deeply uneasy and took his leave, wishing to return. General Wu removed the linchpin from Zha Yihuang's carriage, locked the gate, and confined him within the residence. Zha Yihuang observed that General Wu had no other daily business but to inventory the maidservants, female attendants, servants, mules, horses, clothing, and utensils, urging that they be registered and recorded, cautioning against omissions. Zha Yihuang thought this was General Wu's household affairs and thus did not probe deeply. One day, General Wu, holding the register, said to Zha Yihuang, "That I have come to my present state is all due to your boundless grace. Not a single maidservant or object dare I claim solely for myself; I beg to present half to you, sir." Zha Yihuang was stunned and refused to accept. General Wu would not heed him; he brought out several tens of thousands of taels of silver from his treasury and also divided them into two portions. According to the register, he checked and matched the antiques, beds, and tables, which nearly filled the hall inside and out. Zha Yihuang firmly tried to stop him, but General Wu paid no attention. After verifying the names of the maidservants and servants, he immediately ordered the male servants to prepare Zha Yihuang's luggage and the female servants to pack his belongings, instructing them to serve Master Zha well; all accepted with trepidation. General Wu then personally watched as the maidservants boarded the carriages and the grooms led the mules and horses; only when the convoy started moving did he turn back to bid Zha Yihuang farewell. Later, Zha Yihuang was implicated in the case of compiling the "History of Ming" and imprisoned, but he was ultimately pardoned, all thanks to General Wu's vigorous efforts to rescue him.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: To bestow generous charity without inquiring into the recipient's name is indeed the magnanimous spirit of a chivalrous man of old! And General Wu's repayment of kindness, with such open-handed and heroic generosity, is especially rare throughout the ages. With such a breadth of spirit, one should not perish in obscurity in the ditches and gutters. From this, it can be seen that the meeting of these two worthy men was no mere coincidence.
Commentary
This narrative recounts the encounter and mutual appreciation between Wu Liuyi and Zha Yihuang, as well as the latter's grateful requital of kindness, bearing a legendary quality yet devoid of ghosts or supernatural phenomena, thus resembling historical biographical literature.
In terms of writing, this piece has two prominent features. The first is the infusion of emotion into the brushwork. Literati in feudal society often harbored a profound sense of camaraderie with those who understood them, and Pu Songling, due to his own experiences, especially yearned to be discovered amidst the vast sea of humanity. Thus, his depiction of Zha Yihuang recognizing Wu Liuyi's extraordinary talent and treating him with great respect is particularly moving; in the commentary under "The Historian of the Strange," he forgets himself and says, "With such a magnanimous heart, he should not have ended his days in a ditch." The second feature is the narrative's skillful tailoring, imbued with legendary color. Whether it is Wu Liuyi's immense appetite, his strength to lift a great bell, Zha Yihuang's generous giving without asking for the recipient's name, or Wu Liuyi's "generous and heroic" requital, all are "rarely seen through the ages," romantic and wondrous. These characteristics seem to subtly reveal the influence of Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian."
The events recorded in this tale are also documented in Niu Xiu's "Gossip of the Curio Cabinet," under the title "Snow Encounter," where the narrative, though more detailed than in "The Mighty General," loses its legendary luster and fades into obscurity.