Original Text
Scholar Liu Fanghui was a native of the capital. He had a younger sister betrothed to a Mr. Dai, with the wedding day already set. Just then, Qing troops invaded the region, and fearing that the girl would become a burden during the chaos of war, her father and elder brother decided to dress her up and send her early to the Dai household. Before her adornments were complete, the marauding soldiers burst in, and the Liu father and son fled in different directions. The girl was captured by a Qing officer of the rank of Niru. She followed him for several days, yet the officer never behaved improperly toward her. At night, he let her sleep on a separate bed and provided her with ample food and drink. The officer also captured a young man, about the same age as the girl, whose appearance was handsome and refined. The officer said to the young man, "I have no son, and I wish for you to continue my family line. Would you be willing?" The young man humbly agreed. The officer then pointed to the girl and said, "If you are willing to be my son, I shall make this girl your wife." The young man was overjoyed and consented. The officer then had them share the same bed, and they were exceedingly harmonious and happy. Later, as they lay on the pillow, they exchanged names, and the young man turned out to be none other than Mr. Dai.
A certain official from Shaanxi, holding the post of salt commissioner, was unable to bring his family along when he assumed office due to domestic encumbrances. Just then, the rebellion of Jiang Xiang erupted, and his hometown fell into the hands of the rebels, cutting off all communication. After the chaos subsided, he sent a man back to inquire about his family, but for a hundred li around, not a soul was to be seen, and there was no way to learn of his kin's fate. It happened that this official was returning to the capital to report on his duties, and an old servant, having lost his wife and being too poor to remarry, was given a few silver taels by the official to purchase a wife. At that time, the imperial army had returned in triumph, and countless captured women were being sold in the market like cattle and horses, each with a straw marker stuck in their hair. The old servant took his silver to the market to choose. Feeling his funds were meager, he dared not inquire about the price of young girls. He noticed an elderly woman among them, dressed very neatly, and redeemed her, bringing her home. The old woman sat on the bed, scrutinized him carefully, and said, "Are you not so-and-so the servant?" The servant asked how she recognized him, and she replied, "You served under my son; how could I not know you!" The servant was greatly alarmed and quickly reported this to the official. When the official looked at the old woman, she was indeed his own mother. He wept bitterly and repaid the ransom double. The servant, now with more silver, disdained to seek another old woman. He saw a woman of about thirty, of surpassing grace, and redeemed her. As they walked along the road, the woman looked at him and said, "Are you not so-and-so the servant?" Again astonished, the servant asked how she knew him, and she said, "You served under my husband; how could I not know you!" The servant was even more startled and led her to the official. When the official saw her, she was truly his own wife. He wept again with grief and joy. In a single day, he was reunited with his mother and wife, and his happiness knew no bounds. The official then gave the servant a hundred taels of silver to marry a beautiful wife. It is surmised that this official must have possessed great virtue, for the gods and spirits responded to his moral power. Unfortunately, the storyteller forgot his name, though perhaps some in Shaanxi can still recall it.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: When fire rages on Mount Kunlun, it reduces both jade and stone to ashes—such is the calamity indeed! The tale of that gentleman's family, reunited after chaos, has been passed down by word of mouth. Of Dong Sibai's descendants, only a single grandson remains, and now even he cannot uphold the ancestral sacrifices—this too is the fault of the court officials! How lamentable!
Commentary
Although these two recorded tales recount the miraculous reunions of common folk amidst the chaos of war, they nonetheless cast a stark light upon the far greater number of families torn asunder, displaced, and shattered by tragedy. The terms "Northern Soldiers" and "Great Army" used in the text both refer to the Qing forces, reflecting the grim realities of the Ming-Qing transition. Particularly in the second tale, where it is said that "the Great Army returned in triumph, capturing countless women and children, setting them up for sale in the marketplace like cattle and horses," the description is so poignant that it may well be read as historical record. A contemporary, Wang Yuyang, recorded a similar story in his "Chibei Ouyi: Tan Yi Wu" under the title "A Family Reunited," yet it pales in comparison in terms of critical spirit. Likely due to political reasons, this piece was not included in the Qingketing edition of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."