Original Text
Sun Sheng married Xin, the daughter of a family that had produced officials for generations. Just after she crossed the threshold, Xin wore a pair of crotch-fastened trousers, bound with many cords, wrapping her body tightly all around. She refused her husband, unwilling to share the bed with him, and always kept awls and hairpins by the bedside to defend herself. Sun Sheng was repeatedly pricked and so moved to sleep on another bed. For over a month after the wedding, Sun Sheng dared not approach his wife. Even when they met face to face in broad daylight, his wife never gave him a kind word or a pleasant smile. A fellow student, learning of this, privately said to Sun Sheng, "Can your lady drink wine?" He replied, "She can take a little." The student joked, "I have a way to reconcile your marital relations—it is good and feasible." Sun Sheng asked, "What method?" The student said, "Put a sleeping potion in the wine, give it to her to drink, and you can do as you please." Sun Sheng laughed it off, but inwardly admired the cleverness of the idea. Consulting a physician, he cautiously boiled aconite in wine and set it on the table. At night, Sun Sheng poured himself other wine, drank a few cups alone, and then lay down to sleep. For three nights in this manner, his wife never touched the wine. One night, after Sun Sheng had lain down for a while, he saw his wife still sitting quietly, so he deliberately snored. His wife then got out of bed, took the wine, and warmed it on the stove. Sun Sheng secretly rejoiced. After a while, his wife drank a full cup, then poured another, drank about half of it, and returned the remainder to the flagon. She brushed the bed and lay down to sleep. For a long time, there was no movement, but the oil lamp still burned brightly, not extinguished. Sun Sheng, suspecting his wife was still awake, deliberately called out, "The lampstand is melting!" His wife did not respond. He called twice more, but still she did not answer. So Sun Sheng, naked, came over to look; his wife was already dead drunk, like mud. He lifted the covers and slipped in, cutting through the knots of her garments layer by layer. His wife naturally sensed this, but she could not move or speak, and allowed her husband to take his liberties and then depart. When she sobered up, she was deeply disgusted by what had happened, so she made a noose and hanged herself. In his sleep, Sun Sheng heard gasping and choking sounds; he rose and rushed over to see that his wife's tongue had already protruded two inches. Greatly alarmed, he cut the rope, lifted his wife onto the bed, and after a long time, she recovered. From then on, Sun Sheng particularly loathed and hated his wife. When they walked, they always avoided each other; if they met, they lowered their heads. For four or five years, they did not exchange a single word. Sometimes, when his wife was in the room laughing and talking with others, as soon as she saw her husband enter, her face would instantly change, cold as frost. Sun Sheng once moved to the study to live, not returning to the bedroom for years. Even if forced to go back, he would face the wall for a long time, then silently lay his head on the pillow. His parents were deeply distressed by this.
One day, an old nun came to the Sun household and, upon seeing Xin Shi, praised her profusely. Sun's mother said nothing, only sighing deeply. The nun asked the reason, and Sun's mother recounted the whole story in detail. The nun said, "This matter is easily resolved." Sun's mother replied joyfully, "If you can make my daughter-in-law change her heart, I will spare no expense in reward." Seeing no one else in the room, the nun whispered to Sun's mother, "Go and buy a picture of springtime pleasures; in three days, I will come to exorcise the evil." The nun departed, and Sun's mother immediately purchased the item and waited. After three days, the nun indeed returned and instructed Sun's mother, "This affair must be kept utterly secret; neither your son nor his wife must know of it." She then cut out the figures from the spring picture, took three needles and a pinch of mugwort, wrapped them tightly in white paper, and drew a few squiggles on the outside, shaped like earthworms. She told Sun's mother to coax her daughter-in-law out of the bedchamber, secretly take her pillow, slit open the seam, place the packet inside, sew it shut, and return it to its original place. The old nun then left. That evening, Sun's mother forced her son to return to the bedchamber to sleep and sent an old maidservant to listen at the door. As the second watch drew to a close, the maidservant heard Xin Shi calling Sun Sheng's pet name, but Sun Sheng ignored her. After a while, Xin Shi called him again, and Sun Sheng replied with a few harsh and hateful words. At dawn, Sun's mother came to her son's room and saw the couple sitting with their backs to each other, realizing the nun's spell had not worked. She called her son aside and gently tried to reason with him. But Sun Sheng grew angry at the mere mention of his wife's name, gnashing his teeth. His mother, also enraged, scolded him harshly, but Sun Sheng walked away without looking back.
After a day passed, the nun came again, and Mother Sun told her that the magic had no effect, leaving the nun greatly perplexed. The old maid then recounted what she had overheard. The nun smiled and said, "Previously I thought it was the daughter-in-law who detested her husband, so I applied the charm solely to her. Now the daughter-in-law has repented, but the one who remains unrepentant is the husband. Allow me to employ a dual approach, and it will surely prove effective." Mother Sun heeded the nun's advice, fetched her son's pillow, placed something inside it as before, sealed it, and returned it, then bade Sun Sheng to sleep in his chamber. After the first watch, they could still hear the rustling of bedding on both beds, with occasional coughs, as if neither could fall asleep. After a long while, they heard the two whispering together on one bed, though the words were indistinct. As dawn approached, they heard their playful laughter, tittering without cease. The old maid reported this to Mother Sun, who was overjoyed. When the nun came, Mother Sun rewarded her with much money. From then on, Sun Sheng and his wife were harmonious, bearing one son and two daughters, and in over ten years of marriage, never once did they quarrel. When a friend privately asked him the reason, Sun Sheng smiled and said, "Before, the very sight of her shadow kindled my rage; later, the sound of her voice filled me with joy. I myself do not understand the workings of my heart."
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: To transform loathing into love is indeed a wondrous art. Yet, one who can bring joy can also stir anger; the power of the sorcerer is precisely what makes him fearsome. The wise ancients said, 'Let no female go-between cross the threshold'—truly a saying of great insight.
Commentary
This tale is divided into two parts. The first part recounts how Scholar Sun's wife, Xin, suffered from sexual frigidity; Sun attempted to break through this barrier but failed, leaving their household in a state of cold war. The second part describes how an old nun employed sorcery and exorcism rites to transform the couple's hearts, granting them marital bliss and fulfillment. The first half portrays reality, likely marking the first instance in ancient Chinese literature to address the theme of sexual frigidity. Though it merely presents the phenomenon, it reflects how "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," as a classical Chinese literary work, expanded upon earlier writings in observing and engaging with real life. The second half delves into illusory imagination. Using witchcraft and curse rituals to treat sexual frigidity was perhaps a last resort in ancient society. As the "Historian of the Strange" remarks: "The very divinity of the sorcerer is what makes him fearsome," revealing Pu Songling's consistent disdain for practitioners of the occult arts.