Original Text
Xi Shan was a native of Gaomi in Shandong, who made his living as a merchant, often traveling between the Meng and Yi regions. One day, he was delayed on the road by rain, and by the time he reached his usual lodging place, the night was already deep. He knocked on every inn door, but no one answered, so he had to pace back and forth under the eaves. Suddenly, the double doors of a house opened, and an old man came out, inviting him inside. Xi Shan gladly followed him in, tied up his donkey, and entered the main hall, where there were no beds, tables, or chairs. The old man said, "I took pity on you, traveler, having nowhere to go, so I invited you in to stay. I am not in the business of selling food or drink. There is no one else in the house, only my old wife and my daughter, who are both fast asleep. Though there is some leftover food in the house, it cannot be heated. If you do not mind, you may eat some cold fare." Having said this, he went into the inner chamber. After a while, he brought out a small stool, placed it on the ground for Xi Shan to sit on, then went in again and brought out a low table. Coming and going several times in this manner, the old man appeared quite weary. Xi Shan, feeling restless and uneasy, took hold of the old man and urged him to rest for a while.
After a short while, a young girl came out to pour wine for Xi Shan. The old man, looking at her, said, "This is my daughter Aqian, who has just risen." Xi Shan observed Aqian and saw that she was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a slender figure and a lovely countenance, possessing a charming demeanor. Xi Shan had a younger brother who was not yet married, and he secretly thought of arranging this match for him. So he inquired about the old man's native place and family standing. The old man replied, "My surname is Gu, and my given name is Shixu. My sons and grandsons have all died early, leaving only this daughter. Just now I could not bear to wake her from her dreams, but I suppose my old wife has called her up." Xi Shan asked, "Who is her husband's family?" The old man answered, "She is not yet betrothed." Xi Shan was secretly pleased. After a while, wine and dishes were brought out, as if they had been prepared long in advance. When the meal was finished, Xi Shan respectfully said to the old man, "Meeting by chance, I am deeply grateful for your kindness, which I will never forget. Presuming on your great virtue, I venture to make a bold request: I have a younger brother, Sanlang, who is seventeen this year and is studying; he is not born dull-witted. I wish to form a marriage alliance with you; will you not disdain my poverty and lowliness?" The old man said happily, "I too am living here as a guest. If I can entrust my daughter to such a family as yours, I beg you to lend me a room so that I may move my household here, and thus avoid future worries." Xi Shan agreed wholeheartedly and rose to thank him. The old man earnestly arranged a bed for him before leaving. At cockcrow, the old man had already risen and called Xi Shan to get up and wash. Xi Shan packed his luggage and wanted to pay the old man for the meal. The old man firmly declined, saying, "I merely kept a guest for a meal; there is absolutely no reason to accept payment, especially since we have become in-laws."
After taking his leave, Xi Shan lingered abroad for over a month before returning. When he was about a li from his village, he encountered an old woman leading a young girl, both dressed in plain white mourning garments. Drawing near, he saw that the girl resembled A Xian. The girl also repeatedly turned her head to look at him and tugged at the old woman's sleeve, whispering something in her ear. The old woman halted and asked Xi Shan, "Are you surnamed Xi?" Xi Shan assented repeatedly. The old woman, with a sorrowful expression, said, "My husband has met with misfortune, crushed by a collapsing wall, and we are on our way to tend his grave. There is no one at home now; please wait by the roadside for a short while, and we shall return shortly." With that, she entered a grove of trees and emerged only after an hour. By then, dusk had fallen, and the road grew dim, so Xi Shan journeyed with them. The old woman spoke of their plight as widowed mother and orphaned daughter, weeping bitterly, and Xi Shan felt his heart ache in sympathy. The old woman said, "The people of this region are unkind, and it is hard for a widow and orphan to survive. Since A Xian is already your family's bride, any delay might cause trouble. It would be better to take advantage of the night and go with you at once." Xi Shan agreed. Upon reaching home, the old woman lit a lamp and waited for Xi Shan to finish his meal, then said to him, "We reckoned you would soon return. Most of the grain stored at home has already been sold, leaving only over twenty dan, which we have not yet delivered due to the distance. To the north, about four or five li from here, at the first gate in the village, lives a man named Tan Erquan, who is our buyer. I trouble you to take the trouble to carry one sack on your mount, knock on his door, and tell him that Old Woman Gu of South Village has a few dan of grain she wishes to sell for traveling expenses, and ask him to send beasts of burden to fetch it." Having said this, she filled a sack with grain and gave it to Xi Shan. Xi Shan drove his donkey there, knocked on the door, and a stout man came out. Xi Shan explained the matter, poured out the grain, and returned. Soon, two servants arrived with five mules. The old woman led Xi Shan to the grain storage, which was in a cellar. Xi Shan descended into the cellar to weigh the grain, while the old woman handed it out and A Xian kept tally. In a short while, the mules were loaded, and the men were sent off first. They made four round trips before all the grain was moved. Tan's servant handed over the silver to the old woman, who kept one man and two mules, packed their belongings, and set off eastward. After traveling twenty li, dawn broke. They reached a market town, rented a beast of burden there, and then sent Tan's servant back. Upon arriving home, Xi Shan told his parents everything. His parents were delighted at the sight of A Xian and immediately found a house for the old woman to live in, then chose an auspicious day for Sanlang and A Xian to marry. The old woman also prepared a lavish dowry. A Xian was taciturn and rarely angered; when spoken to, she merely smiled. She spun and wove day and night without rest, so the entire household cherished her. A Xian instructed Sanlang, saying, "Tell your elder brother that when he next passes by the western road, he must not mention us mother and daughter." Thus three or four years passed, and the Xi family grew increasingly wealthy, while Sanlang also entered the county school.
Once, Xi Shan was lodging at an old neighbor's house of the Gu family, and happened to speak of the time when he had nowhere to go and sought shelter at the Gu residence. The host said, "You must be mistaken, sir. The eastern neighbor is a villa belonging to my elder uncle. Three years ago, those who lived there would constantly see strange and eerie things, so it has been left vacant for a long time. How could there have been an old man and woman who took you in?" Xi Shan was astonished but not entirely convinced. The host added, "This house has been empty for ten years now, and no one dares to enter. One day, the back wall collapsed, and my uncle went to look. Beneath a stone, he saw a giant rat as large as a cat, with its tail sticking out and still twitching. He hurried home and called many people to come see, but the rat had vanished. Everyone suspected the creature was a demon. After another ten-odd days, they went to look again, but there was no sign of anything. Over a year later, someone finally moved in." Hearing this, Xi Shan grew even more perplexed. Returning home, he quietly told his family about it, and they all suspected the new wife was not human, secretly worrying for Third Son, but Third Son continued to dote on Aqian as before. As time passed, the family's suspicions and gossip grew. Aqian gradually became aware of this, and one night she said to Third Son, "I have been married to you for several years now, and never once have I failed in wifely virtue. Yet now you treat me as less than human. I beg you to grant me a letter of divorce, and let you find a better wife for yourself." With these words, she wept. Third Son said, "My true feelings should be known to you long ago. Since you entered our home, our family has grown wealthier day by day, and everyone believes you brought good fortune to us. How could anyone speak ill of you?" Aqian replied, "I know you have no second thoughts, but with all this talk, I fear I cannot escape being cast aside." Third Son comforted her repeatedly until she calmed down. Yet Xi Shan could not let the matter rest, and every day he sought cats skilled at catching rats to observe Aqian's reactions. Though she showed no fear, she frowned and grew despondent. One night, Aqian told Third Son that her mother was ill, and she asked to leave to attend to her. At dawn, Third Son went to inquire, but found the room empty. He was terrified and sent people everywhere to search for her, but no trace was found. Distraught, he could neither eat nor sleep. His father and elder brother, however, felt relieved and took turns comforting him, preparing to arrange a new marriage for him, but Third Son was deeply unhappy. After more than a year with no word from Aqian, his father and brother constantly mocked and scolded him. Forced to comply, he spent a great sum to buy a concubine, but his longing for Aqian never diminished in the slightest.
After several more years, the Xi family gradually fell into poverty, and everyone once again thought of A Xian. Sanlang had a cousin named Xi Lan, who went to Jiaozhou on business; on the way, he made a detour to visit his maternal cousin, a Mr. Lu. That night, Xi Lan heard someone weeping bitterly from a neighboring house, but did not have time to inquire. When he returned, he heard the weeping again and asked his host about it. The host replied, "A few years ago, a widowed mother and her orphaned daughter came here to rent a house. A month ago, the old woman died, leaving only the orphaned girl, who has no relatives, so she weeps in grief." Xi Lan asked, "What is her surname?" The host answered, "Her surname is Gu. Her family often kept the door closed and did not associate with the neighbors, so I do not know her family background." Xi Lan exclaimed in surprise, "She is my sister-in-law!" He then went to knock on the door. He heard someone inside wiping away tears and coming to the door, who answered from behind it, "Who is the guest? There are no men in my household." Xi Lan peered through the crack in the door and saw that it was indeed his sister-in-law, so he said, "Sister-in-law, open the door. I am A Sui from your husband's family." Upon hearing this, A Xian drew back the bolt and invited him in, pouring out her loneliness and hardship, her expression utterly desolate and sorrowful. Xi Lan said, "Third Brother has been longing for you bitterly. Even if there was some discord between husband and wife, why did you flee so far away?" After saying this, he prepared to hire a cart to take A Xian back with him. A Xian said sadly, "Because others looked down on me, I came here to live in seclusion with my mother. Now, if I return to seek refuge with others, who will not look at me with disdain? If I must return, then I must live separately from Big Brother; otherwise, I will take poison and die!" When Xi Lan returned, he told Sanlang everything. Sanlang traveled overnight to meet her. When husband and wife saw each other, they both wept with sorrow. The next day, they informed the landlord. The landlord, a graduate named Xie, had long coveted A Xian's beauty and wanted to take her as a concubine, so for several years he had not collected rent, frequently hinting at this to Old Lady Gu, but she always refused. After Old Lady Gu died, he secretly rejoiced that he could now obtain her, but Sanlang's sudden arrival ruined his scheme. He then calculated the rent owed over the years and demanded that A Xian pay it all at once, thus making things difficult for them. Sanlang's family was not wealthy, and upon hearing the large sum demanded, his face showed deep worry. A Xian said, "It is no trouble." She then led Sanlang to look at the grain stored in the warehouse, about thirty-odd piculs, more than enough to cover the rent. Sanlang was delighted and went to inform Xie. Xie refused to accept grain and deliberately demanded silver. A Xian sighed and said, "This is all my own doing!" She then told Sanlang about Xie's desire to marry her as a concubine and her refusal. Sanlang was furious and intended to file a lawsuit at the county office. Lu stopped him and instead distributed the grain from the warehouse among the villagers, raising enough money to repay Xie, and then sent Sanlang and A Xian home in a cart.
Sanlang told his parents the truth, and then divided the family property with his elder brother. Afiber took out her own private savings and busied herself every day with building grain storehouses, yet at that time the household did not possess even a single picul of grain, which struck everyone as very strange. After a little more than a year had passed, when they went to inspect, they found that the storehouses were already piled high with grain. Within a few more years, the family had become exceedingly wealthy, while the Xi household had fallen into dire poverty. Afiber received her father-in-law and mother-in-law into her own home to support them, and from time to time she also sent money and grain to aid the Xi family, gradually this became a customary practice. Sanlang said joyfully, "You may truly be said to be one who does not hold grudges for past wrongs." Afiber replied, "He was also acting for your sake as a younger brother. Moreover, had it not been for him, how would I ever have had the chance to become acquainted with you, Sanlang?" From then onward, no further strange occurrences befell Sanlang's household.
Commentary
This is a heartwarming fairy tale, telling the amusing story of a marriage between humans and mice.
A man named Xi Shan, while traveling for business, encountered an elder named Gu Shixu who offered him lodging. During their conversation, Xi Shan arranged a marriage between his younger brother San Lang and Gu's daughter A Qian. After their marriage, San Lang and A Qian lived a very happy life. However, Xi Shan later suspected that A Qian's family were rats and forced San Lang and A Qian to separate. Both San Lang and A Qian suffered greatly, but with the help of San Lang's younger cousin Xi Lan, they were reunited and lived a blissful married life once more. This anthropomorphic tale depicts the lives of rats entirely through human characteristics while never straying from their natural traits. For instance, when Xi Shan first visited Gu Shixu's home, the location was described as "pacing beneath the eaves, when suddenly two doors swung open," the furnishings as "the hall had not a single table or couch," and the food as "an array of delicacies set out, as if prepared in advance." Their trade involved reselling grain, with customers being "potbellied men." Most strikingly, the heroine A Qian's appearance was "slender and delicate, with a graceful and charming demeanor," her temperament "spoke little and rarely grew angry; when addressed, she merely smiled, spinning and weaving day and night without pause," and her domestic abilities were shown as "daily she built granaries, though the household had not a single picul of grain, which amazed everyone. After a year, they inspected and found the granaries full. Within a few years, the family had grown wealthy." Clearly, Pu Songling here subtly hints at certain habits of rats while also summarizing the virtues of a certain type of woman—kind, diligent, modest, and skilled at saving—seamlessly blending the two together. Although A Qian, after being forced to separate from San Lang by her brother-in-law Xi Shan, insisted on dividing the household and living apart upon returning to her family, she "often gave grain and money to Xi Shan, making it a habit," demonstrating her tolerance and lack of resentment, embodying the moral principles of a fairy tale.