Original Text
The Frog God often spoke through the mouth of a shaman. The shaman could discern the Frog God's joy or anger, telling the faithful, "The god is pleased," and blessings would descend; or telling them, "The god is angry," and the household's wives and children would sigh with worry, unable to eat. Is this merely a vulgar custom, or does the Frog God truly possess spiritual efficacy, not entirely without substance?
There was a wealthy merchant named Zhou, who was by nature miserly. At that time, the local residents were gathering funds to build a temple to the Lord Guan, and everyone, rich or poor, contributed their share, but Zhou alone was as tight as an iron rooster, not giving a single feather. The construction dragged on for a long time without completion, and the leaders could find no way to raise the money. One day, by chance, the people were offering sacrifices to the Frog God, when the shaman suddenly declared, "General Zhou Cang commands me, the lesser god, to take charge of the fundraising; bring the ledger." The people fetched the ledger. The shaman said, "Those who have already donated need not be pressed; those who have not yet given should assess their means and pledge what they can." All listened respectfully and pledged their sums. The shaman looked around and asked, "Is Zhou here?" Zhou was then hiding behind the crowd, fearing the god might know of his presence; hearing his name called, he turned pale with fright and hesitantly stepped forward. The shaman pointed at the ledger and said, "You shall pledge one hundred taels." Zhou grew even more distressed. The shaman said angrily, "You paid two hundred taels for your lecherous debts, so why not for this good cause?" It turned out that Zhou had once had an affair with a woman, and when her husband caught him, Zhou paid two hundred taels to settle the matter; thus the shaman exposed his secret. Hearing this, Zhou was both ashamed and terrified, and under duress, he pledged two hundred taels in the ledger. Returning home, he told his wife, who said, "This is just the shaman tricking you." The shaman repeatedly demanded the money, but Zhou steadfastly refused to pay. One day, as Zhou was about to take a nap, he suddenly heard a sound like an ox panting outside his door. Opening it, he saw a giant frog, barely fitting through the doorway, moving slowly and forcing its way into the house. Once inside, the frog turned and lay down, resting its chin on the threshold, throwing the entire Zhou household into panic. Zhou said, "This must be the one demanding the pledged money." He burned incense and prayed, offering to pay thirty taels first, with the remainder in installments, but the frog did not move; he then offered fifty taels, and the frog suddenly shrank by over a foot; when he added another twenty taels, the frog shrank to the size of a peck measure; finally, he pledged to pay the full amount, and the frog shrank to the size of a fist, slowly crawled out, and disappeared into a crack in the wall. Zhou hastily took out fifty taels and delivered them to the construction site. Everyone was astonished, but Zhou did not explain the reason.
After a few days, the shaman said, "Zhou still owes fifty taels of silver—why not go and demand payment?" Upon hearing this, Zhou grew terrified and sent another ten taels, hoping to pay off the remainder in installments. One day, as Zhou and his wife were eating, the giant frog returned, its eyes blazing with fury as before. After a moment, it climbed onto the bed, which groaned and shook under its weight, then laid its head on the pillow and fell asleep, its belly swelling like a reclining ox, filling all four corners of the bed. Zhou, panic-stricken, hastily produced the full hundred taels and offered them to the frog. Yet, when he looked again, the frog remained motionless. Throughout the day, small frogs gradually gathered; the next day, even more arrived, swarming into the granary, clambering onto the bed, and invading every corner. Frogs as large as bowls climbed onto the stove to catch flies, some rotting in the cooking pot, making the food stink beyond consumption. By the third day, the courtyard was so thick with frogs that not a single gap remained. Zhou's entire household was seized with terror, utterly at a loss. In desperation, they sought the shaman's counsel. The shaman said, "This must be because the money you offered did not satisfy him." Zhou then prayed to the Frog God, adding twenty taels, and the giant frog lifted its head; when more silver was added, it raised one leg; only when the full hundred taels were made up did it raise both legs, descend from the bed, and waddle toward the door, only to suddenly turn and lie down in the doorway. Zhou, again frightened, asked the shaman what this meant. The shaman guessed that the Frog God wished Zhou to hand over the money immediately. With no other choice, Zhou paid the full sum to the shaman, and only then did the frog set off. After a few steps, its body suddenly shrank, vanishing among the multitude of smaller frogs, indistinguishable from them, and the frogs then dispersed in a chaotic, gradual retreat.
After the completion of the shrine to Lord Guan, a consecration ceremony was to be held, which required additional funds. The spirit medium suddenly pointed at the leaders and said, "So-and-so must still contribute such-and-such an amount." In total, fifteen people were named, and only two were omitted. The crowd prayed, saying, "We and those others have already donated money together." The medium replied, "I do not determine who must pay based on your wealth or poverty, but rather on how much of the temple construction funds you have embezzled. Such money cannot be pocketed, lest you incur a sudden calamity. Considering that you led the efforts and labored diligently, I am thus eliminating your misfortunes. Except for so-and-so, who is incorruptible and upright and has done nothing shameful, even if it were my own household's medium, I would not show the slightest favoritism. Let him be the first to contribute money, setting a good example for everyone." Having said this, the medium ran home and ransacked his trunks and chests. His wife questioned him, but he did not answer, taking out all the family's savings. He told the crowd, "The medium secretly embezzled eight taels of silver; today he must return it all." The medium and the crowd weighed the silver together, finding only a little over six taels, so they recorded the remaining debt. The crowd was stunned and dared not argue further, all paying the full amounts. After this was done, the medium remained utterly unaware of what had happened. When someone told him, he was deeply ashamed, pawned his clothes, and made up the shortfall. As for the two who had defaulted on their payments, after the matter concluded, one fell ill for over a month, and the other developed a sore on his foot. The medical expenses they incurred exceeded the amounts they owed, and everyone regarded this as retribution for their secret embezzlement.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: When the old frog presided over the collection of alms, no one dared to refrain from doing good deeds—how much better is this than when the authorities employ harsh tortures to extort taxes and debts? Moreover, he could expose those who used their positions to embezzle funds, while simultaneously averting calamities from them; this not only displayed his awe-inspiring might but also revealed his compassionate heart.
Commentary
This story uses the Frog God to expose various facets of human society.
Although composed of two stories, both revolve around fundraising activities for public welfare. The first tale satirizes the miserly wealthy merchant Zhou, who refuses to contribute a single coin when the community gathers funds to repair the Temple of Lord Guan, yet under the coercion of the Frog God, he reluctantly parts with his money. The process of extracting payment is not a lump sum but rather like squeezing toothpaste, revealing his stingy and roguish mercenary nature. The second story continues from the first, describing how, after the temple's renovation is completed, during the consecration and sacrificial ceremonies, the Frog God supervises and forces those who embezzled public funds to disgorge their ill-gotten gains. Interestingly, these individuals include not only the prominent leaders who initiated the project but also the shamans who served as intermediaries between the Frog God and humans, exposing their true faces of exploiting events for personal profit. This reflects Pu Songling's profound understanding and satire of the inner workings of public welfare endeavors in his time.