Original Text
Xing Yunfei was a native of Shuntian. He had a passion for collecting stones, and upon encountering a fine specimen, he would spare no expense to acquire it. Once, while fishing by the river, he felt something snag his net. Diving into the water, he retrieved a stone over a foot in length, exquisitely carved with peaks and valleys, translucent and delicate. Overjoyed, he treasured it as a priceless gem. Returning home, he carved a base from rosewood and placed the stone on his desk. Whenever rain was imminent, clouds would emerge from the stone's crevices, appearing from afar like freshly stuffed cotton.
A powerful and influential bully came to his door requesting to see the stone. After examining it, he took it up and handed it to a sturdy servant, then mounted his horse and galloped away. Xing Yunfei could do nothing but stamp his feet in grief and indignation. The servant carried the stone to the riverbank, and when he reached the bridge, he lowered it from his shoulder, but suddenly lost his grip and dropped it into the river. The bully flew into a rage, lashed the servant with his whip, and immediately hired skilled swimmers, sparing no expense to search high and low, yet they could not find it. So he posted a reward notice and departed. From then on, seekers of the stone crowded the river every day, but none succeeded. Later, Xing Yunfei came to the spot where the stone had fallen, and gazing at the river, he choked with sorrow, when lo, the water was so clear he could see the very stone lying at the bottom. Overjoyed, he stripped off his clothes, plunged into the river, and brought the stone out in his arms. He carried it home, daring no longer to display it in the main hall, but instead swept clean his inner chamber and enshrined it there.
One day, an old man knocked at the door and entered, requesting to see the stone. Xing Yunfei declined, saying that the stone had been lost for a long time. The old man smiled and said, "Is it not in the parlor?" Xing Yunfei then invited him into the parlor, intending to prove that the stone was indeed not there. Upon entering the parlor, however, he found the stone placed on the table, and he was struck dumb with astonishment. The old man stroked the stone and said, "This was originally a possession of my house, lost for a long time; I never expected it to be here. Since I have seen it now, I beg you to return it to me." Xing Yunfei was greatly embarrassed and began to argue with the old man over the ownership of the stone. The old man laughed and said, "Since you claim it is your possession, what proof do you have?" Xing Yunfei could not answer. The old man said, "I, however, have long known it. It has ninety-two small holes in total, and in one of those holes are carved five characters: 'Qingxu Tian Shi Gong' (Offering of the Stone from the Pure Void Heaven)." Xing Yunfei looked closely and indeed found characters as small as rice grains in the hole, only discernible with wide eyes; he then counted the holes on the stone, and it was exactly ninety-two as the old man had said. Xing Yunfei was speechless but stubbornly refused to return the stone to the old man. The old man laughed and said, "After all, whose possession is it? Must you be the one to decide?" With that, he clasped his hands in a bow and left the door. Xing Yunfei saw the old man out, but when he returned to the room, the stone was gone. He hurriedly chased after the old man, who was walking slowly and had not gone far; he rushed forward, grabbed the old man's robe, and earnestly begged him to return the stone. The old man said, "How strange! A stone a foot square—how could it be held in the hand or hidden in a sleeve?" Xing Yunfei knew the old man was a divine being, so he forcibly pulled him back home, knelt stiffly on the ground, and pleaded. The old man then said, "Is the stone truly yours, or is it mine?" Xing Yunfei replied, "It is indeed your possession; I only beg you to part with it out of kindness." The old man said, "Since that is so, the stone is still here." Entering the inner chamber, the stone was in its original place. The old man said, "The treasures of the world should naturally be given to those who cherish them. This stone can choose its own master, and I am pleased that it has chosen you. But it was eager to reveal itself, and because it appeared too early, its destined calamity has not yet been dispelled. I intended to take it away and present it to you again after three years. Since you insist on keeping it, you must reduce your lifespan by three years, so that it may accompany you to the end; are you willing?" Xing Yunfei said, "I am willing." The old man then pinched a hole with two fingers, and the hole became as soft as clay, closing up with his fingers. After sealing three holes, the old man said, "The number of holes on the stone is your lifespan." With that, he bid farewell and prepared to leave. Xing Yunfei earnestly tried to detain him, but the old man was resolute in his departure; when asked his name, he refused to tell and left.
After more than a year had passed, Xing Yunfei was away on business when a thief broke into his house one night and stole nothing else but that stone. Upon returning home, Xing Yunfei was overcome with grief and despair. He searched everywhere and offered rewards, but there was not a trace of it. Several years later, Xing Yunfei happened to visit the Baoguo Temple, where he saw a man selling a stone that was exactly the one he had lost. He stepped forward to claim it, but the seller refused to yield, so they carried the stone together to the magistrate's office. The magistrate asked, "How can you prove which of you owns the stone?" The seller could name the number of holes on the stone, but when asked what other distinguishing features it had, he was at a loss. Xing Yunfei then revealed the five characters inside the holes and the three finger marks, and the truth was finally clear. The magistrate was about to have the seller beaten, but the seller claimed he had bought the stone for twenty taels of silver at the market, so the magistrate released him. Xing Yunfei took the stone home, wrapped it in brocade, and stored it in a casket. From time to time, he would take it out to admire it, always first burning incense before bringing forth the stone.
There was a Minister who wished to purchase this stone for one hundred taels of silver. Xing Yunfei said, "Even for ten thousand taels, I would not sell it." The Minister grew furious and secretly used other matters to incriminate Xing Yunfei. Xing Yunfei was thrown into prison, and his family's fields and property were mortgaged. The Minister sent someone to hint to Xing Yunfei's son that the stone could be exchanged for his father's release. The son told Xing Yunfei, who declared he would rather die than surrender the stone. His wife privately consulted with their son and presented the stone to the Minister's household. Only after his release from prison did Xing Yunfei learn of this; he beat and cursed his wife and son, and several times attempted suicide, but was discovered and saved by his family each time, thus surviving. One night, he dreamed that a man came to him, calling himself "Shi Qingxu." He admonished Xing Yunfei not to grieve, saying, "I have purposely parted from you for a little over a year. On the twentieth day of the eighth month next year, at the break of dawn, you may go to Haidai Gate and buy me back with two strings of cash." Xing Yunfei, having learned the stone's whereabouts in his dream, was overjoyed and carefully remembered the date. As for the stone, once in the Minister's house, it no longer showed the strange phenomenon of mist issuing from its small holes before rain; as time passed, the Minister ceased to value it highly. The following year, the Minister committed a crime, was dismissed from office, and soon died. Xing Yunfei, following the date indicated in his dream, went to Haidai Gate, where he saw the Minister's servant stealing the stone to sell it; he bought it back with two strings of cash.
Later, Xing Yunfei lived to the age of eighty-nine, prepared his own coffin, and instructed his son that the stone must be buried with him as a funerary object. After his death, his son followed his dying wish and interred the stone in the tomb. Half a year passed, and grave robbers broke open the tomb and stole the stone away. When the son learned of this, he could not pursue the matter or investigate further. Two or three days later, the son and a servant were walking along the road when they suddenly saw two men running and stumbling, drenched in sweat, bowing to the empty air and saying, "Master Xing, do not press us further! We two stole the stone and sold it for merely four taels of silver." Xing Yunfei's son then bound them and delivered them to the authorities, where upon interrogation they confessed. When asked where the stone had gone, it had already been sold to a wealthy household. The magistrate ordered the stone brought forth, and he too grew fond of it, desiring to keep it for himself, so he commanded it be placed in the official treasury. As the clerk lifted the stone, it suddenly fell to the ground, shattering into dozens of pieces, and all present were greatly startled. The magistrate then subjected the two thieves to severe punishment and sentenced them to death. Xing Yunfei's son gathered the broken fragments, left the yamen, and still buried them in his father's tomb.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Fine objects are often the root of calamity. Xing Yunfei even wished to die for the sake of a stone—such was his infatuation! Yet in the end, the stone accompanied him from beginning to end; who can say that stones are devoid of feeling? An ancient saying goes: "A scholar dies for one who appreciates him." These words are not at all excessive! If even a stone can be so, how much more so for a human being!
Commentary
Although this tale recounts the vicissitudes of joy and sorrow between a stone and its devoted admirer, it reflects a rich tapestry of social reality. For true connoisseurs, rare curios and antiques form a bond of mutual understanding, allowing for two-way interaction, and even a stone possesses spiritual nature and life. Pu Songling remarks in the Historian's Commentary: "A scholar dies for one who knows him—this is no exaggeration! If even a stone can be so, how much more so for a human!" Yet, because these objects also bear economic value, they become targets for the powerful to seize by force, staging one tragedy after another in the mortal realm. Xing Yunfei's stone was repeatedly plundered by malevolent forces of society, yet through the stone's own spiritual power, it returned to its rightful owner—a romantic and optimistic conceit of Pu Songling's. In contrast, the forty-eighth chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber depicts Stone Stupid cherishing his collection of ancient fans, declaring, "Even if I starve or freeze to death, I will not sell a single fan for a thousand taels of silver; if you want the fans, you must first take my life." He shared the same temperament as Xing Yunfei, but unfortunately, when Jia She coveted his fans, Jia Yucun, currying favor with the Jia family, falsely accused him of owing official silver, confiscated the fans, and presented them to Jia She. The final fate of Stone Stupid and his fans was not as fortunate as that of Xing Yunfei and his stone, reflecting Cao Xueqin's rigorous realist approach.