Original Text
In Taihang County there lived a man named Mao Dafu, a surgeon specializing in treating sores and wounds. One day, while returning home from a medical call, he encountered a wolf on the road. The wolf spat out a bundle it held in its mouth and then crouched by the roadside. Mao Dafu picked it up and found it to be a cloth wrapping containing several pieces of gold jewelry. Just as he was marveling at this strangeness, the wolf bounded joyfully before him, gently tugged at his robe, and then moved away. When Mao Dafu tried to leave, the wolf tugged at him again. Sensing that the wolf meant no harm, he followed it. Before long, they arrived at a cave, where he saw another wolf lying ill on a bed of straw. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a large sore on its head, already festering and crawling with maggots. Mao Dafu understood the wolf's intent, so he scraped away the pus, blood, and maggots from the sore, applied medicine as he would for a human, and then departed. By then, dusk had fallen, and the wolf followed him from afar, escorting him. After walking three or four li, they encountered several other wolves, which snarled and threatened to attack Mao Dafu, filling him with terror. The first wolf rushed ahead to the others, seeming to speak to them, whereupon all the wolves dispersed, and Mao Dafu returned home safely.
Earlier, there was a silver merchant named Ning Tai in the county, who was killed by bandits on the road, and the murderer had never been found. It happened that when Mao Dafu was selling the jewelry, the Ning family recognized it, so they seized Mao Dafu and brought him to the yamen. Mao Dafu explained the origin of the jewelry, but the magistrate did not believe him and threw him into prison. Mao Dafu was deeply wronged but could not defend himself, only hoping to be granted a few days' reprieve so that he could go and ask the wolves for clarification. The magistrate then sent two constables to escort Mao Dafu into the mountains, all the way to the wolf's den, but it happened that the wolf was out and did not return. As night fell and it still did not come back, the three had to turn back. Halfway along the road, they encountered two wolves, one of which still had a scar on its head. Mao Dafu recognized this wolf, stepped forward, bowed, and prayed, "Last time I was favored with your gifts, but now I am wrongly accused of murder because of those jewels. If you cannot clear my name, I will be beaten to death when I return!" When the wolf saw Mao Dafu bound, it angrily lunged at the constables. The constables drew their swords and faced the wolves. The wolf then pressed its mouth to the ground and let out a loud howl. After just two or three howls, hundreds of wolves came swarming from all directions in the mountains, surrounding the constables layer upon layer. The constables were greatly distressed. The two wolves then rushed forward and bit at the ropes binding Mao Dafu. The constables understood their intent and untied Mao Dafu, whereupon the wolves all dispersed. When the constables returned to the yamen and recounted what they had seen, the magistrate was astonished but did not immediately release Mao Dafu. A few days later, when the magistrate went out, a wolf carried an old shoe and placed it on the road. The magistrate rode straight past, but the wolf again carried the shoe ahead and placed it on the road. The magistrate ordered the shoe to be collected, and then the wolf departed. Upon returning to the yamen, the magistrate secretly sent someone to investigate the owner of the old shoe. It was rumored that a man named Cong Xin from a certain village had been chased by two wolves, and the wolves had taken his shoe. The magistrate ordered Cong Xin to be arrested and brought to identify the shoe, and indeed it was his. The magistrate then suspected that the murderer of Ning Tai must be Cong Xin. Upon interrogation, he indeed turned out to be the killer. It turned out that after Cong Xin killed Ning Tai, he stole a large amount of silver, but the jewelry hidden inside Ning Tai's clothes, which he had not had time to search for, was carried off by the wolves.
Once upon a time, a midwife was returning home when she encountered a wolf blocking her path, tugging at her clothes as if to invite her somewhere. She followed it, and upon arrival, found a she-wolf struggling to give birth. The midwife pressed and massaged her belly, helping her deliver the cubs, after which the wolf let her go home. The next day, the wolf brought a deer carcass to her house as a reward. From this, it is evident that such occurrences have always been numerous.
Commentary
This piece can be read alongside "The Two Bans," as both are fairy tales about animals seeking human medical treatment and repaying kindness. Pu Songling remarked, "One can see that such matters have been numerous since ancient times," clearly indicating that many related folktales existed among the people.
Unlike "Er Ban," the plot of "Mao Dafu" is more intricate, not only depicting wolves seeking human medical treatment with human-like etiquette—first presenting gifts, then escorting and seeing off—but also involving a murder case of a merchant slain on the road, in which Mao Dafu is wrongly implicated, and through the wolves' involvement, he is exonerated. Because the plot of "Mao Dafu" is winding and engaging, it was once adapted into a theatrical performance. The Sichuan opera "A Single Shoe" is based on this story and was adapted for the stage.