Original Text
Li Yuesheng, a student at the Imperial Academy, was the second son of the venerable Li Shengyu. Li Shengyu was exceedingly wealthy, storing his money in large vats, and the villagers called him "Li Eight Vats." On his deathbed, Li Shengyu summoned his sons to distribute his wealth, giving the elder brother eighty percent and the younger brother twenty percent. Yuesheng felt resentful and dissatisfied. Li Shengyu said, "I am not partial, favoring him over you. There is still a cellar of silver in the house, which must be given to you only when there are few people around. Do not be impatient." A few days later, Li Shengyu's condition grew more critical. Fearing that his father might suddenly pass away and he would not get the money, Yuesheng took advantage of a moment when no one was around to quietly ask his father at the bedside where the money was. Li Shengyu said, "A person's joys and sorrows are all ordained by heaven. You are now enjoying the blessing of a virtuous wife, so you should not be given too much money, lest it increase your sins." It turned out that Yuesheng's wife was most virtuous, like the famous ancient virtuous wives Huan Shaojun and Meng Guang, which is why his father spoke thus. Yuesheng still pleaded bitterly, and Li Shengyu said angrily, "You still have over twenty years of hardship to endure. Even if I gave you a lot of money, you would squander it all in one go. Do not expect to receive the money until you are at the end of your resources!" Yuesheng was filial to his father and fraternal to his elder brother, a man of honesty and kindness. Hearing this, he dared not mention it again. Soon after, Li Shengyu's illness worsened, and he died shortly thereafter. Fortunately, the elder brother was virtuous and did not argue with Yuesheng over funeral matters. Yuesheng was also naive and carefree, not concerned with gains or losses of money, and moreover, he was fond of hospitality and loved drinking, urging his wife to prepare meals three or four times a day to host banquets, paying little attention to household affairs. The local ruffians, seeing his weakness and incompetence, often bullied him. After a few years, the family fortunes gradually declined. When life became difficult and strained, fortunately, his elder brother could still provide some support, so he did not fall into utter destitution.
Not long after, his elder brother also died of old age and illness, leaving Yue Sheng even more without support, to the point where the family ran out of food. He had to borrow from others in the spring and repay in the autumn, and the grain harvested from the fields was all used up as soon as it was brought to the threshing ground. He had to sell his land to make a living, and his family fortune gradually dwindled. After a few more years, his wife and eldest son also died one after another, leaving Yue Sheng feeling even more helpless. Soon after, he bought the wife of a sheep dealer, a woman named Xu, hoping she might bring some wealth. But Xu was fierce by nature and bullied and oppressed Yue Sheng daily, to the point where he dared not associate with relatives or friends. Suddenly one night, Yue Sheng dreamed of his father, who said, "Now your situation can be described as having reached the end of the road. In the past, I promised you a cellar of silver, and now is the time to give it to you." Yue Sheng asked, "Where is it?" His father replied, "I will give it to you tomorrow." Yue Sheng woke up, found it very strange, and thought it was just his poverty-stricken mind recalling past events. The next day, while digging earth to repair a wall, he unearthed a great deal of silver. Only then did he realize that what his father had meant by "not many people" referred to half of the family having died.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Yuesheng was a friend I befriended without regard to wealth or poverty, honest and sincere in nature, utterly without pretense. We treated each other like brothers, sharing both joys and hardships. For several years, though our villages were but ten li apart, we had no contact for a long time. I once passed by his village but dared not visit him, because Yuesheng's hardships were of a kind that could not be spoken of openly. Suddenly I heard that he had come into a great sum of money, and I could not help but feel joy and elation for him. Alas! The dying admonitions of Elder Sheng Yu were often heard in earlier days, but I never expected that his words would all prove to be prophecies, fulfilled one by one. How could they be so divinely accurate!
Commentary
Most prophetic tales are relatively short, serving merely to prove the prophecy's accuracy, often lacking in narrative depth. Though this story is also brief, it possesses a novelistic quality. First, the prophecy is intriguingly ambiguous, not overtly clear. The phrase "not many people" allows for multiple interpretations, creating the first twist in the tale's development. Second, the expression "when mountains are exhausted and rivers run dry" also introduces a sense of "no way forward," offering infinite room for interpretation. The author weaves Li Yuesheng's story with twists and turns, making it highly engaging. Third, in the course of the story, the author simultaneously shapes the character of the Imperial Academy student Li Yuesheng as "honest and without pretense," leaving a deep impression. These elements make "Li Eight Jars" stand out among many prophetic tales.