Ghost Story of Liaozhai

Miao Yongding, born in Gongxi, Jiangxi Province, drank like a life, and relatives and friends feared him like a tiger.On this day, Miao Yongding went to his uncle's house. Miao was funny and good at telling jokes, and the guests were very happy to talk to him.After drinking together, Miao Yongding got very drunk, went crazy after drinking, and began to curse people, offending the guests with his words, the guests were very angry, and the audience was in an uproar.The uncle of the clan came out to mediate, but Miao said that he was partial to the guests and blamed him. The uncle of the clan had nothing to do, so he notified Miao's family.When the family heard the news, they came and helped Miao Yongding back home.

As soon as he was put on the bed, Miao's limbs became stiff, and when he touched him with his hand, he lost his breath.

After Miao Yongding died, he was driven away by a man in black hat and came to a government office with green roof tiles and a magnificent momentum.The man in black hat took him to the high platform, as if he was waiting for the county magistrate to be promoted.Miao Yongding thought to himself: What crime have I committed?It's just drinking and swearing, is there a need for a lawsuit?

Looking secretly at the man in the black hat, he saw his eyes glaring angrily, his pupils like bulls, and he couldn't help but panic in his heart, and he didn't dare to ask about the crime.I just thought: "Arguing with people is not a serious crime." Suddenly I heard an official in the lobby declare: the complainant will come back tomorrow morning.

When the crowd in the hall heard the words, they scattered like birds and beasts.

Miao Yongding also followed the man in black hat, but because he had nowhere to stay, he shrank his head and stood under the eaves.The man in black hat said angrily: "Drunkard rascal, it's getting dark, everyone is looking for a place to eat and sleep, what are you doing here?" Miao Yongding trembled, and said: "I don't know what I have committed, and I didn't have time to inform my family. I don’t have any silver, so I don’t know where to go.”

The black hat said humanely: "Crazy drunkard, you have money to buy alcohol, but you don't have money to stay in a hotel? If you dare to talk nonsense, I will smash your bones with one punch." Miao Yongding bowed his head and dared not make a sound.Suddenly a person came out of the house. He was very surprised when he saw Miao, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Miao Yongding looked up and saw that this person was his uncle Jia, who had been dead for several years, suddenly realized: Could it be that he died too?Thinking of this, my heart became more and more sad, and I couldn't help crying and begged: "Uncle, save me." Jia looked at the man in the black hat and said, "Dong Ling is not an outsider, please enter the humble house to talk."

When the two entered the house, Miao Yong bowed to the man in the black hat and begged, "Please be merciful, sir." Jia served the food and wine, and the three of them drank together. During the dinner, Jia asked, "What did my nephew do? Are you bothering me to seduce your soul?" The black hat said: "Your Majesty is traveling to visit the Taishang Laojun. On the way, he saw his nephew swearing wildly, so he ordered me to arrest him and question him."

Jia asked: "Have you met the king?" The black hat said: "The king and the old gentleman tried the case of Huazi together, and he has not returned yet." Jia asked again: "What crime did my nephew commit?" The man in the hat shook his head and said, "I don't know either. But the king hates people who drink like crazy." Miao Yongding was sweating profusely, his hands were shaking, and he couldn't even hold his chopsticks steadily.

After a while, the man in black hat got up to say goodbye, and said: "Thanks to Mr. Jia for hosting a banquet, please don't bother me much. Now that we are full of wine and food, I will temporarily entrust my nephew to you for safekeeping. When the king returns, I will visit you again." He went out of the house and left.

Jia said to Miao Yongding: "My nephew was the only seedling in the family since he was a child. His parents regarded him as the apple of his eye, and they couldn't bear to say anything serious. When you were sixteen or seventeen, after drinking three glasses of wine, you would take the initiative to make trouble, picking on people's faults, talking Kick the door and yell at the slightest disagreement. You were young at that time, so I didn’t blame you. But after more than ten years, you still haven’t made progress, and now you’re in a lawsuit, what should you do?”

Miao Yongding cried bitterly on the ground, and said: "I know I'm wrong. Please help me." Jia helped him up, and comforted him: "My uncle opened a shop here, and he has a little reputation. The person who was drinking just now is the envoy of Dongling. I came to my uncle's shop and ran through the door, and I have a very close relationship with you. Your Majesty has a lot of opportunities in the day, and you may not remember your swearing. I will plead with Mr. Dongling later, and maybe I can forgive you this time." After thinking about it, he said: " However, the responsibility for this matter is heavy, if there is no one hundred thousand coins, it will be difficult to settle it."

Miao Yongding said: "As long as you can get out of trouble, money is not a problem, I will figure out a way." Jia said: "It's the best." Miao Yongding rested at his uncle's house that night.At dawn the next day, the man in the black hat came to visit. Jia invited him into the house and had a secret conversation with each other. After a long time, Jia came out of the house and said to Miao Yongding, "It's done. He will come back later. I have a little savings in the store." , give everything I have, first advance the silver for you, and sign a contract. After the nephew returns, it’s not too late to pay back slowly.”

Miao Yongding said happily: "How many taels of silver do you need?" Jia Mou said: "One hundred thousand." Miao Yongding said: "So much? Where can I get it all?" One hundred money papers are enough." Miao Yongding said happily, "It's easy to do."

I waited until noon, but the man in black hat did not come.Miao Yongding was very bored and wanted to go to the market. Jia told him, "Don't go too far." Miao Yongding agreed casually, and when he came to the street, he saw many shops beside the street and vendors everywhere. There is no difference in the world.When I came to a place, the high wall was overgrown with thorns, which seemed to be a prison.There is a restaurant on the opposite side, the business is booming, the flow of passengers shuttles in and out.There is a long stream outside the building, the stream is like ink, tumbling, bottomless.

Miao Yongding stopped by the stream, and was opening his eyes to spy, when he suddenly heard a person in the restaurant shout, "Why is Mr. Miao here?" Miao Yongding looked back, and the person who shouted was Weng Xiucai from the neighboring village, an old friend from ten years ago.The two shook hands and talked, both of them were overjoyed.

Weng Xiucai invited Miao into the house and put on a banquet, and the two said goodbye to each other.Miao was acquitted of the charges, and met an old friend again. It can be said that the joy was added to the joy. He drank to his heart's content and got drunk.During the banquet, he reverted to his old ways, and started drinking madly again, slandering Weng Xiucai in all kinds of ways, Xiucai looked displeased, and said: "I haven't seen you for several years, why is your stinking problem still unchanged?"

Miao Yongding always hated people saying that he was not good at drinking, and when he heard this, he became more angry, slapped the table and yelled loudly.Weng Xiucai was so angry that he came out with a huff of sleeves. Miao Yongding chased him to the stream and reached out to pull his hat.

The stream was not very deep, but there were sharp knives in the water, piercing the waist, ribs and calves. Miao Yongding couldn't move his limbs. He shouted for help, but felt severe pain from the wound, which penetrated into the bone marrow.Feces were mixed in the black water, and whenever Miao opened his mouth to exhale, sewage poured into his throat one after another, making it even more uncomfortable.

There were as many onlookers on the shore as a city wall, they only opened their mouths to laugh, but no one was willing to help.The situation was very critical. Fortunately, Jia heard the news and came to check. Seeing that Miao Yongding was in a dangerous situation, he was shocked. He immediately rescued him, took him back to the store, and cursed: "Stinky boy, you are hopeless. You are still alive after death." Don’t know how to repent, but still want to return to the world? A person like you deserves to be tortured by the axe.”

Miao Yongding was terrified, and cried, "I'm guilty." Jia was trying to scare him, but when he saw that he knew his mistake, he said, "Mr. Dongling visited just now, and he has been waiting for a long time. He is busy with business, so he left first. I have already Make a contract for you and pay a thousand coins; the rest of the silver taels will be given after ten days. Remember to collect funds and buy a lot of paper money to burn in the wilderness at night. take over."

Miao Yongding agreed one by one, and Jia urged him to leave quickly, and sent him to the suburbs, and then told him: "Don't break your promise and get fat, and make me suffer." He pointed out the way and let him go home.

It has been three days since Miao died and lay frozen in bed. The family members were so anxious that they planned to bury him, but when they touched Miao's chest, it was still warm, and the air in his nose seemed to be lingering, but it did not stop.When he was at a loss what to do, Miao Yongding suddenly woke up, vomited, and vomited several buckets of black water, the smell was unbearable.

After vomiting, the bedding was wet with sweat, and Miao Yongding was refreshed all over. He began to narrate the experience of the underworld. Fortunately, the wound did not rot.

Ten days later, Miao Yongding's injury improved and he was able to walk with a stick. His family asked him to repay the debt.He was stingy in his heart, and said: "Perhaps the debt owed is just an illusion in a drunken dream. Even if it was true, Mr. Dong Ling let me pay back the Yang for selfishness, but he didn't dare to tell the Hades. There is no need to repay the debt of more than 9 taels. It's gone." The family tried hard to persuade, but Miao Yongding refused to listen.But I was worried in my heart, and since then I dare not indulge in alcohol.

Seeing his progress, the fellow villagers were all happy on behalf of Miao Yongding, and sometimes offered to have a drink or two with him, as long as they ordered.A year passed in the blink of an eye, Miao Yongding gradually forgot about the debt, became more courageous, and began to resume bad habits.On this day, Miao Yongding was drinking at a fellow villager's house. After drinking, he cursed people as usual.After Miao Yongding abused him for a long time, his son found out and quickly helped him back home.

As soon as Miao Yongding entered the bedroom, he suddenly knelt down facing the wall, kept kowtowing, and said, "This is the debt, this is the debt." After speaking, he fell to the ground and died.