Ghost Story of Liaozhai

In a certain village in the south of the Yangtze River, a young man got married, and his neighbors and relatives all came to congratulate him and held a big banquet.Half drunk, the young man went out to relieve himself, and suddenly saw a woman in the courtyard, Feng Guanxia, ​​whose body and appearance were very similar to the new wife.

The young man wondered in his heart, "The bride is not staying in the wedding room, what are you doing out here?" He quietly followed behind, and came to a small river behind the yard. A stone bridge was built on the river, and the "bride" crossed the bridge. Suspicious, hurriedly shouted, "Where are you going, lady?"

The "bride" smiled and said nothing, but waved to the young man frequently, meaning to ask him to walk with her.The young man understood and stepped forward to catch up. The distance between the husband and wife was one foot, the young man stretched out his hand to pull the sleeve of the woman, tried seven or eight times, but although the woman was close at hand, he was still out of reach.

After walking for several miles, I arrived at a village where the "brides" stopped and said to the young man, "My husband's house is deserted and lonely, and I am not used to it. Please stay at my concubine's house for a few days, and we will go home together to visit the elders in two days."

The boy had no choice but to agree. The "bridal woman" pulled out her hairpin and knocked on the door. Soon two maids came out to greet her and entered a hall. The father-in-law and mother-in-law were all in the hall, and said to the young man, "My daughter was spoiled and spoiled, and she will leave her parents' knees for a moment. When we get married today, we are very worried about her." I can't bear it. Right now, you and your wife are going back to your mother's house together, it's very good, very good. And rest assured to live for a few days, and I will send you two back home." At the same time, he ordered the servants to make the bed and fold the quilt.

On the other side of the young man’s house, the guests saw the groom had not returned for a long time, so they searched around anxiously, but there was no one there. When they opened the wedding room, only the bride was sitting alone.People were sent to inquire around Fangyuan, but there was no news of the groom's official.The teenager's parents were very sad and cried: "Recently, there are frequent ghosts. My son must have been caught and killed by evil spirits."

After half a year like this, the life and death of the young man was unpredictable, the parents of the bride did not want their daughter to be a widow, and proposed to let her remarry.The boy's father said angrily: "My son's bones and clothes haven't been found yet, maybe he's still alive. Even if he wants to remarry, what's the point of waiting another year? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The bride's parents refused to agree, and the two families went to court.The county magistrate Sun Gong accepted the case, but he couldn't figure it out for a while, so he decided for the time being: the bride will wait for three years when she returns home, and if there is still no news of the boy by then, she will be allowed to remarry.While filing the case files, the plaintiff and the defendant were sent home.

Besides, the groom lives in the house of the fake daughter-in-law, and the whole family treats him very well.The teenager often discusses with his wife: he wants to go back to his hometown to see his parents. The "bridal wife" agreed on the surface, but refused to leave for a long time.

After another half a year, the boy really missed his parents and said to his wife, "I'm going back alone."

The "bridal wife" tried her best to persuade her to stay, but she had no choice but to stay for a few more days.On this day, the whole family of the "bridal wife" was in a state of panic, as if a catastrophe was imminent, and hurriedly said to the young man, "I was planning to wait for the luggage to be ready, and send you and your wife home in two or three days, but right now we are in trouble, and our daughter can't get away. I can't help it, so I have to ask my son-in-law to go back alone." As he spoke, he urged and chased the young man out of the room.

The young man came out of the compound and was looking for a way back when he turned his head inadvertently, and all the houses and courtyards disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only a high raised tomb.The young man suddenly realized, "Where is this father-in-law's house, it is clearly a haunted house. My 'bridal wife' is not a human being, but a female ghost." Anxious and afraid, he ran wildly and hurried back home.

When I mentioned this to my parents, the old father said: "My son doesn't have to worry about getting upset. The fake daughter-in-law is lost, but the real one is still there. Don't worry, I will return you as a pretty lady."

In the early morning of the next day, the teenager's parents went to the government to explain the situation, and the county magistrate Sun handed down a document: ordering the bride's parents to send their daughter back to her husband's house immediately and get married immediately.