Officer Cui committed a mistake and was banished to Guang Dong province. Dong did not bring his wife and concubine along as he thought it would not be safe for them to travel the long journey. Whilst there he was homesick and often felt very lonely. Whenever he thought of his family, he felt sad. Then he came to befriend an old man called Dong. They soon became quite close to each other. One day, they had dinner together. Although it was a beautiful full moon nigh. Cui was not in the mood to drink with his friend. Dong smiled and said, ‘Are you thinking of your wife and concubine? Please trust me, I, your good friend, am making arrangement for your family to join you. I have not told you about it as I am not sure whether it can be done. Perhaps we will know in a month’s time.’
Another half year went by and one day Dong suddenly ordered the servants to cleanup new rooms urgently. Shortly after that, three sedan chairs arrived and out came Cui’s wife, his concubine and a young maid. Cui was overjoyed and asked what had happened. His wife told him that they received a letter from him asking them to follow an official’s family to travel here. She had therefore to hurriedly hand over the family’s houses and farm to Chu’s brother. Cui’s brother would collect the rents on his behalf and send here yearly. He then asked where the maid came from. It was replied that during the journey here, they saw that she was put up for sale as she could not get along with her mistress. His wife bought her over at low cost. Cui was overjoyed with tears and thanked Dong for making his dream came true.
A few months later, Dong said to Cui, ‘The young maid joined us on your wife’s journey here, and she is going through this hardship with us, you may say this is fated. May be you should make her your concubine, so that she will not feel lonely without a family.’
A few years went by. Cui’s pardon was finally announced and he could now return home. Cui was so happy that he could not sleep at night. However, the three ladies appeared to be sad as though they are going to be separated from Cui. Cui consoled them, ‘Are you thinking of how to repay Dong for what he has done to help us? As long as we are alive, we will repay him one day.’ They did not reply, merely packed Cui’s belongings quietly in preparation for his return journey.
On the day of departure, Dong hosted a feast for Cui. He called out the three ladies and said, ‘I think the time has come for me to tell you the whole truth.’ He then bowed to Cui and continued, ‘I am actually an Earth Spirit. We were colleagues during our previous lives. We were both posted out and I died in office away from home. You have gone to great lengths to arrange and escorted my body back home and handed over to my wife. I was immensely grateful to you. I wanted to repay my debt to you but was unable to bring your family here due to the long distance. So I enlisted the help of three fairies in order to cheer you up. I first sent them to your own home to observe and imitate the mannerism of your wife and your concubine and also to learn all the family details so that when they come to impersonate your close companions your suspicion wouldn’t be aroused. As they are three sisters and that is why one of them serves as your maid. All these are actually illusions. Please do not think further, just return home and reunion with your wife and concubine. At home, things will return to normal as though you are living here.’ Cui requested that the three ladies went home with him. Dong told him that that could not be done as the three ladies did not belong to the earthly world. As the three ladies shaked hands to say goodbye with Cui, their tears flowed out freely. Cui then boarded the boat and by the time he turned his head around, all four of them had already disappeared.
At home, his wife told him that since he left, the family had no means to maintain a living and had to depend on the yearly remittances sent by him to pay for household expenses. That is how they survived till now. It was clear that Dong was the one who sent the money.
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以下故事来自《阅微草堂笔记》：
有崔生者，以罪戍广东，恐携孥有意外，乃留其妻妾只身行。到戍后，穷愁抑郁，殊不自聊，且回思少妇登楼，弥增忉怛。偶遇一叟，自云姓董，字无念，言颇契，愍其流落，延为子师，亦甚相得。一夕宾主夜酌，楼高月满，忽动离怀，把酒倚栏，都忘酬酢。叟笑曰：君其有云鬟玉臂之感乎？托在契末，已早为经纪，但至否未可知，故先不奉告，旬月后当有耗耳。
又半载，叟忽戒僮婢扫治别室，意甚匆遽，顷之，则三小肩舆至，妻妾及一婢揭帘出矣。惊喜怪问，皆曰：得君信相迓，嘱随某官眷属至，急不能久待，故草草来，家事托几房几兄代治，约岁得租米，岁岁鬻金寄至矣。问婢何来，曰：即某官之媵，嫡不能容，以贱价就舟中鬻得也。生感激拜叟，至于涕零，从此完聚成家，无复故园之梦。
越数月，叟谓生曰：此婢中途邂逅，患难相从，当亦是有缘，似当共侍巾栉，无独使向隅也。又数载遇赦得归，生喜跃不能寝，而妻妾及婢俱惨惨有离别之色。生慰之曰：尔辈念主人恩耶？倘不死，会有日相报耳。皆不答，惟趣为生治装。
濒行，翁治酒作饯，并呼三女出曰：今日事须明言矣。因拱手对生曰：老夫地仙也，过去生中，与君为同官，殁后君百计营求，归吾妻子，恒耿耿不忘，今君别鹤离鸾，自合为君料理，但山川绵邈，二孱弱女子，何以能来，因摄招花妖先至君家中半年，窥尊室容貌语言，摹拟具似，并刺知家中旧事，便君有证不疑，渠本三姊妹，故多增一婢耳，渠皆幻相，君勿复思，到家相对旧人，仍与此间无异矣。生请与三女俱归，叟曰：鬼神各有地界，可暂出不可久越也。三女握手作别，洒泪沾衣。俯仰间已俱不见，登舟时遥见立岸上，招之不至。
归后，妻子具言家日落，赖君岁岁寄金来，得活至今，盖亦此叟所为也。
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