The following story is from ‘Gossips from the Micro-reading Hall’.
Mr Chu had a young maid servant; she was rough and robust. But as she grew up she became a very pretty and charming lady. So Chu married made her his concubine. She was also bright and managed the household matters well. None of the servants would dream of cheating her on household or financial matters, as surely they would be caught. She was also quite adroit in business dealings and financial investment. Soon she acquired a considered fortune for Chu who loved and treasured her even more as years went by.
Then one day, she asked Chu, ‘Do you really know who I am?’ Chu laughed and said, ‘Are you kidding?’ He said out her pet name and asked her, 'aren’t you the former young maid?’
She said, ‘No, that young maid had already absconded from your house many years back. She is now married in the next village and had a seven year old son. I am actually a fairy fox. Nine generations ago you were a very rich merchant, I was your trusted accountant and you had treated me very well. Yet I misappropriated three thousand taels of gold from you. I was punished and was later born as a fox while you continued to be born as human beings. I have since been practicing the art of ascetics for hundreds of years and have completed the training. I was able to ascend to the next world but for the debt I still owe you. So when the ugly maid ran away I replaced her and later became your concubine. In the past years I have worked very hard and had earned enough money for you to repay the debts. SO I am now leaving you. And when I leave I will leave behind my fox carcass, and you ask your servant to bury me, he will certainly remove the skin of the fox to sell elsewhere. Do let him do it without stopping him, for in my previous existence as a fox I had consumed the corpse of his previous life four generations ago when I was hungry. I have to let him mutilate my body, as I have to repay that debt too.’
She then dropped on to the floor. The fairy fox left the dead body and ascended slowly out of the house. She looked completely different from the concubine. Chu didn’t want the dead body to be mutilated, he buried it secretly. But the servant knew about it and dug it out, skinned the carcass and sold the fur. When Chu heard about it he could only sigh.
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以下故事来自《阅微草堂笔记》：
朱某一婢，粗材也，稍长，渐慧黠，眉目亦渐秀媚，因纳为妾，颇有心计，摒挡井井，米盐琐屑，家人纤毫不敢欺，欺则必败。又善居积，凡所贩鬻，来岁价必贵，朱以渐裕，宠之专房。
一日忽谓朱曰：君知我为谁，朱笑曰：尔颠耶？因戏举其小名曰，尔非某耶？
曰：非也，某逃去久矣，今为某地某人妇，生子已七八岁。我本狐女，君九世前为巨商，我为司会计，君遇我厚，而我乾没君三千余金，冥谪堕狐身，炼形数百年，幸得成道，然坐此负累，终不得升仙，故因此婢之逃，幻其貌以事君。计十余年来，所入足以敌所逋，今尸解去矣。我去之后，必现狐形，君可付某仆埋之。彼必裂尸而取革，君勿罪彼。彼四世前为饿殍时，我未成道，曾啖其尸，听彼碎磔我，庶冤可散也。
俄化狐仆地，有好女长数寸，出顶上，冉冉去，其貌则别一人矣。朱不忍而自埋之，卒为此仆窃发，剥卖其皮，朱知为夙业，浩叹而已。
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