Rebecca explains ... "In ancient times, there was a famous writer called Pusongling who wrote a widely known novel named "Liao2 zhai1 zhi4 yi4". He always went to the poor, and listened to them telling stories about another world. Most of them are very bizzare and incredible. Have you ever heard those stories?"

Hi Thor,

Here is a story by Pusongling, which tells how shan4 you3 shan4 bao4, e4 you3 e4 bao4; (one good turn deserves another):

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Long, long ago, there was a handsome boy who was very poor. He studied very hard so as to secure an official position.(In ancient times, if the poor wanted to perfect their lives, they had to take part in an exam held at one time every year. If they passed it, they would be appointed to be officials. The content of the exam usually was to write a poem or something else about Chinese literature.)

The boy was ready to take part in the exam , so he left home to go to the capital. He was too poor to live in a hotel.So he slept in an old temple. He read books until midnight. One night in the temple, a girl in white came to where he slept. The boy was attracted by her beauty. She was extremely beautiful, just like a fairy. he boy talked with the girl all night. As daybreak came,the girl told the boy she had to leave, but that she would come again that evening. In the evening,the girl did come and talked with the boy again. The boy came to love the girl. It lasted for one month until the exam was held. Later, the boy got a high mark in the exam, so he was appointed as a local official, in charge of a town, but he that girl in white did not reappear for a few days.

He loved and missed the girl, and soon he got ill. Suddenly one night,the girl appeared in his room again. The boy was so happy to see his love, and felt much better. But the girl cried and told him her story: "I'm not an average girl. I've been dead for a year. One year ago,I went shopping in the town, where the son of a rich man loved me at first sight. He began to bother me everyday. One day, a crowd broke into my house and dragged me out. My old father tried to prevent them, but was killed by them. I was hit on the head and passed out. When I woke up, I found myself in the house of the rich son. He wanted me to be his fourth wife.I refused him, because he killed my father,and he was a rogue!

I felt I would like to die! So I hanged myself. n the way to "HuangQuanlu", I met an official of the nether world.(In China, that means the place where the dead live). I told him my tragic story, then he showed his sympathy for me, and gave me two months to seek revenge. I waited here for you for a long time. Could you help me?"

The boy was very surprised at what he heard. But he soon calmed down. He decided to help the girl as he was the official of that town. After
investigating carefully, the boy put the rich son into prison. The girl was revenged for her father at last. But she had already died, so she had to go back to another world. They couldn't fall in love, because they came from two different worlds. From this time on, the boy became an honest and upright official, and always helped the poor.

 
yours, rebecca