HSIAO TSUI (REVISED 2025) 

(Revised by BoSt)

01- YUANFENG

Magistrate Sui Wang had only one son Yuanfeng. Yuanfeng had been born to the Magistrate in his autumn years and though the boy was inimitable (unique) in sensitivity and with his innate generosity, he was unfortunately bit abnormal in the head (mind); nevertheless, the Magistrate focusing solely on the boy’s good qualities, deeply cherished the boy. Throughout his growing years Yuanfeng lacked for nothing; he was schooled painstakingly in all fields of education to enable him to be a fine, upstanding being. Unfortunately, all the other parents in the neighborhood still looked down on the boy and when he reached the marriageable age, despite the promised rich dowry, remained most reluctant to even consider him as potential mate for their daughters. The magistrate and his wife were deeply distraught by this and, were very much concerned for his future well being.  Never mind the grandchildren; who will look after Yuan after the demise of his parents?

Then one day a surprise visitor, a mother with her daughter came to call on the Magistrate. Ushered in and after the customary solicitations she disclosed her willingness to marry her daughter to Yuan-feng without any need for dowry. Most surprising of all was the fact that the daughter was an exquisite beauty with fine manners and above average intelligence. Delighted, the Magistrate could hardly believe his luck at this great good fortune. His wife however, convinced him not to seek ulterior motive to this Heaven sent luck.  The mother of the girl forgoing any details of the pending nuptials said she would return in three days and left behind her daughter, Hsiao Tsui, to allow her and the future in-laws to get to know each other.

The girl was most comfortably housed and given all the comforts of home. Servants’ were assigned to her to see to her every need.  Several days passed but still there appeared no sign of the mother. The Wangs asked the daughter-in law to be, several times, to learn where she previously had lived, so as to send someone to investigate the suspected unforeseen trouble that could have delayed her mother’s return.  However, each time her response had been, a bashful silence and an adorable, coy smile.

02- YUANFENG AND HSIAO TSUI

Meanwhile all this time Hsiao Tsui did not seem to mind) Yuanfeng’s nonconforming (odd, peculiar), insipid (immature) ways. Hsiao Tsui and their son Yuanfeng, meanwhile, seemed to get along just fine. Always well chaperoned they spent many congenial, fun times together. Often Hsiao Tsui would joke and do silly things with him. Their hearty (enthusiastic), loud laughter resounded in the house, bringing constant joy to his parents.   Moreover, ordinarily introverted and very shy, Yuanfeng seemed to come out of his shell lately, filling the air with resounding mirth (jollity) and unending merriment; furthermore, with her directive, he began accomplishing many brilliant art projects, a talented side they’d been blind to till then.  

When the two were too rambunctious in their play, the Wangs didn't have the heart to rebuke them and simply let them be. After half a year’s absence, the Wangs, for propriety sake, concluding the mother may never show, selected an auspicious date for their son's wedding.

Living on the same lane was Censor Ko Wang (no relation though they shared the same surname) who had always been on bad terms with Magistrate Wang and attempted to undermine him (at every opportunity and) anyway he could in the imperial court. Having found out about this situation, Hsiao Tsui one night disguised herself as a well-known ministry official and dressed up two maidservants in green robes. They left the house, and Hsiao Tsui said jokingly, "I want to visit Mr. Wang."

As they arrived in front of Censor Ko Wang's house, she said angrily, "I wanted to visit Magistrate Wang, not the censor! “And with a huff, turned around.

When they arrived home, the doorkeeper mistakenly thought a distinguished guest had arrived and hastily went in to notify the magistrate. Magistrate Wang hurried out. Realizing that it was Hsiao Tsuis’ prank, he said angrily, "The censor has been waiting to find an excuse to frame me. Now I'm doomed. “Hsiao Tsui only smiled and didn't say a word.

03-HSIAO TSUI IN DISGUISE

It turned out that Censor Ko Wang believed the real ministry official had visited Magistrate Wang and thought they were close friends, so he ceased to undermine the magistrate and began to fawn on him instead. Realizing what Hsiao Tsui had done, Magistrate Wang praised her for her cleverness.

A year later, the real ministry official was discharged. A private letter addressed to Magistrate Wang was miss-delivered to Censor Ko Wang. Incensed (enraged) Censor Wang took the chance to blackmail the magistrate for ten thousand pieces of silver. The magistrate was ignorant of the misdelivered letter and refused to pay him the silver.

04- SENSOR KO WANG

Having been denied the money, Censor Ko Wang, fuming, left the premises. As his carriage veered around the corner, suddenly, he observed (spotted, saw) a familiar looking woman pushing Yuanfeng out of the side door. As his carriage passed them by, through the open slit (gap) of the curtain, taking a closer look, he was both surprised and overjoyed, because unmistakably Yuanfeng was dressed up in the imperial cap and gown. Immediately alighting (descending) from the hastily stopped posh carriage, he approached them; then with guile, using placating words directed at Yuanfeng, remarkably achieving his aim, he obtained (retrieved, removed) the boy’s cap and the outer gown. Armed with this incriminating evidence (impersonating the emperor, a crime punishable with sure death), he then quickly returned to his residence.

That same night, Censor Wang filed a deposition (statement memorial) and sent it to the emperor, accusing the magistrate and his son of mutiny against the throne. The emperor, weary of Censor Wang’s growing influence, personally reviewed the furnished evidence; when he discovered that the cap was made of sorghum stems and the gown a dirty yellow rag, he laughed inwardly. Upon summoning Yuanfeng, the discerning emperor saw that the boy was not right in the head, that he was a simpleton, and so passed judgement (determined) that Censor Wang had falsely accused the magistrate. The emperor, moreover, declared Censor Wang guilty of libel and sent him to do military service at border province in Yunan.

05- EMPEROR

The Wangs realized by this time that Hsiao-Tsui was not an ordinary person. Hsiao Tsui would only smile and say, "I'm the emperor's daughter." Further interrogation would not elicit any more response from her.

One day in the summer, being a particularly scorching day, Yuanfeng was about to take a bath. Hsiao-Tsui prepared the bath and helped him into the tub. Feeling the heat and the steam, Yuanfeng tried to escape. But Hsiao-Tsui took a quilt and covered the tub with it. Moments later when the quilt was removed, Yuanfeng was dead.

Upon discovering what had happened, Mrs. Wang screamed hysterically," You lunatic! You murdered my son!

Distraught Hisao Tsui holding back her tears ran away, till she reached the shoreline, there, she quietly implored the Heavenly Lord of the Sea to set things right and remedy her unwitting (innocent) mistake. As it were, after all this time, her affections for Yuan Feng had grown to something akin to tender adoration and deep (genuine) love.

06- HSIAO TSUI

Meanwhile back at home, amidst all the chaos and mother’s sorrow, Yuanfeng had suddenly sat up, opened his eyes wide and let out a guttural moan. He began to recall the past and said it felt like a dream. From that day on, Yuanfeng was disadvantaged no longer. His thinking and behavior were that of a perfectly normal person.

But trouble, once visited, being never too far, later Magistrate Wang was suspected of duplicity (deception) and he was formally charged (accused) of passing his son all these years as an invalid, retarded, to keep him safe at home and away from state or military (obligation) duty. The second incredulous charge which ensued in its wake (aftermath), was that he was accused of witchcraft by members of Censor Wang's coterie, because of his son’s obvious, miraculous transformation to, not just normalcy, but brilliance.

Only one thing remained for them to do: bribe the local official to avoid sure disaster. And so, the Wangs dug out the family treasure, an expensive vase, and were prepared to send it as a gift to the key local official to sway his final judgement.

But ill luck never comes singly; it so happens that on the day the vase was to be packaged and sent in an elaborate box, Hsiao Tsui had picked it up and was admiring the quality of workmanship, when sudden thud on the windowsill scared her and she dropped it on the floor, shattering it to million pieces. Naturally, still not over the chagrin of being discharged, and now seeing the vase in pieces, the Wangs flew into a rage.

Tears once more welling up in her eyes, Hsiao Tsui went to Yuanfeng and said, "The things I have done for your family are more valuable than a vase. Yet, time and again I have been scolded. I have endured all this in silence. After all, the reason I am here is to express my mother's gratitude. She is actually a fox spirit. Twenty years ago she was struck by lightning and was cared by your father. But today with things as they are, how are we to be husband and wife?"

When she finished, she dashed out of the door. Yuanfeng chased after her, but she was nowhere to be seen. After that day, Yuanfeng thought of her day and night. In deep despair, he wept on and on. Even his parents' sincerest apologies were in vain (no consolation). Two years passed, Magistrate was cleared of charges, and the family regained their former status. All had returned to norm, except for Yuanfeng. He still grieved for his lost love, refusing to ever marry.

07- YUANFENG

Then one day Yuanfeng was passing by a walled garden of a modest villa belonging to his family at the outskirts of the city, a summer retreat-property, constructed at the edge of a pristine lake: when he heard a familiar sounding laughter coming from the interior and he stayed the advance of his mount. Climbing up on his saddle he curiously peered over the wall, his heart leaped, and his breath caught at his throat, as his eyes just then fell on none other than Hsiao Tsui!

08-HSIAO TSUI (SAME AS EVER)

He was too impatient to ride to the gate, so he quickly scaled the wall and rushed up to her. After a passionate embrace, holding their hands together and tears welling up in their eyes, the loving couple poured out their stories of longing for each other. Hsiao Tsui’s heart broke seeing the disheveled state that Yuanfeng was in. But still she refused to go home with him. So, under the pretense of convalescing from illness, Yuanfeng moved to the garden to live with Hsiao Tsui.

A year later, because Hsiao Tsui was unable to bear him a child, she advised Yuanfeng to marry someone else. Yuanfeng had adamantly refused at first, but Hsiao Tsui was persistent, so Yuanfeng reluctantly agreed, and decided to marry the daughter of Minister Chung. During the days before the wedding, Hsiao Tsui sewed a hand-made wedding dress for the bride-to-be.

On the wedding day, the bride entered the house. Yuanfeng and his family were flabbergasted to find her resembling Hsiao Tsui in every way.

Yuanfeng rushed over to the garden. Hsiao Tsui was nowhere to be found. Left behind was only a red handkerchief with a jade pendant tied onto it.

FIN

THE FIGHTING CRICKET (Revised 2025)

 

THE FIGHTING CRICKET 

(Revised 2025)

 

In the reign of Hsuan Te in the Ming Dynasty, cricket fighting was a popular entertainment in the court.

At that time a poor scholar, Ch'eng Ming, was given the task of procuring crickets for the court. Ch'eng had no money to buy crickets from his neighbors, and he didn't want to beg, so he became very anxious. His wife advised him, “It’s useless to worry. Why don't you go out and hunt for the crickets yourself?"

So, Ch'eng went out with a copper-wired cage, and from morning to night, he searched among the rugged rocks and the weeds. Sometimes he would catch two or three crickets, but they were always too weak to submit to the local government.

When the date for submitting the crickets arrived, Ch'eng had none, and the magistrate gave him a sound whipping. Ch'eng's legs were so sore that he wanted to die.

Meanwhile, Ch'eng's wife went to a fortune-teller who told her to hunt for crickets at a temple near the village, so she urged Ch'eng to get out of bed and resume his search. Ch'eng, leaning on a cane, went to the temple and at last he caught a fine cricket. He brought it home and waited for the magistrate to call for a cricket.

Ch'eng had a nine-year-old son. One day he opened the cage when Ch'eng was away, and the cricket jumped out. The boy tried to catch it but broke one of its legs and soon it died.

Ch'eng's wife turned ashen when she saw it, she cried, “Beast! Troublemaker! Your father will finish you when he comes back!"The child rushed out of the door in tears.

When Ch'eng returned home and found out what had happened, he flew into a rage, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

Ch'eng searched for half a day and finally found his son's body at the bottom of a well. His anger turned to grief, and his wife prepared to bury the child. But that evening, as they undressed the body, they found it warm to the touch. The boy was alive! They put him to bed, but he remained unconscious.

Ch'eng was very anxious, staying awake the rest of the night to take care of the sick child. At dawn, he heard the chirp of a cricket outdoors. He went out and there was a cricket that looked very much like the one he had lost.

The little insect hopped away from him, and then he found it crouching on the wall. Very small and brownish black, it seemed so feeble that Ch'eng lost interest, but suddenly the insect jumped on his sleeve, and he saw it was actually a very fine insect.

To test its abilities, Ch'eng decided to let it fight with a champion cricket raised by his neighbour.

They put the two insects into a bowl, and Ch'eng's cricket stayed motionless. Then, the neighbour burst into laughter and tickled it with a hog's hair

This aroused the little cricket, and it rushed ferociously at the champion and would have destroyed it if the owner had not removed it. Ch'eng was delighted and didn't notice as the little cricket leapt out of the bowl. Suddenly, a rooster came along and snapped up the cricket.

Ch'eng turned pale, but the rooster stretched its neck, screamed and fell to the ground, for the cricket had bitten its comb.

Ch'eng was overjoyed and quickly put the little insect back into its cage.

The next day Ch'eng gave the cricket to the local government. The magistrate saw the size of it and bitterly scolded Ch'eng, but Ch'eng told him about the rooster, and then the cricket displayed its ferocity. Impressed, the magistrate sent it on to the governor.

The governor put the insect in a golden cage and sent it to the emperor along with a report on its unusual quality. The emperor was doubtful but let it fight with various specimens from other places, all of which were defeated.

The emperor was pleased and rewarded the governor with horses and silk clothing. The magistrate was also rewarded and in gratitude, he released Ch'eng from his duties.

Ch'eng's son did not regain consciousness until a year later. When he awoke, he told them he had dreamt he was a cricket, and that he had fought in the emperor’s palace with many famous champions and defeated them all.

 

 THE THREE EVILS (REVISED)

(A Chinese Folktale re-written by BoSt)

 Once upon a time, there lived an eccentric young man by the name of Dschou Tschu. He wore a high hat on his head adorned with two pheasants’ wings; his garments were woven of embroidered silk, and at his side hung the Dragon-spring sword.  He had a wild and mischievous nature which became far worse when he was inebriated. He always intruded into other's business and any ongoing disputes; meanwhile, wherever he went his pranks and tomfoolery, as well, his inclination to forcefully take that which belonged to others, beget or fostered quarrels and brawls. He was hence, furtively detested throughout the neighborhood and whoever offended him had good reason to dread the ensued terrible consequences. As he was blessed with an extraordinary super-human strength however, the law enforcement officers and the village elders dared not rebuke (reprimand, admonish) or punish him seriously. And so, he’d persisted with his unruly ways for many a year.

Eventually a new Official was posted to that district; before the new magistrate formally took up office however, surreptitiously (covertly and under disguise) he first went about the countryside and listened to the citizen’s complaints. They in unison told him that there were three great evils in that district.

The magistrate still under disguise, decided to in person call on Dschou Tschu.

Late that night when most decent folks were fast asleep, the inebriated Dschou Tschu returned from the tavern, along the way slapping his sword and singing in a loud voice.

When he reached his house he noted the man with his head down seated by the door and asked: “Who are you; why are you weeping here so pitifully?”

The magistrate raised his head and glaring at Dschou, replied: “I am weeping because of the people’s distress.”

Dschou Tschu grimaced then threw his head back and guffawed.

“You are mistaken, my friend,” said he. “Revolt is seething round about us like boiling water in a kettle. But here, in our little corner of the land, all is quiet and peaceful. The harvest has been abundant, corn is plentiful, and all go happily about their work. When you talk to me about distress I have to think of the man who groans without being sick. And who are you, tell me that, which instead of grieving for yourself, are grieving for others? And what are you doing loitering at my door in this ungodly hour?”

“I am the new Magistrate,” replied the other. “Since I left my litter I have been looking about in the neighborhood. I find the people are honest and simple in their way of life, and everyone has sufficient to wear and to eat. This is all just as you state. Yet, strange to say, when the elders come together, they always sigh and complain. And if they are asked why, they answer: ‘There are three great evils in our district!’ I have come to ask you to do away with two of them, as to the third… perhaps I had better remain silent. And this is the reason I weep before your door.”

“Well, what are these evils?” enquired Dschou Tschu. “Speak freely, and tell me openly all that you know!”

“The first evil,” said the Magistrate “is the evil dragon at the long bridge, which causes the water to rise so that man and beast are drowned in the river.

The second evil is the voracious, predatory tiger with the white forehead, which dwells in the hills.

And the third evil, Dschou Tschu—is you!”

The crimson hue, the blush of shame swiftly infused the young man’s cheeks, and he bowed and said: “You have come here from afar to be the Magistrate of this district, and yet you feel such sympathy for the people? I was born in this place and yet I have only made our elders grieve. What sort of a creature must I be? I beg that you return to your residence; fear not, I will see to it that matters improve!”

Dschou Tschu at once took off and ran all the way without stopping till he reached the hills. There he hunted the tiger out of his cave. The latter leaped into the air so that the whole forest was shaken as though by a storm. Next he came rushing up, roaring, and stretching out his claws savagely to seize his pray. Dschou nimbly stepped back a pace, and the tiger landed on the ground directly in front of him. Then he thrust the tiger’s neck to the ground with his left hand, and beat him without stopping with his right, until he lay dead on the earth. Dschou loaded the tiger on his back and went straight home.

Dschou Tschu subsequently went to the long bridge. He undressed, took his sword in his hand, and thus dived into the icy water. No sooner had he disappeared, than there was a boiling and hissing, and the waves began to foam and billow. It sounded like the mad beating of thousands of hoofs. After a time a stream of blood shot up from the depths, and the water of the river turned red. Eventually triumphant Dschou, holding the dragon’s decapitated head in his hand, rose out of the waves.

He went to the Magistrate and reported, with a bow: “I have cut off the Dragon’s head and have also done away with the Tiger. Thus I have happily accomplished your two commands. And now I shall wander away so that you may be rid of the third evil as well. My Lord, please keep watch over my countrymen and, relay to the elders that they need sorrow no more!”

When he had said this he enlisted as a soldier. In combat against the robbers he gained a great reputation and once, when the latter were pressing him hard, and he saw that he could not save himself, he bowed to the East and said: “The day has come at last when I can atone for my sin with my life!” Then he offered his neck to the sword and died.

Fin