The Li family in Weixian County owned a luxury villa, and one day, an old man suddenly visited and offered to rent the house for fifty taels of silver a year. Seeing this, the master of the Li family agreed to the old man's request. However, after the old man left, he was never heard from, so the owner of the Li family instructed the family to rent out the house to someone else. Soon the old man reappeared and asked, "Why do we rent it to someone else when we have agreed to rent it?"The master of the Li family explained to him what had happened. After hearing this, the old man responded: "I plan to live here for a long time, and the reason why I have not returned for a long time is because I am choosing an auspicious day to move, that is, ten days later." After that, he paid a year's rent and emphasized: "Even if the house is empty all year round, you must not interfere." When the owner of the Li family sent the old man out, he asked for the specific date of moving, and the old man told him.
It's been a few days since the date of the move, but there's still not any movement. The owner of the Li family couldn't suppress his curiosity and decided to go to the courtyard house that was about to be rented out to check the situation. Unexpectedly, he found that the two gates were closed from the inside, and the courtyard was filled with smoke and people. He was so surprised that he handed over his name and entered the courtyard on the pretext of visiting.
The old man hurriedly came out to greet him, and introduced the master of the Li family into the house, with a smile on his face and a very kind attitude. When the master of the Li family returned, he sent gifts to show his friendship, and the old man gave the servants a particularly generous reward. A few days later, the Li family held a banquet and invited the old man to participate, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. The owner of the Li family asked the old man about his hometown, and the old man replied that he was from Shaanxi. The master of the Li family was very surprised by this, and did not understand why he had come here from such a distant place. The old man explained: "Guixiang is a treasure of feng shui. Shaanxi is about to suffer a catastrophe and is unlivable. ”
At that time, the world was peaceful, and the master of the Li family did not investigate it deeply after hearing it. The next day, the old man sent an invitation, saying that he wanted to invite the master of the Li family back to show his gratitude to the landlord. At the banquet, everything was set up and eaten in a luxurious manner. The master of the Li family became more and more curious about the identity of the old man, and began to suspect that he might be a retired dignitary**. As the relationship between the two grows closer, the old man reveals that he is actually a fox. The master of the Li family was shocked when he heard this, and then he told everyone about this adventure.
The gentry of the city heard of this strange thing, and every day they rode to the old man's house in the hope of befriending him. The old man always bowed his head politely and received them warmly. Gradually, even the county officials began to have a relationship with the old man. But only when the county magistrate wanted to meet the old man, the old man always found an excuse to refuse. The county magistrate then asked the master of the Li family to come forward to say hello first, but the old man was still reluctant to meet.
The master of the Li family was curious, so he asked the old man why he was reluctant to see the county order. The old man left his seat, walked in front of the master of the Li family, and said in a low voice: "You ** know that this county commander was a donkey in his previous life, although he is now pretending to live above the people on the surface, but he is actually a shameless person. Although I am a fox, I am ashamed to be in the company of such people. ”
In order to appease the county commander, the master of the Li family made up a set of rhetoric and told the county magistrate that the fox did not dare to see him because he feared his gods. After hearing this, the county order believed it to be true, and dispelled the idea of meeting the old man. This happened in the eleventh year of Kangxi. Soon after, Shaanxi was indeed hit by war. As a result, it is believed that foxes are indeed able to predict the future.
Yi Shi said: Donkeys are also behemoths. When it gets angry, it kicks and screams, its eyes are bigger than a wine cup, and its roar is thicker than that of a cow, and it is not only unpleasant, but also ugly. However, if you lure it with a handful of fodder, it will bow down and be happy to be controlled. Let this kind of guy stand high on the heads of the people, isn't it greedy for money and shameless. I hope that those who govern the people will take the donkey as a warning and let the fox be willing to talk about it, and then the virtue will improve day by day.
Excerpt from "Strange Tales" Disclaimer: The content of this story is fictional, and the literary creation aims to enrich the reader's spare time.