flavours – Zhiguai Translations

A Woman Eats Fuling Fungus 女食茯苓

In Changqiushan, in Pujiang County, Qiongzhou, there was a woman surnamed Yang, who lived by the riverside. Her father went to the market, bought two carp and returned, ordering his daughter to boil and wash them. The woman did not [140] kill them, but released them in the water as a joke, doing this lightheartedly and then wandering off.

Her mother and father wanting to whip her, the girl then fled into Changqiushan’s Daoist temple, depending on a lay Daoist, obediently providing him with fuel and water. Whenever the Daoist sent her to carry water, she would stay away a long time and not return, and one of the other female servants feared she might have a lover outside, and therefore pressured and questioned her, until she said: “When I lower the well-bucket, an infant grabs the rope and rises; we play a while, and then it drops back into the well; there is nothing other than that.” The Daoist said: “You should take a cloth sack and bag it.” The girl did as he said, and when she took the bag to the temple and opened it to look, they found a lump of fuling fungus, placing it in the rice steamer and cooking it. The Daoist had crossed the river in response to an invitation, but the water had risen and he had not yet returned. The girl having noticed that the steamer smelled extremely delicious, then took and ate some, and as the day drew on eventually ate it all.

It happened that the Heavenly Emperor’s envoy summoned her, and in broad daylight she became an immortal and departed. When her home village informed the county, the county registrar Wei Wang went into the mountains to make a detailed investigation. A small piece of fungus was left over, so he also took and ate this, subsequently also departing as an immortal. The registrar was then placed among twenty-four heavenly masters who provide governance.

As I see it the immortals are extremely numerous, and, as they cannot all be laid out here, I record this to show to people in the future.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.139-40 (Tale 246):

女食茯苓

邛州蒲江縣長秋山，有女子姓楊，濱江而住。其父入市，買二鯉歸，令女子烹洗。其女不 [140] 殺，放水中戲，悠然而逝。父母欲箠之，此女遂奔入長秋山一道觀，依火居道士，供柴水之奉。道士每日使之擔水，忽去久不歸，道婆恐其有外慕，因苦問之，乃云：「於弔水時，有一嬰孩扶繩而上，同嬉一時，又投井中，非有他也。」道士云：「可將布袋袋之。」其女子如其言，袋至宮中開看，乃是一塊茯苓，置之飯甑蒸熟。道士適渡江赴請，水漲未歸，其女子聞其蒸熟甚香，遂取食之，日久食盡，忽天帝差使者召之，白日仙去。其鄉村申縣，縣委王主簿入山體究，止餘茯苓一小塊，簿亦取而食之，竟仙去。主簿，乃天師排定二十四治之一者。吾觀神仙者甚多，皆不載此，因錄之，以示來者。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

A Well Becomes A Wine-Spring 井化酒泉

Fifteen li beyond the walls of Changdefu, in a place called River Underground, there was an Old Woman Cui, who sold tea for her living, and whenever she encountered a passing monk or Daoist, she would always give to them. One Daoist came and went more than ten times, and Old Woman Cui always gave him tea. The Daoist was deeply touched by this, and said to her: “I would like you to change your livelihood to selling wine; how about it?” Old Woman Cui was delighted. The Daoist leaned on his staff and clear liquid bubbled up where it touched the ground, at which he addressed Old Woman Cui: “This can be your wine.” When Old Woman Cui took it back with her, it tasted like wine, strong and fragrant, and the buyers came flocking to her. When they returned to drinking other people’s wine, these normal products were like water. Old Woman Cui profited greatly from this.

When the Daoist returned, Old Woman Cui thanked him over and over, but said: “I only regret I lack distiller’s dregs on which to raise pigs.” The Daoist grew angry at this grasping heart that did not know contentment, and leaned again on his staff at the spring, which returned to being water, never again tasting of wine. The wellspring exists to this day.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.139 (Tale 245):

井化酒泉

常德府城外十五里，地名河洑，有崔婆者，賣茶為活，遇有僧道過往，必施與之。一道人往來凡十餘次，崔婆見之，必與茶。道人深感之，與之曰：「我欲使汝改業賣酒如何？」崔婆喜。道人以杖拄地，清水迸出，為崔婆言：「此可為酒。」崔婆取之以歸，味如酒，濃而香，買者如市。若他人汲之歸，則常品水也。崔婆大享其利。道人重來，崔婆再三謝之，但云：「只恨無糟養豬。」道人怒其貪心不足，再以杖拄泉，則復成水，無復酒味矣。其井至今尚存。

A Wineseller Encounters An Immortal 賣酒遇仙

In the Song Jingding era, the renxu year (1262), within the borders of Jingjiang fu one Lin Yilang opened up a wineshop, the flavour of his wine being rather good. One day, a frail and emaciated Daoist came, saying: “This poor cleric wishes to buy wine from the gentleman on credit; one thousand per day, paying back the money within a year; how about it?” Lin said: “More than a thousand would also be permissible; longer than a year would also be permissible, just as long as the Master receives a drink.” He gave the cleric several cups of wine to drink before he left. The next day he came again, and, provided with a thousand’s worth of wine, the Daoist drank it all. Lin said to his wife and son: “This Daoist is unusual; he never [139] speaks at all.” From then he came and drank, the same for six days, then took out a lump of silver from his robe and entrusted it to Lin. Lin said: “The deal is for a year, and it has not even been ten days, so why now? I certainly do not dare to accept this.” The Daoist was pleased, drinking again, and then saying: “It is said that your residence contains unburied dead; this poor cleric is skilled at geomancy, and above your residence is a certain place in Wulito where you should bury it quickly, and subsequently attain wealth and prosperity.” Lin said: “How dare one expect such things? Have some wine.” After repeated urging he finally complied. When the burial was complete, the Daoist requested wine before the tomb, and poured several horn cups over it, chanting:

Finally drunk once after fifty days,

Villagers’ homebrew outshines heavenly ambrosia.

Holding out his hand he summoned a crane, climbing aboard it and departing, not returning despite the family all beseeching him. After three years, the Lin family became greatly wealthy, and the son went straight, by means of the grain for posts exchange, into office; this is truly proof of the cleric’s skill.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.138-39 (Tale 244):

賣酒遇仙

宋景定壬戌，靜江府境內有林一郎者，開酒肆，味頗佳。一日，有癯瘠道人來，曰：「貧道欲與公賒酒，一日一千，限一年方還錢，可乎？」林曰：「一千以上亦可，一年以外亦可，只要先生飲得。」即與飲數杯而往。次日來，供以酒一千，道人飲盡。林與妻子曰：「此道人不凡，決不可出 [139] 言語。」自此來飲，凡六日，懷中出銀一塊權寄。林曰：「一年之約，未得十日，何故？決不敢（「敢」，明刻本、明抄本作「收」。）受。」道人喜，又飲，卻云：「聞宅上有喪未葬，貧道善風水，宅上自有地在五里頭某處，急宜葬，則立致富貴。」林曰：「安敢望此！且飲酒。」再三再四方從。葬畢，道人在墳前索酒，連沃數觥，朗吟曰：「五十日來方一醉，人間村酒勝天漿。」引手招一鶴，跨之而去，一家懇求不返。後三年，林家大發財，直（「直」，明抄本作「產」。）子納粟補官，果符其術。

A Rustic Cuts Bamboo 野人破竹

Rustic Huang lived on Luofushan in Huizhou. In recent years someone lost their way in the hills, and saw a small thatched cottage where an elderly villager in leggings and headscarf was wielding a knife, slicing bamboo for weaving; he had no idea that this was an immortal. The lost traveller announced that he was famished. It was then the tenth month, in winter, and the rustic picked plums for him to eat. He ate several, and their flavour was sweet and fragrant, but not like that of a plum. On returning home he found he could refrain from eating grain without feeling hunger. Moreover, he had been sent back with some lengths of weaving bamboo, and on arriving and opening these, they were seven or eight zhang (i.e., 20-25m) in length, without joins. He then realized that the spirit he had encountered was Rustic Huang.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.136 (Tale 240):

野人破竹

黃野人，在惠州羅浮山中。近年有人入山失路，但見一小茅廬，一村翁裹布巾，操刀破竹篾，不知其為仙人也。失路者告飢，時冬十月，野人摘梅子與之喫。喫數枚，其味甘香，又不似梅子。歸家能辟穀不飢。又以竹篾數條遺之，歸開其篾，長七八丈而無節。方知所遇即仙人黃野人也。

Inserting A Hairpin, Sprouting Bamboo 插簪生筍

In Ji’an City there was an altar to Madame Wei, located ten li south of the walls. When the Lady was producing her pills of immortality, an elderly village woman repeatedly offered her tea, and the Lady, divining her intentions, pulled out a hairpin and inserted it beneath the woman’s hedge, saying: “Every year, on the final day of the fourth month, this will sprout a bamboo shoot, which will supply your family with food.” The following year, the ground there sprouted bamboo, sweet in flavour and without roots or young sprouts. The villagers called it the ‘Deficit-Filling Bamboo’, and it grows there to this day.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.134 (Tale 234):

插簪生筍

吉安城有魏夫人壇，在城南十里。夫人煉丹時，有村嫗屢以茶獻，夫人感其意，遂拔簪插于籬下，曰：「年年四月盡，當生筍，可供汝家之食饌。」次年，其地筍生，味甘而無根苗，鄉人名曰「填補筍」，至今有之。

A Snake Steals Wine And Drinks 蛇竊酒飲

Zhou Bixian was supervisor of the Panfeng wine store in Wuxi County, Changzhou. He used fragrant medicinal material to produce his yeast, bringing forth a dense fragrant cloud. The flavour of his wine was pure and clear, and it was produced in top, middle and lower qualities. When distilling the wine, he made offerings to deities, slaughtering a sheep and a pig, carrying out the rite of the three offerings in his official robes, and when this was complete sending the wine out to all levels of officials at the court. One day, at the autumn offering, the storehouse clerk came reporting that there were holes in the clay of the highest grade wine flasks. When he was taken to see, several hundred flasks were indeed quite empty. The clerks thought it strange that those chosen and cleaned as offerings to the spirits had not been affected, and nobody knew the cause of it all. A month later, laughing voices were suddenly heard in the wine store, and when they peeped in they saw a crowd of children sucking from the mouths of the wine jars; when the doors were opened they all vanished into the earth. He hastily ordered that the floor be excavated, and at a depth of three chi (about 1m), they found a huge serpent lying drunk, with several dozen smaller snakes wound around beside it, and they realized that those spoiling the wine were snakes. His heart weighed down with doubt and bewilderment, gloomy and without joy, [lacuna] within two months he had resigned and returned to his home region.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.258 (Tale 469):

蛇竊酒飲

周必先監無常州錫縣潘封酒庫，用香藥料造麯，香氣氤氳，酒味清洌，有上中下三等。酒熟祭神，刺羊刺豕，庫官展裹行三獻之禮，事畢分送朝官監司太守以下。一日秋祭，庫吏走報，謂上等酒瓶泥皆有孔，取而視之，則數百瓶皆空空如也。官吏以為怪，擇其潔者供祀神，不之顧，亦莫知所自也。越一月，忽聞酒庫有笑語聲，潛視之，則有羣小兒口吸瓶上，開門則失入地矣。急命掘地，深三尺，有巨蛇醉卧，數十小蛇旋繞其旁，始知壞酒者此蛇也。其心疑怪，鬱鬱不樂， [ ] 踰兩月以事罷歸。

Sprinkling Wine 潑散酒漿

Long ago an official was travelling through the mountains and, on reaching an isolated place, saw a wine shop, and went to buy some wine. A woman took his payment, and disappeared inside for a long time, before finally emerging carrying the wine. The colour of that liquor was as red as blood, and the taste was quite exquisite. When he wanted to buy some more to drink, the woman wept and told him: “Do not buy this. When your servant was alive I loved to sprinkle wine, and now suffer retribution. Whenever anyone comes to buy wine, I must supply them by squeezing it out of my own body.” At this the official glanced about fearfully and left in haste. After travelling for several li, he questioned someone on the road, whose reply: “There is no wine shop there”, left him even more terrified. This was a manifestation of the nether world authorities, to warn the public.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 前2.103 (Tale 178):

潑散酒漿

昔有一官員，山行至孤絕處，見一酒店，因往買酒。一婦人先收酒錢，入內良久，方提酒出。其酒色紅如血，飲之甚美。欲再買飲，婦人泣告曰：「莫買也。妾在生時好潑散酒漿，故今受報，每有人買酒，即於妾身上榨出供之。」其官矍然趨出。行數里，問路人，人曰「此無酒店」，愈大怖。蓋陰司顯化以警世。