Gong Mengbi

Liu Fanghua lived in Baoding, Hebei Province, and was the richest man in this village. His generosity often attracted hundreds of visitors to his house. He was always ready to help others and never spared an expense. Relatives and friends often failed to pay back the money borrowed from him. Only one visitor from Shaanxi, whose name was Gong Mengbi, never asked him to do any favor or borrowed anything from him.

Gong usually stayed at Liu’s house for a year each time he paid a visit. Of all his guests, it was with Gong that Liu spent the most time, getting along well with him because Gong’s talk was gracious and interesting.

Liu’s son was called Liu He and he was very young then. He called Gong uncle. And Gong liked him very much. Whenever Liu He came home from school, Gong would dig up the stone slabs that covered the dirt floor and then bury some pebbles underneath, as if they were burying gold, silver and other treasure. They did this just for fun. All the five large rooms of the Liu family were eventually filled with such buried treasure. People laughed at Gong’s childish acts but Liu He liked him very much and was closer to him than to all his other guests.

A decade later, Liu’s fortune was running out and he could no longer afford to support so many free loaders and guests. As a result, the number of visitors dropped gradually. But it still frequently happened that a dozen or so guests would drink wine and talk through the night.

When Liu Fanghua got older, the family further declined and had to treat the guests with the money obtained by selling the family farm land. Liu He was also good at throwing away money. Imitating his father, he developed a circle of friends of his own. The father just let the son have his way.

It was not long before Liu Fanghua was dead from an illness and the family was too poor to buy a coffin. It was Gong Mengbi who paid the funeral expenses. So Liu He was very grateful to Gong and trusted all family affairs, big or small, to him. Gong often brought back some broken tiles or stones in his sleeves and threw them in the corners of the house. Nobody knew what he was doing. Liu He often deplored the family’s poverty before Gong and the latter would say: “I haven’t seen any sign of hard work, though you’re poor now. You would spend the money all at once carelessly, even if somebody gave you a thousand taels of silver. What a man should be afraid of is his reliance on others. Poverty is nothing to fear.”

One day, Gong prepared to return to his own home and bade farewell to the family. Liu He, crying, told him to come back again as soon as possible. Gong promised to do so soon and went away. Liu He got even poorer, and everything that could be mortgaged was mortgaged. He looked desperately for Gong’s return, each day, so that Gong could help him run the family affairs. But there was no sign of him.

Liu Fanghua, the father, had once betrothed Liu He to the daughter of the Huang family in Wuji County in Baoding Prefecture. The Huang family, though not a family of ranking officials, was a rich household. When the people in the Huang family saw the Liu family decline, they gradually decided to break off the engagement. When Liu died, the Liu family sent a person to carry the sad news to the Huangs. But there was no sign of the members of the Huang family at the funeral. At the time, the people of the Liu family excused the Huang family, thinking there was such a great distance between the two homes. When Liu He’s mourning period was over, his mother told him to pay a visit to his future father-in-law to fix a date for the wedding ceremony. They still counted on the match. But when Liu He got to the gate of the Huang household, his would-be father-in-law, hearing that the young man was in tatters, ordered the gatekeeper not to allow him in and sent Liu He a message: “The engagement is broken off; if you cannot raise a hundred taels of silver and you needn’t come here again.” Hearing those words, Liu He broke down in despair. Old Lady Liu, who was a neighbor of the Huang family, felt sorry for Liu He. She gave him food and three hundred coins in order to comfort him and urged him to go back home.

Liu He’s mother was also sad and angry but could do nothing about it. Then it occurred to her that most of the guests in the good old days owed the Liu family money, and that Liu He should go to the rich ones to ask for their support. Liu He said: “They came to us because we were rich then. I could easily borrow a thousand taels of silver from them, if I still rode in a luxurious horse-drawn carriage. Now that we are so poor, who will still recall our family’s kindness to them and pay it back? More over, Father never asked for an IOU when he lent money to somebody. And there was no witness to the money lending so we can’t prove it.” But his mother insisted that he try. Liu He had to give in. During the next twenty days or so, he could not even get back one cent, hard as he tried. Only an actor named Li Si, who had been supported by the Liu family, gave Liu He a tael of silver when he learned of his wretched situation. The mother and son wept sadly. They gave up any hope for the marriage.

The daughter of the Huang family had by now grown up and disagreed with her father when she heard that her family had broken off the engagement. The father planned to marry her to another man. She said to his father tearfully: “If Liu He had been born poor, who would have turned him away if his family were much richer? It is immoral to discard him simply because his family has grown poor.” The father was displeased by his daughter’s remarks. He tried hard to talk her around but she stayed firm. Her parents grew angry and scolded her day and night. She just took it calmly.

Not long after, the Huang family was robbed. Mr. Huang and his wife were almost burnt to death. Little of the family assets were left. Three years passed and the Huang family had became even poorer.

A merchant from the west heard that the Huang girl was very beautiful; he offered the father fifty taels of silver and proposed a marriage. The gentleman, coveting the silver, agreed. He planned to force his daughter to marry the merchant.

However the daughter learned of the scheme. Putting on tattered clothes and smearing her face, she escaped in the dark of night. For the next two months, she begged her way to Baoding and found Liu He’s house. She went to the Liu family. At first, Liu’s mother thought she was a beggar and tried to turn her away. The girl, sobbing, told the mother who she was. Liu He’s mother took her hand and asked in tears: “Child, how can you have come to this?” The girl told her the truth. Liu He and his mother cried.

Liu He’s mother then saw that the girl took a bath and changed her dirty clothes. After a wash and a scrub, the girl looked fresh and pretty. The mother and son of the Liu family were very pleased. But the three could barely feed themselves each day. Liu’s mother said, crying, “My son and I should be like this. But my daughter-in-law does not deserve it!” The girl tried to comfort the old lady and said smilingly: “When I mixed with beggars, I knew all kinds of hardships. My situation today is like paradise, compared with my begging days.” The old lady was pleased and broke into smiles.

One day, the girl happened to step into the empty rooms; wild grass had sprouted everywhere. When she got into the dusty inner room, she saw a pile of something in the dark corner of the room. She kicked at it and it hurt her foot. She picked up some pieces to see what they were and was very taken aback – they were all silver ingots. She rushed to Liu He and told him about her find. Liu went with her back to the room to see for himself. Sure enough, the broken tiles and bricks buried by Gong Mengbi in this room had now turned to silver ingots. It occurred to Liu He that he and Gong had often hidden stones and broken tiles throughout the whole house. Could it be possible that they had all turned to silver? But the better part of the old house had been mortgaged to their neighbors. Liu hurried to redeem it from the neighbors. But all the broken stones hidden underneath the bricks were just stones. Liu was very disappointed. But when the stone stabs that constituted the floor were removed, shiny silver ingots were revealed. Thousands upon thousands of taels of silver were dug up.

Liu redeemed the land pawned and bought servants with the silver. The house was also renovated and looked more magnificent than before. Liu vowed privately: “I would fail to live up to my uncle’s expectations, if I go on fooling around!” So he began to study very hard and passed the imperial examination at the provincial level three years later. To thank Old Lady Liu, he brought silver to Wuji County. Liu, in shiny new clothes and accompanied by a dozen servants, rode on horseback to Old Lady Liu’s place. The latter had only one room. Liu and the old lady therefore sat on the bed, talking. The lane where the old lady lived was packed with crowds, bustling with noise and excitement.

When the Huang girl escaped from her home, the merchant who had been engaged to her pressed her father to return the engagement money. But the Huang family had already spent half of the money and had therefore to sell their house to pay the debt. So, the Huang family was as poor as the Liu family used to be. Hearing that Liu He was again rich, the people of the Huang family could do nothing but shut themselves up and brood.

Old Lady Liu treated Liu He to a dinner. Over the dinner table, the old lady praised the virtues of the Huang girl and deplored her disappearance. The old lady asked if Liu was already married; the latter answered that he was. After dinner, Liu He insisted that the old lady go with him to meet his bride. He took her home in a carriage. When they got to Liu He’s house, the Huang girl, in a beautiful dress and accompanied by her maids, came out to greet them. The old lady was taken aback by what she saw. They talked about things in the past, and the Huang girl asked after her parents.

The old lady was well treated during her stay in Liu He’s house. She was not sent back home until she was dressed in all new clothes made of the best materials. Upon her return, the old lady reported their daughter’s situation to the Huang family and conveyed to the parents the daughter’s greetings. The father and mother were surprised at the information. The old lady therefore urged them to go to their daughter’s home. The father looked embarrassed.

Matters for the Huang family were getting even tougher. The old man and woman had to leave for Baoding. When they got to the gate of Liu He’s house, they saw it was majestic and beautiful. The gatekeeper kept them standing at the gate for a whole day without announcing their coming to his master. Later, the old man, seeing a woman come out of the house, told the woman his name and asked her to relay the news of their coming to his daughter. The woman carried the news to the mistress of the house. She came back after a while and took the old man into a small room in the courtyard, saying: “Madame wants very much to see you but is afraid that her husband will learn of it. So you will have to wait. When did you come here? You must be hungry, I suppose.” Old Man Huang complained about his bitter experience. The woman then brought a pot of wine and two dishes of food for Huang and gave him five taels of silver, saying: “Master Liu is having a feast in the inner room, and the mistress is probably unable to see you. You’d better go tomorrow morning, so our master won’t know you’ve been here.” Huang agreed.

Early the next morning, the old man, got up and started packing. Since the gate was still locked, he had to sit on his baggage, waiting. Suddenly, he heard a noise and was trying to hide himself when Liu He came out and saw him. Liu deliberately asked who the old man was. Nobody ventured to answer. Liu He flew into a rage and said: “He must be a hoodlum. Tie him up and turn him over to the local sheriff.” The servants immediately seized Huang and tied him to a tree. Huang was ashamed as well as frightened but he could say nothing. A little while later, the woman Huang had seen the night before came to Liu He and knelt down, saying: “He is my uncle. I didn’t report his coming because he got here very late.” On hearing this, Liu He ordered Huang set free. Accompanying Huang to the gate, the woman said: “I forgot to tell the gatekeeper. So something has gone wrong. Madame said that if you miss her, the old madame may come to see her with Old Lady Liu in the guise of a flower vendor.” Huang agreed.

Back home, Huang told everything to his wife. The wife missed her daughter and she asked Old Lady Liu to go with her to her daughter’s home. When they arrived, they had to cross a dozen gates and doors to enter her daughter’s room. Her daughter was in a beautiful silk dress, wearing rich jewelry and smelt fragrant. She had only to utter a few words gently and the maids, old and young, would rush to do their duties, moving the golden chair for her, serving tea and all. The mother and daughter spoke in coded words as prearranged. They each shed tears. By the evening, the room had been cleaned and beds prepared for the two old ladies. The bedding was soft and cosy. Even in the good old days, Lady Huang had not enjoyed such nice things. A few days passed,and the mother and daughter rekindled a deep affection for each other. When there were no other people around, the mother would tell the daughter in sobs that they had wronged her. The daughter would say: “Mom, I have no grudge against you, nor do you against me. But my husband is still upset with what you did to him. We’d better not let him know of your visit.” So whenever Liu He came, the old lady would hide herself somewhere.

One day the mother and daughter were talking with each other when Liu He stepped into the room. Seeing the old lady, he scolded her: “Who’s this old pumpkin. How dare you sit with my wife. She deserves to have her hair all plucked out.” Old Lady Liu hurried to Liu He and said: “She is Lady Wang, a flower vendor and one of my relatives. Please don’t blame her.” Liu He therefore apologized with a cupped-hand salute and sat down, saying: “I’ve been too busy in the last couple of days to talk with you. Are those old scoundrels, the Huangs still alive?” Old Lady Liu said, smiling, “He’s fine. Only he is too poor to get by for long. Now that you are rich, why don’t you show your affection for him as his son-in-law?” Liu He pounded the table and said: “I would never have been able to return to my hometown had you not given me a meal. I wish I could skin them. How can there be any son-in-law’s affection to speak of!” Getting worked up, he, jumped to his feet and stamping the ground with a foot, scolded loudly.

His wife was very upset and said: “For all their unkindness, they are my parents. I made light of traveling a thousand i to join you. My hands were frostbitten, my shoes worn out and my toes were exposed. I have done nothing to let you down. How can you scold my parents to my face and upset me so?” At this, Liu He’s anger abated, and he turned and went out. Old Lady Huang was very ashamed and felt disgraced. She insisted on going home. The daughter took out twenty taels of silver from her private collection and gave it to her mother.

No message came from the old lady for a long time, after she returned home. The daughter missed the mother very much. Liu He therefore sent for his parents-in-law. The old couple came and were ashamed in front of their son-in-law. Liu He said apologetically: “When you came last year, you didn’t tell me the truth. You have therefore to pardon my offensive remarks.” Huang kept nodding his head meekly. Liu He saw that all their clothes were changed. After a month’s stay in Liu He’s house, Huang felt uneasy and asked to go home time and again. Liu He gave him a hundred taels of silver and said: “The merchant gave you fifty taels of silver. Now I have given you two times as much.” Huang accepted it, embarrassed. Liu He called for a horse-drawn cart to take his parents-in-law home. The life of the old couple could be considered moderately wealthy.

A rich man in a village horded grain for extra profit and scrapped up money by any means he could think of. There were hundreds of silver ingots in his underground horde and he was afraid that other people knew about it. So he wore tattered clothes and ate poor food in order to feign poverty. When relatives and friends occasionally paid him a visit, he did not offer them food. If anyone said that his family was not poor, he would stare at the speaker as if they were sworn enemies. When he got old, he still ate a sheng of elm leaves. As a result, he was extremely skinny, with the skin on his arms sagging. Still, he refused to dig the silver out from the cellar and spend it. He got weaker and weaker. On his death bed, he still refused to tell his two sons where the silver was. When he felt he was really going to die and wanted to tell his sons the whereabouts of the silver, it was too late. His tongue was stiff and he could not utter a single word. All he could do was to scrap his chest with his hands and gasp. After his death, his sons could not even afford a coffin and had therefore to bury him perfunctorily. Alas, if one thinks one is rich because silver and gold are buried in one’s cellar, why the millions of taels of gold and silver in the state treasury can all be considered mine. How silly!