Wang Tai Chang is a local person from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area. When he was a child, there was a day when he was resting in bed during the day, and suddenly the sky became dark, with thunder and lightning. A creature slightly larger than a cat jumped onto the bed and hid next to him, refusing to leave. After a while, the rain stopped and the creature left. It was then that he realized it was not a cat and became frightened, shouting for his older brother from across the room. His older brother, upon hearing the story, happily said, 'Brother, you will definitely become a high-ranking official in the future. This is a fox seeking refuge from the thunder and lightning.' Later, he did indeed pass the imperial examination at a young age and became an official, rising from a county magistrate to a censor.
Wang Tai Chang had a son named Yuan Feng, who was a fool. At the age of sixteen, he still couldn't distinguish between male and female. Because of his foolishness, no one in the village was willing to marry their daughters to him. Wang Tai Chang was very worried.
One day, an old woman led a girl to their door, saying that she was willing to marry the girl to the Wang family. The girl had a smile on her face, as beautiful as a fairy in the sky. The entire Wang family was overjoyed and asked for the old woman's name. She introduced herself as Mrs. Yu and her daughter as Xiao Cui, who was already sixteen years old. When discussing the dowry, the old woman said, 'This child has been with me, barely having enough to eat. Once she lives in this tall house with servants to attend to her, and has delicacies to eat, as long as she is happy, I will be at ease. This is not selling vegetables, so why haggle over the price?' Mrs. Wang was overjoyed and warmly welcomed them. The old woman introduced her daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Wang and instructed her, 'These are your father-in-law and mother-in-law. You must serve them well. I am very busy and will return in a few days.' Wang Tai Chang ordered the servants to prepare horses to see them off, but the old woman said they lived nearby and it was unnecessary to trouble them, and then left on her own. Xiao Cui didn't show any sadness or reluctance. She just rummaged through the small box she brought, preparing to do some work. Mrs. Wang saw that she was generous and liked her very much. After a few days, the old woman did not come as promised. Mrs. Wang asked Xiao Cui where she lived, but she just showed a silly expression and didn't know where she lived or how to get there. Mrs. Wang then prepared another courtyard for the young couple to get married. When relatives heard that Wang Tai Chang had married a girl from a poor family, they secretly mocked them. But when they saw Xiao Cui, who was clever and beautiful, they were all surprised and stopped discussing it.
Xiao Cui was very clever and acted according to her in-laws' mood. The elderly couple also loved her very much, fearing that she would dislike Yuan Feng's foolishness. But Xiao Cui always smiled and seemed indifferent. The only problem was that Xiao Cui loved to play. She often sewed a ball out of cloth and kicked it around. Wearing small leather shoes, she could kick it dozens of steps away, tricking Yuan Feng into running to pick it up. Yuan Feng and the maidservants would run around, often sweating profusely. One day, Wang Tai Chang happened to pass by when the ball flew from mid-air and hit him in the face with a loud smack. Xiao Cui and the maidservants quickly slipped away, while Yuan Feng, still foolishly, ran over to pick it up. Tai Chang became furious and picked up a stone to throw at his son, hitting him directly. Yuan Feng fell to the ground and cried and screamed. Wang Tai Chang returned to the room and told his wife what had happened. His wife scolded Xiao Cui angrily. Xiao Cui didn't care, she just smiled and used her fingers to draw on the edge of the bed. After his wife left, she continued to play around, smearing rouge and powder on Yuan Feng's face, making it colorful like a painted ghost. When his wife saw this, she was furious and called for Xiao Cui to scold her. Xiao Cui leaned against the table, playing with her clothes, not afraid and not making a sound. His wife was helpless and could only take out her anger on her son, beating Yuan Feng until he cried and begged for mercy. When his wife calmed down, she threw down the stick and left the room.
Xiao Cui helped Yuan Feng to the bedroom, dusted off the dust on his clothes, wiped away the tears on his face with a handkerchief, and gave him red dates and millet to eat. Yuan Feng stopped crying and became happy again. Xiao Cui closed the door, laid Yuan Feng on the bed, and wiped his body dry. Then she covered him with two quilts. His wife heard that her son had suffocated to death while bathing and cried out in anguish, blaming Xiao Cui for causing her son's death. Xiao Cui just smiled and said, 'This foolish son of yours, it's better off without him!' His wife heard this and became even more furious, trying to hit Xiao Cui with her head. The maidservants quickly pulled her away. Just as things were getting out of hand, a maidservant came to report, 'The young master has woken up!' His wife stopped crying, went over to comfort Yuan Feng, and saw him panting and sweating profusely, with the bedding soaked. After a meal, the sweating stopped, and Yuan Feng opened his eyes, realizing that he didn't recognize anyone. He said, 'Thinking back on what happened, it feels like a dream. What is going on?' His wife, hearing these words, felt strange because they didn't sound like they came from a fool's mouth. She found it very peculiar and took him to see Wang Tai Chang. After many attempts, it was confirmed that he was no longer a fool. The whole family was overjoyed, feeling like they had found a treasure. The elderly couple secretly ordered the servants to bring back the bed that had been taken away, placing it back in its original position and preparing the bedding. The next day, when they checked, the bedding hadn't moved. Since then, Yuan Feng's foolishness never recurred, and the couple lived in harmony, inseparable from each other. After more than a year, Wang Tai Chang was accused by Wang Gei Jian's party and was dismissed from his position and faced punishment. Wang Tai Chang had a jade bottle given by the Guangxi governor, worth several thousand taels of silver, which he planned to use to bribe high-ranking officials. Xiao Cui loved this vase very much and often played with it in her hands. One day, she accidentally dropped it on the ground and it shattered into pieces. She felt extremely ashamed and hurriedly told her in-laws. The elderly couple, already worried about losing their official position, became angry and scolded Xiao Cui together. Xiao Cui, in anger, walked out of the room and said to Yuan Feng, 'I have been in your family for several years, saving you more than one vase. How can you not give me a little face? Let me tell you honestly, I am not an ordinary woman. It is because my mother was protected by your father when she was struck by lightning, and because we have had five years of fate, that I came to your family. One is to repay the favor, and the other is to fulfill this little wish. I have suffered countless scoldings in your family, too many to count. The only reason I didn't leave was that our five years of fate had not yet been fulfilled. Can I still stay now?' After speaking, Xiao Cui walked out in anger. Yuan Feng chased after her, but she had already disappeared.
Wang Tai Chang felt that he had gone too far, but it was too late for regrets. Yuan Feng walked into the room and saw the cosmetics and jewelry that Xiao Cui had used, and he remembered her. He cried and mourned day and night, becoming thinner day by day. Wang Tai Chang was very worried and wanted to quickly remarry him to relieve his grief, but Yuan Feng still wasn't happy. He only found a famous painter to paint a portrait of Xiao Cui and prayed to it every day. This went on for about two years. One day, Yuan Feng happened to return from out of town. It was already late in the day, and the bright moon hung in the sky. There used to be a garden outside his house. He rode his horse past the wall and heard laughter from inside. He stopped and told his groom to hold the horse while he stood on the saddle and looked inside over the wall. He saw two girls playing in the garden, but because the moon was covered by clouds, it was hazy and unclear. He only heard one girl in a green dress say, 'You wretched girl, I should kick you out!' The girl in a red dress said, 'This is our family's garden, and you're the one trying to kick me out. Who should really be kicked out?' The girl in green said, 'You have no shame. You couldn't even be a good wife and were divorced. Yet you dare to claim this is your family's garden.' The girl in red said, 'It's still better than being an old girl like you!' Yuan Feng recognized the voices as being very similar to Xiao Cui's, so he quickly called out to her. The girl in green walked away while saying, 'I won't argue with you for now. Your man has arrived!' The girl in red came over, and indeed, it was Xiao Cui. Yuan Feng was overjoyed. Xiao Cui asked him to climb over the wall, and she helped him over, saying, 'You have become so thin after not seeing you for two years.' Yuan Feng held her hand, tears streaming down his face, and told her about his longing for her in detail. Xiao Cui said, 'I already knew everything, but I just couldn't face going back through your family's door. Today, I was playing with my sister here and didn't expect to run into you. It seems that fate cannot be escaped.' Yuan Feng asked her to return with him, but Xiao Cui refused. He asked her to stay in the garden, and she agreed.
Yuan Feng sent the servants back to inform his wife. Upon hearing the news, his wife was shocked and happy, and quickly came in a sedan chair. When she entered the garden, Xiao Cui greeted her and knelt down. His wife held Xiao Cui's arm, tears flowing, sincerely apologizing for her past mistakes and truly unable to forgive herself. She said, 'If you don't hold any grudges against me, please come back with us and bring comfort to my old age.' Xiao Cui firmly declined and refused to agree. His wife, feeling that the garden was too desolate, planned to send more maidservants to serve them. Xiao Cui said, 'I don't want to see anyone else, just the two maidservants from before. After spending so much time together, I trust them very much, so let them come. For guarding the gate, an old servant will do. No one else is necessary.' His wife followed Xiao Cui's instructions and told others that Yuan Feng was recuperating in the garden. They would send them food and daily necessities every day.
Xiao Cui often urged Yuan Feng to remarry, but he refused. After more than a year, Xiao Cui's face and voice gradually changed. When she took out the portrait, they were completely different. Yuan Feng was very surprised. Xiao Cui said, 'Do you think I am more beautiful now?' Yuan Feng said, 'Today, you are indeed more beautiful, but it's different from before.' Xiao Cui said, 'Are you saying that I have aged?' Yuan Feng said, 'You're only in your twenties, how could you have aged?' Xiao Cui smiled and burned the portrait. Yuan Feng tried to retrieve it, but it had turned to ashes.
One day, Xiao Cui said to Yuan Feng, 'Your father said that I will never be able to have children. Now that our parents are old and you have no siblings, and I cannot bear children, I'm afraid it will delay the continuation of our family line. You should remarry and have another wife who can serve our parents day and night. It won't be inconvenient for you to go back and forth between us.' Yuan Feng agreed and sought a marriage with the Zhong family. The wedding day was approaching, and Xiao Cui made new clothes and shoes for the new bride and sent them to the Zhong family. When the bride entered the house, her appearance, speech, and behavior were exactly the same as Xiao Cui's. Yuan Feng was extremely surprised and went to the garden to find Xiao Cui. Xiao Cui had already disappeared. He asked the maidservants, and one of them took out a red scarf and said, 'Madam has returned to her family, leaving this for you.' Yuan Feng unfolded the red scarf, and there was a jade pendant tied to it, indicating that she had parted with him forever. Yuan Feng knew that she would never come back again and returned with the maidservants. Although Yuan Feng constantly missed Xiao Cui, he was fortunate to see the new bride as if he were seeing Xiao Cui.
Yuan Feng finally understood that Xiao Cui had already anticipated the marriage with the Zhong family, so she had transformed into the appearance of the Zhong family girl. This way, she could comfort Yuan Feng's longing for her later!