The Marriage Lottery

The Marriage Lottery by Pu Songling

A poor young widower receives visits from a fox-woman whose apparent silver turns out to be pewter. When she leaves, she gives him money for a wife and predicts a match; after a misleading glimpse of the proposed bride, he marries her and discovers that her appearance belies his hopes for surpassing beauty.

By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Supernatural Fiction · 1,502 words

First lines

A certain labourer's son, named Ma T‘ien-jung, lost his wife when he was only about twenty years of age, and was too poor to take another. One day when out hoeing in the fields, he beheld a nice-looking young lady leave the path and come tripping across the furrows towards him. Her face was well painted,[1] and she had altogether such a refined look that Ma concluded she must have lost her way, and began to make some playful remarks in consequence. "You go along home," cried the young lady, "and I'll be with you by-and-by. " Ma doubted this rather extraordinary promise, but she vowed and declared she would not break her word; and then Ma went off, telling her that his front door faced the north, etc., etc. In the evening the young lady arrived, and then Ma saw that her hands and face were covered with fine hair, which made him suspect at once she was a fox. She did not deny the accusation; and accordingly Ma said to her, "If you really are one of those wonderful creatures you will be able to get me anything I want; and I should be much obliged if you would begin by giving me some money to relieve my poverty. " The young lady said she would; and next evening when she came again, Ma asked her where the money was. "Dear me! " replied she, "I quite forgot it. " When she was going away, Ma reminded her of what he wanted, but on the following evening she made precisely the same excuse, promising to bring it another day. A few nights afterwards Ma asked her once more for the money, and then she drew from her sleeve two pieces of silver, each weighing about five or six ounces. They were both of fine quality, with turned-up edges,[2] and Ma was very pleased and stored them away in a cupboard. Some months after this, he happened to require some money for use, and took out these pieces; but the person to whom he showed them said they were only pewter, and easily bit off a portion of one of them with his teeth. Ma was much alarmed, and put the pieces away directly; taking the opportunity when evening came of abusing the young lady roundly. "It's all your bad luck," retorted she; "real gold would be too much for your inferior destiny. "[3] There was an end of that; but Ma went on to say, "I always heard that fox-girls were of surpassing beauty; how is it you are not? " "Oh," replied the young lady, "we always adapt ourselves to our company. Now you haven't the luck of an ounce of silver to call your own; and what would you do, for instance, with a beautiful princess? [4] My beauty may not be good enough for the aristocracy; but among your big-footed, burden-carrying rustics,[5] why it may safely be called ‘surpassing."

Genres

Tags

marriage · matchmaking · fox spirits · poverty · beauty · deception

What this Textopian page supports

The Marriage Lottery is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Good citation fit

More by Pu Songling