The Stream of Cash by Pu Songling
A servant in his master's garden takes two handfuls from a stream of cash, then lies on it to secure the rest, but it flows away beneath him. A commentator interprets his failure as a warning against hoarding money that should circulate. A footnote recounts a man leaving a rent-free house because he believed a nearby stream carried away his good luck.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Supernatural Fiction, Cautionary Tale · 257 words
First lines
A certain gentleman's servant was one day in his master's garden, when he beheld a stream of cash[1] flowing by, two or three feet in breadth and of about the same depth. He immediately seized two large handfuls, and then threw himself down on the top of the stream in order to try and secure the rest. However, when he got up he found that it had all flowed away from under him, none being left except what he had got in his two hands.
[1]: See No. II., note 2.
["Ah! " says the commentator, "money is properly a circulating medium, and is not intended for a man to lie upon and keep all to himself. "][2]
Genres
- Short Story — A brief prose narrative follows a servant's attempt to capture flowing cash and ends with him retaining only two handfuls.
- Supernatural Fiction — Cash flows through a garden in a stream several feet wide and deep.
- Cautionary Tale — The commentator connects the servant's failed attempt to seize everything with a warning against keeping circulating money to oneself.
Tags
flowing money · hoarding · greed · gardens · streams · superstition
What this Textopian page supports
The Stream of Cash 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.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Pu Songling
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Story, Supernatural Fiction, Cautionary Tale
- Length: 257 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Stream of Cash by Pu Songling
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