Chapter I · Lantern Festival Encounter第一章 · 元宵邂逅
Wang Zifu of Luodian lost his father early, yet by fourteen he had already passed the xiucai examinations. His mother treasured him and seldom allowed him beyond the village lanes. A marriage had once been arranged with a girl of the Xiao family, but she died before the wedding, leaving him single.
On the Lantern Festival, his cousin Wu invited him into town. Before they reached the outskirts, Wu was summoned home by a servant, leaving Wang to wander alone among a sea of revelers. He saw a young lady attended by a maid, twirling a sprig of plum blossom, beauty unrivaled and smile irresistible. Forgetting all propriety, Wang stared. The girl glanced back and told her maid, “That fellow’s eyes glitter like a thief’s,” tossed the blossom aside, and strolled off laughing.
Wang picked up the plum, carried it home, hid it beneath his pillow, and lay down without eating or speaking. His anxious mother summoned monks and Daoists to drive away evil influences, but his illness grew worse. Physicians bled and dosed him; he only drifted in and out of consciousness.
When cousin Wu visited, Wang burst into tears. Pressed for the truth, he confessed the encounter and begged Wu to find the girl. Wu laughed, promising it would be easy—surely a girl who walked the festival streets was no noble daughter, and if she already had a match they could simply outbid it. Wang’s spirits lifted. Wu relayed everything to Wang’s mother and began asking after the maiden, yet no trace could be found.
Days later Wu returned, falsely claiming success. “She is my aunt’s daughter—your maternal cousin—living thirty li southwest.” Wang rejoiced and entrusted Wu again, but Wu never returned. Irritated and heartsore, Wang clutched the now withered blossom and brooded. At last he resolved to go himself, stowing the flower in his sleeve and slipping out without a word to his family.
王子服是莒州罗店人，幼年丧父。他绝顶聪明，十四岁就成了秀才。母亲特别疼爱他，平时不叫他到郊野去游玩。给他说了个亲事，姓萧，没嫁过来就死了，所以还是独身。元宵节那天，他舅舅家的孩子吴生，邀请他一块去观景。他们刚出村，舅舅家有仆人追来，把吴生招回去了。王子服见游女如云，便也乘兴独自游玩。有个女郎带着一个小丫环，手中拈着一枝梅花，容华绝代，笑容可掬。王子服目不转睛地盯着女郎，竟然忘了顾忌身份。女郎走过去几步，回头对小丫环说：“看那个儿郎，目光灼灼，跟贼一样！”把梅花扔在地上，跟丫环说笑着走开了。
王子服拾起梅花，怅然若失，像丢了魂似的，怏怏不乐地回家。王子服到家后，把花藏在枕头底下，倒头便睡，不吃不喝，也不说话。母亲见他这样子很着急。她请和尚道士设坛驱邪，但王子服病情越来越重，瘦得不像样子。医生给他把脉诊治，开方下药，发散表邪，而王子服总是迷迷糊糊的。母亲温柔地询问他究竟是怎么回事，王子服沉默不言。正值吴生来到，母亲便嘱托他不露声色暗中追查犯病的原因。吴生走到床前，王子服看见他就哭了。吴生靠近床边安慰劝解他，细细追问他的心事。王子服全部说了出来，还求他想办法。吴生笑着说：“你也太痴了！这个愿望有什么难以达到的？我会替你寻找她。她徒步到郊野去玩，说明必定不是豪门世家。如果未曾许人，事情就好办了；就是已经有了人家，咱们豁出去多花些钱，估计也一定能够如愿。只要你病体康复，此事交给我好了。”王子服听了这话，不觉露出笑模样。吴生从王子服那里出来，把情况告诉了王子服的母亲，然后便打听那个女郎的居处。不过，不管如何寻查探访，始终没有找到女郎的踪迹。母亲非常忧虑，但什么办法也没有。然而，自从吴生走后，王子服愁颜顿开，也能稍微吃些东西了。几天后，吴生又来了，王子服问起事情进展如何。吴生骗他说：“已经找到了。我以为是谁呢，原来是我姑姑的女儿，也就是你的姨表妹，现在正等着找婆家。虽然是近亲通婚有所禁忌，但实话实说，没个不成的。”王子服喜上眉梢，问道：“她住哪里？”吴生瞎编道：“住在西南山中，离这里约有三十里。”王子服再三嘱托，吴生自告奋勇，满口答应，然后离去了。
此后，王子服饮食逐渐增加，病况也就一天天好起来。他探视枕头底下，梅花虽然干枯了，却还没有凋落。王子服凝神遐想着，摆弄着这枝梅花，就像见到了那个姑娘。王子服怪吴生不来，便写信召唤。吴生支吾推托，不去见面，王子服又气又恨，郁郁寡欢。母亲怕他旧病复发，赶紧替他筹划婚姻大事，但一跟他商议，他就摇头拒绝，一心盼着吴生到来。吴生始终没有音讯，王子服更加怨恨。不过转念一想，三十里路也并非多远，何必非要仰仗别人呢？于是把枯梅放在袖里，赌着气自己前往，家里人都不知晓。
Chapter II · The Willow-Walled Household第二章 · 柳院遇笑
Wang traveled alone through empty foothills for more than thirty li. Mountains stacked upon mountains, lush groves scented the air, and no trace of people appeared save for a narrow goat trail. At the end of a valley, amid flowering shrubs, a tiny settlement emerged.
He descended to the village. The houses were few and thatched, yet their surroundings were elegant. One northern courtyard was lined with drooping willows; its walls sheltered peach and apricot trees and a clump of bamboo filled with bird song. Wang dared not intrude, so he sat upon a smooth stone opposite the gate.
From within he heard a woman call the maid Xiaorong in a lilting voice. Moments later the very girl from Lantern Night appeared, an apricot blossom poised between her fingers as she raised it toward her hair. Seeing Wang, she smiled and slipped back inside, blossom in hand.
Bewildered, Wang waited from dawn to dusk, hunger forgotten. At last an elderly woman with a cane emerged. “Young sir, you have been here since morning—are you waiting for someone? Are you hungry?” she asked. Wang bowed and murmured, “I have come seeking kin.”
The old woman, half deaf, made him repeat himself and pressed him for the relative’s surname. When he stammered, she laughed. “A scholar, surely! Come in, share a simple meal, rest the night. Tomorrow you may inquire again.”
She led him through a paving of white stone where red petals carpeted the steps, then along a path beneath bean trellises into a bright reception hall. The whitewashed walls gleamed like mirrors and crabapple boughs leaned through the lattice. As Wang sat, curious faces peeked in at the window.
“Xiaorong, prepare the meal,” the old woman called. While the maid bustled away, she asked about Wang’s family. Learning that his maternal clan was surnamed Wu, she clapped in surprise: she herself was Qin, his aunt, who had lost contact through years of poverty and childlessness. The girl in her care was a concubine-born orphan she had raised, clever but incorrigibly merry. “I will have her greet you shortly,” she said.
Soon the maid returned with tender chick and ample dishes. After Wang ate, the old woman bade the maid summon “Lady Ning.” Laughter tinkled outside before the girl entered, hand over mouth, still shaking with mirth. Thus began Wang’s entrance into the willow-walled household.
王子服孤身一人，一路上孤零零的，连个问路的人都没遇到，一直向南山走去。大约走了三十多里地，只见群山叠嶂，翠林爽人，山谷寂静，渺无人烟，只有一条羊肠小道。遥望山谷尽头，在花丛乱树掩映中，隐隐约约有个小村落。下山进村，看到房屋不多，都是茅草搭的小屋，而意境非常幽雅。北面有一家，门前种的都是垂柳，院墙里桃树、杏树尤其繁盛，中间还种着一丛竹林，野鸟在其中鸣叫着。王子服估计这一定是哪家的花园，不敢冒失进去。回头看看对面人家，门前有一块滑洁的大石块，于是就坐在上面休息。一会儿，听到院墙内有个女子拖长声音呼叫“小荣”，这声音娇细动听。正当他专注倾听之间，有一位女郎由东向西走来，手执一朵杏花，低倾着头，正要往头上插。她一抬头看见王子服，便不再戴花，微笑着拈花进去了。王子服仔细打量这个女郎，正是元宵节郊游时所遇到的。他心里惊喜非常。但想到没有借口接近，便打算呼叫姨妈，可是跟姨妈从来没有交往，又怕出差错。院门内无人可问，王子服站也不是，坐也不是，心神不定，走来走去，从早晨一直挨到日落，一心盼着院里有人出来，连饥渴都忘了。这时，那个女郎从门缝里露出半个脸，窥探着王子服，好像奇怪他为何不离开。
忽然有个老太太拄着拐杖出来，对王子服说：“你是哪里来的郎君，听说从上午就来了，一至呆到这时。你打算干什么呢？莫非饿了吧？”王子服忙站起身作揖，回答说：“等着找亲戚呢。”老太太耳聋没听见。王子服又大声说了一遍，这才问道：“你的亲戚贵姓？”王子服回答不出来。老太太笑着说：“好怪哟！连姓名都不知道，怎么探访亲戚？我看郎君也是个书呆子吧。不如跟我进来，吃点粗茶淡饭，家里有床，可以住上一宿。等到明天回家，打听好姓什么，再来探访不迟。”王子服正饥肠辘辘想吃东西，何况又可以接近那个漂亮姑娘，所以非常高兴。王子服跟着老太太进去，只见门内白石铺路，夹道满是红艳艳的花朵，片片花瓣坠落在台阶上。沿着石板小路往西走，又过一道小门，豆棚花架布满庭中。老太太把王子服请入客厅，只见室内白壁光亮如镜，窗外海棠树的柔枝艳朵探入室中，床上铺盖及桌椅家具都是干干净净。王子服刚坐下，就有人从窗外探头探脑窥视。老太太唤道：“小荣，快去做饭！”外边有个丫环高声应答。坐了一会儿，他们聊起了家世。老太太说：“郎君的外祖家是不是姓吴？”王子服说：“是。”老太太惊呼道：“你是我的外甥呀！你的母亲就是我的妹子。近年来，因为家里贫穷，又没个男孩子，也就不通音讯。外甥长得这么大了，还不相识呢。”王子服说：“这次就是为姨妈而来，匆忙中就忘了姓什么。”老太太说：“老身姓秦，没有生过孩子。现在有个女孩子也是庶出的，她母亲改嫁，送给我抚养。人倒聪明，就是少些教导，总是嘻嘻哈哈的不知道发愁。过一会儿，叫她见见你。”
Chapter III · Laughter in the Garden第三章 · 园笑戏言
The maiden—whom the aunt called Yingning—could scarcely stop laughing long enough to greet him. When Wang asked her age, she bent double with mirth. “Sixteen,” the aunt answered for her, chiding that the girl still behaved like a child. The old woman even sighed that, were it not improper for cousins to wed, the pair would be perfectly matched.
That night Wang remained as guest. The aunt suggested he stay several days, promising a small garden and books to occupy his time. At dawn he explored the rear courtyard and found half an acre of velvety grass, sheds encircled by blossoms, and downy catkins strewn across the paths.
Suddenly branches rustled overhead. Yingning perched in a tree, laughing so hard she nearly fell. Wang begged her to climb down carefully, yet as she descended she slipped, landing in his arms. He lightly pressed her wrist; instantly she erupted in laughter again, unable to stand.
Wang produced the preserved plum blossom. “This is what you discarded on Lantern Night,” he said. Yingning examined the brittle petals. “It is withered—why keep it?” “To remember the one who dropped it,” he answered. Emboldened, he confessed his love and hinted at sharing a bed. Yingning tilted her head. “But we are relatives; what affection needs declaring?” she asked. “I mean a husband and wife’s affection—sleeping side by side.” She thought for a long moment and replied with charming candor, “I am not accustomed to sleeping with strangers.”
Later, before the aunt, Yingning blurted, “Brother wants to sleep with me.” Mortified, Wang glared; the aunt, being deaf, missed the remark. Wang scolded Yingning afterward for speaking of “private matters,” but she answered, “How can one hide things from Mother? Sleeping is ordinary—why conceal it?” His exasperation only deepened his fascination.
不大工夫，丫环做好了饭，有肥嫩的小鸡，很是丰盛。老太太不断劝让王子服多吃点。吃过饭，丫环进来收拾餐具。老太太说：“叫宁姑进来。”丫环应声而去。过了好久，听见门外隐隐约约有笑声。老太太又叫道：“婴宁，你的姨表哥在这里。”门外仍是“嗤嗤”笑个不停。丫环把婴宁推进来，婴宁还在捂着嘴，笑个不停，不能控制。老太太瞪了她一眼，说道：“有客在，还是叽叽嘎嘎的，像个什么样子？”姑娘忍住笑，站在一边，王子服向姑娘作了一个揖。老太太说：“这是王郎，你姨妈的儿子。一家人还不相识，这叫外人笑话了。”王子服问道：“妹子多大了？”老太太没有听清，王子服又说了一遍，姑娘又笑起来，笑得头都抬不起来了。老太太对王子服说：“我说过少教育，这时看出来了吧。年纪都十六岁了，傻呆呆的还像个小孩子。”王子服说：“比我小一岁。”老太太说：“外甥已经十七岁了，大概是庚午年生，属马的吧？”王子服点头答应。老太太又问：“外甥媳妇是谁呀？”王子服回答说：“还没有呢。”老太太说：“像外甥这样的才貌，为何十七岁了还没有定亲呢？婴宁也还没有婆家，你俩倒极为匹配，只可惜姨表兄妹结婚不太好。”王子服没说话，两目只是注视着婴宁，顾不上眨眼旁视。丫环对姑娘小声说：“看他目光灼灼的，贼样一点没改！”姑娘又是大笑，对丫环说：“咱们去看看碧桃开没开？”她突然站起来，用袖子掩嘴，迈着细碎快步走出去了。走到门外，才纵声笑起来。老太太也站了起来，招呼丫环收拾床铺，为王子服安排就寝。对王子服说：“外甥来一趟不容易，最好住个三五天，慢慢再送你回家。如果嫌屋里憋闷，屋后有个小花园可供消闲，也有书可供阅读。“
第二天，王子服到房后一转，果然有半亩地的园子，细绒绒的小草犹如绿色地毯，杨花点点铺在小径上，园内有草屋三间，四周被花木丛团团围住。他穿过花丛，慢慢走着，只听见树头上有“簌簌”响声，仰头一看，原来婴宁在树上，看见王子服走来，大笑着，差点掉下来。王子服急忙喊道：“不要笑了，小心掉下来！”婴宁一边笑着，一边下树，仍是抑制不住地笑个不停。快要到达地面时，一个失手掉了下来，这时笑声才收住。王子服上去扶她，暗地里掐了一下她的手腕，婴宁又笑起来，笑得靠着树迈不开步，许久才停住。王子服待她笑够后，才从袖中掏出梅花给她看。婴宁接过来，说：“都枯萎了。为什么还留着它呢？”王子服说：“这是元宵节妹子扔下的，所以保存至今。”婴宁问道：“留着它有什么用呢？”王子服说：“以此表示爱恋不忘啊。自从元宵节相遇，深思得病，原以为性命不保，没想到今天能够目睹妹妹容颜，希望开恩可怜可怜我。”婴宁说：“这太不算个事儿了。自家的亲戚有什么舍不得的呢？等兄长走时，就叫个老仆人，把园中的花摘它一大捆，给你背去。”王子服说：“妹子是个呆子吗？”婴宁问：“因何说是个呆子呢？”王子服说：“我不是爱花，而是爱拈花的人。”婴宁说：“亲戚的情分，爱还用说吗。”王子服说：“我所说的爱，并非亲戚之间的爱，而是夫妻之间的那种爱。”婴宁说：“这有什么不同吗？”王子服说：“夜里要同床共枕呀。”婴宁低着头思考了很久，说：“我可不习惯和生人睡觉。”话没说完，丫环不声不响地来到，王子服惶恐不安地躲开了。
过了一会儿，王子服与婴宁在老太太的屋里又见面了。老太太问婴宁：“你们到哪里去了？”婴宁回答说在园子中一起聊天。老太太又问：“饭早就熟了，有什么话没完没了地说这么长时间？”婴宁说：“大哥要跟我一块睡觉。”还没等婴宁说完，王子服尴尬极了，急忙用眼睛瞪她，婴宁这才微微一笑，不再说什么。幸好老太太耳聋没听清，依然是絮絮叨叨盘问不止，王子服忙用别的话遮掩过去。因这事，王子服小声责怪婴宁，婴宁说：“难道刚才的话不应该说吗？”王子服说：“这是背人的话。”婴宁说：“背别人，怎能背老母呢？再说睡觉也是常事，有什么避嫌的？”王子服真是恨她的痴呆，没有办法让她明白。刚吃完饭，王子服家中有人牵了两头毛驴找他来了。
Chapter IV · Bringing Yingning Home第四章 · 嫁入王门
Meanwhile Wang’s mother, alarmed by her son’s disappearance, questioned cousin Wu. Remembering his fabrication, Wu dispatched servants toward the very hills he had named. They arrived just as Wang was considering his return. Joyfully he asked the aunt’s permission to bring Yingning home. “I have long wished for her to meet her aunt,” the old woman replied, instructing Yingning to pack and admonishing her to learn etiquette once she reached the prosperous Wang household.
Upon arrival, Mother Wang noticed the radiant girl and demanded to know her origins. Wang claimed she was his aunt’s daughter. His mother protested that Wu had lied earlier—she had no living sister. Yingning quietly explained that she had been raised by Mother Wang’s elder sister, who had married into the Qin family. When the mother examined the girl’s features and birthmarks, they matched her late sister exactly. She remained uneasy—how could the dead produce a living daughter?
Wu soon arrived. Hearing the name “Yingning,” he recalled a tale: after his aunt died, his uncle lived alone and took in a fox spirit. A daughter named Yingning was born and left swaddled on the bed, visible to all. Even after the uncle’s death the fox returned until Daoist charms drove her away; she fled with the child. “Could this be that girl?” he marveled. From within the house Yingning’s laughter rang out unabashed.
Mother Wang ordered her to appear. Yingning managed a decorous bow before rushing back to the inner rooms, laughing aloud and drawing smiles from the womenfolk. The girl’s frankness and diligence soon endeared her to the household: she greeted her mother-in-law each dawn, excelled at needlework, and brightened every scolding with a grin.
原来，王母见王子服久久没回来，心中开始疑虑，在村中找了个遍，竟然毫无踪影。因此去找吴生打听。吴生想起从前说过的话，所以教人到西南山村去寻找。寻找的人经过几个村子，才到达这里。王子服出门，正好碰上来人，于是进去禀报老太太，还请求带着婴宁一起回去。老太太高兴地说：“我早有这个想法，也不是一天半天的了。只是我身老体衰不能走远路，外甥能够带着妹子回家去，认识一下姨妈，太好了！”说罢就呼叫婴宁，婴宁笑着就来了。老太太说：“有什么喜事，笑个没完？如果把这个爱笑的毛病去掉，就是个十全十美的人了。”说着生气地看了她两眼。又接着说：“大哥打算带你一同回去，去收拾收拾吧。”老太太又招待王家来人吃了酒菜饭食，才送他们出去，叮嘱婴宁说：“你姨妈家田产丰裕，养得起个把闲人。到了那里不必急着回来，稍微学点诗书礼仪，将来也好侍候公婆。顺便麻烦你姨妈，给你找个好丈夫。”王子服和婴宁听罢嘱咐就起程上路。走到山坳，回头看望，依稀还能看到老太太仍然靠着门向北方眺望。
到家后，王母看见有个非常漂亮的姑娘，惊问她是谁，王子服说是姨家的女儿。母亲说：“从前吴郎对你说的话，那是骗你的。我没有姐姐，哪里来的外甥女呀？”又询问婴宁，婴宁说：“我不是这个母亲生的。我的父亲姓秦，他死时，我还在襁褓中，还不知记事。”王母说：“我有一个姐姐嫁给秦家，这是确实的，不过她早就死了，哪能还存在呢？”于是细细询问婴宁母亲的面庞及其皮肤痣疣，都一一符合姐姐的特点。又疑心重重地说：“倒是的。不过死了很多年了，怎么能还活着呢？”正疑虑中，吴生来了，婴宁躲进内室。吴生询问了事情经过，久久陷于迷惑不解中，他突然问道：“这个姑娘是不是叫婴宁？”王子服答应是，吴生连称怪事。王子服问吴生知道些什么，吴生便说：“秦家姑姑去世后，姑父一人在家独居，迷上了狐狸精，后来病死了。狐狸生了个女儿叫婴宁，用席包着放在床上，家里人都看见了。姑夫死后，狐狸还常来。后来请来张天师的符贴在墙壁上，狐狸这才带着婴宁走了。莫非就是她吗？”大家都拿不准地议论着这件事情。只听见内室里婴宁“嗤嗤”地笑个不停。王母说：“这个丫头也太憨了。”吴生希望见见婴宁。王母便进入内室，这时婴宁仍旧酣笑着不管不顾。王母催她出去见客，她这才极力忍住笑，又面对着墙镇静了好一会儿才出来。她出来后，冲吴生刚一拜过，就扭身跑回去了，放声大笑起来。满屋子的女人都被逗笑了。
Chapter V · Laughter and Suspicion第五章 · 笑泣两端
News of a fox-born bride stirred whispers. Wu returned to the mountain village to verify the tale but found only tumbled blossoms where the cottages had stood; even the graves lay hidden beneath weeds. Reporting this, he confirmed Mother Wang’s fears, yet Yingning showed no trace of dread. She moved in with the family’s younger daughter, laughing through chores and endearing herself to every servant.
Mother Wang arranged an auspicious day for the wedding rites, though she secretly inspected Yingning in sunlight to ensure she cast a human shadow. On the chosen day the girl laughed so hard she could not complete the formal bows, to everyone’s amusement. Despite her guileless demeanor she guarded the privacy of the bridal chamber, never hinting at intimate matters.
Yingning adored flowers. She pawned hairpins to purchase rare varieties and filled even the privy path with blooms. Behind the house stood a large wooden pergola of climbing roses abutting the western wall. She often climbed it, plucking blossoms to wear.
The neighbor’s son spied her there and mistook her smiles for invitation. When she pointed toward the wall base and slipped away laughing, he assumed it was a secret rendezvous. At dusk he crept to the spot, only to collapse in agony: the figure he embraced was a rotting log harboring a huge scorpion, which stung him mortally. His family accused Wang Zifu of harboring a sinister fox. The county magistrate, respecting Wang’s reputation, dismissed the charge as slander and released the neighbor after Wang interceded for leniency.
Mother Wang scolded Yingning, warning that boundless mirth could court disaster. The girl solemnly vowed never to laugh again. Astonishingly she kept her word, her face calm though not sorrowful, as if the wellspring of laughter had been sealed.
吴生提出自己前往婴宁家里去看看究竟，顺便替王子服说媒。找到那个山村后，发现一间屋舍也没有，只有凋零的落花飘洒在地上。吴生想起姑姑埋葬的地方仿佛就在附近，只是坟头荒没，无法辨认，只好诧异感叹而回。王母听说后，怀疑遇到了鬼，把吴生的话告诉了婴宁，婴宁一点儿也不害怕。又哀怜她无家无靠的，她也毫不伤悲，只是一刻不停地傻笑。大家都捉摸不透。王母叫婴宁和自己的小女儿一同生活起居。婴宁每天早早地来给王母请安，针线活做得精巧绝伦。就是喜欢笑，怎么禁止也禁止不住，不过嬉笑之时风姿嫣然，大笑也不损害她的妩媚，大家都很喜爱她。邻里的妇女姑娘也都争着同她要好交往。
王母选择好吉日良辰，准备让二人拜堂成婚，但是总怕婴宁是个鬼物。后来在太阳底下偷偷察看婴宁的身影，与常人无异。到了吉日那天，让婴宁盛装打扮行新娘礼，可是婴宁笑得太厉害不能行礼，只好作罢。王子服由于婴宁又憨又傻，担心她向外人泄漏房中私情，结果她却严守房中隐秘，只字不提。每逢王母忧愁生气时，只要婴宁一到，一笑就能化解。奴婢使女犯了小过错，怕遭到主人的鞭打，就央求婴宁先去王母那里说话，然后犯错的奴婢使女再去投见，这样就可以免去责罚。婴宁爱花成瘾，凡是亲戚朋友家有好花，她都搜集一遍，有时连金钗首饰也暗里当出去，用来购买优良品种。几个月后，院里所有地方，包括台阶两旁、茅厕周围都栽满了花。
后院有一架木香，靠近西边邻居家的院墙。婴宁经常爬到木香花架子上，摘些花插在头上或放在屋里把玩。王母看到时，就要责怪她，她始终不改。一天，西邻家的儿子看到婴宁正在花架子上摘花玩，被她的姿容迷倒了，一个劲儿盯着看。婴宁没有躲避，依然是笑着。西邻子以为婴宁对自己有意，更加心旌扬荡。婴宁用手指指墙根，笑着下去了，西邻子以为那是告诉他约会的地方，非常高兴。黄昏时，西邻子前去指定的地方，婴宁果然在那里。西邻子过去奸淫她，突然感到下身像被锥刺扎了一般，疼痛难忍，禁不住大叫着跌倒了。再一细看，根本不是婴宁，而是横在墙根的一根枯木，下身所接触到的是被雨水泡烂了的一个窟窿。西邻子的父亲听到大叫声，急忙跑过来询问情况，西邻子只是呻吟着不说话。妻子来了，这才如实说了事情经过。点火照亮，只见枯木窟窿中有一只大蝎子，像小螃蟹一般大，西邻家老头劈开了木头，捉住蝎子打死了。然后把儿子背回家里，半夜儿子就死了。邻居那家把王子服告了，揭发婴宁妖异作怪。县官平时很钦佩王子服的才学，熟知他是个行为正派的书生，判定邻居老头是诬告，准备杖打处罚。王子服替邻居老头乞求免打，县官这才把他解了绑，赶了出去。事后，王母对婴宁说：“看你如此憨傻的样子，早就知道过分的乐呵中隐伏着忧患。幸亏县官明察，这才没有牵累，如果遇上个糊涂的长官，必定会把你抓到公堂上对质，那时我儿还有什么脸面再见亲戚朋友？”婴宁露出一本正经的神态，发誓以后决不再笑。王母说：“人哪有不笑的，只不过应该有时有晌儿啊。”从此以后，婴宁竟然真的不再笑，就是有人逗她，她也不笑，不过整天也没有悲伤的表情。
Chapter VI · Tears for the Fox Mother第六章 · 泪告狐母
One night, after days of unbroken composure, Yingning suddenly wept before Wang. “I feared to tell you too soon,” she sobbed, “lest you be frightened. I was born of a fox spirit. When my mother left, she entrusted me to a kindly ghost-woman who raised me for more than ten years. I have no brothers. Only you can help her now. She lies alone in the mountains; no one will move her grave or bury her beside those she loved. If you are not afraid of trouble or expense, rescue her, and perhaps mothers will hesitate before drowning or abandoning their daughters.”
Wang agreed. On an appointed day the couple hired a cart and returned to the wilderness. Guided by Yingning’s sure sense, they found the old woman’s corpse perfectly preserved amid the wild grasses. Yingning clung to the body and wailed. They carried her remains home and interred her within the Qin ancestral graves, giving her the honor she deserved.
That night Wang dreamed of the old woman thanking him; Yingning revealed she too had seen the ghost, who asked her not to frighten Wang. When he inquired about the maid Xiaorong, Yingning said she was also a fox, clever and loyal, left behind to care for her. The spirit mother reported that Xiaorong had already married safely.
From then on, each Qingming the couple swept the Qin graves without fail. A year later Yingning bore a son whose ready laughter proved he had inherited his mother’s joyful nature.
Historian’s Note. “People think Yingning’s constant giggles mark a careless heart,” comments the collector, “yet her prank on the wall shows quick wit, and her mourning for the ghost-mother turns laughter into tears. Perhaps she used mirth as armor. I have heard of a mountain herb called ‘Laughing Bloom’: whoever smells it bursts into laughter. If one were to keep such a plant at home, even the pleasure herb and the forget-worry flower would pale. As for the so-called ‘talking flower,’ its simpering is truly tiresome.”
一天晚上，婴宁对着王子服一把鼻涕一把眼泪哭起来。王子服很是诧异。婴宁哽咽着说：“以前因为一块过日子短，说了恐怕让你们害怕惊怪。现在发现婆婆和你对我都是特别疼爱，没有异心，所以实话相告或许没有什么妨碍吧？我本是狐狸生的。母亲临走的时候，把我托付给鬼母，我们相依生活了十多年，才有今日。我又没有兄弟，所依靠的只有你了。老母在山里独自孤寂吃苦，没有人可怜她给她迁坟合葬，她在九泉之下将遗恨无穷。你如果不怕麻烦和花钱，使地下人消除悲伤痛苦，或许可以使生养女儿的人不再忍心把女儿溺死和抛弃。”王子服答应了婴宁的要求，只是顾虑荒草中难以找到坟冢，婴宁说这个用不着顾虑。选定日子，夫妻二人用车拉着棺木前往。婴宁在漫山遍野的荒草丛中，指点着坟墓方位，果然找到了老太太的尸体，而尸体尚且完好。婴宁抚尸痛哭起来。后来把老太太的尸体抬回来，又找到秦家的坟地，一起合葬了。这天夜里，王子服梦见老太太前来道谢，醒来后便告诉了婴宁。婴宁说：“我夜里也见到了她，还嘱咐她不要惊吓了你。”王子服很遗憾没有请她留下。婴宁说：“她是鬼，这里生人多，阳气盛，她怎么能久留？”王子服又问起小荣，婴宁说：“她也是狐狸，最机灵了，狐母把她留下照顾我，经常弄吃的东西喂我，她的好处我总是念念不忘。昨天问过鬼母，说小荣已经嫁人了。”从此以后，每年清明，王子服夫妻俩都要登临秦家坟地，拜祭扫墓从不间断。过了一年，婴宁生下一个儿子，这孩子在娘的怀抱中就不怕生人，见人就笑，大有母亲的风度秉性。
异史氏说：看婴宁那“嗤嗤”憨笑的样子，好像是个没心没肺的；然而看她在墙下使出的恶作剧，也是很狡猾机智的。至于凄切地怀恋鬼母，一反狂笑为痛哭，我的婴宁大概是用笑来隐藏自己的吧。我听说山中有一种草，名叫“笑矣乎”，人们闻到它，就会笑个不停。如果房里种上这么一株草，那么相比之下，就使合欢和忘忧失去了光彩。至于解语花，它的扭捏作态正是令人讨厌的。
