Chinese Literature

capital was moved south to Hangchow, where it vied in wealth and splendour with the former capital in the north. On the left of Arrow Bridge in Hangchow lived a gentleman named Liu Kuei or Liu Chunchien. He came from a well-to-do family, but after he inherited the property luck was against him; and although he studied at first, later he could not maintain himself and had to go into trade. As ke was no professional, however, he had no head for business and soon lost his capital. First he had to sell his big house to buy a small one, and later he had to sell the small house and rent two or three rooms in which to live with his wife, a Miss Wang whom he had married in his youth, and a concubine whom he had married later because his wife had no son. The coneubine’s family name was Chen, and she was the daughter of a cakevendor. They called her Second Sister, and Liu had married her in the days when he was still comfortably off. His family consisted of just the three of them. Liu himself was a most agreeable man, whom all his neighbours liked. They used to say to him:

“You are having a spell of bad luck, Mr. Liu. But better times are sure to be ahead.”

This was what they all predicted, yet nothing of the sort happened; and Liu just stayed at home feeling thoroughly depressed, unable to find any way out of his difficulties.

One day he was sitting idly at home when Old Wang, his father-inlaw’s seventy-year-old servant, came in and said:

“This is our master’s birthday, sir, so he has sent me to invite you and the mistress to come over.”

“So it is!’ exclaimed Liu. “I’ve been so taken up with my own troubles that I actually forgot the old man’s birthday.”

He and his wife got out some clothes which they made up into a bundle and gave the servant to carry. Leaving the concubine in charge of the house, and telling her that they would not be able to come back that night but would return the next evening, they set out. Seven or eight miles from the city they came to Mr. Wang’s house. Liu greeted his father-in-law; but as there were many other guests present, he could not talk about his poverty. When the guests had left, however, Liu’s father-in-law asked them to stay in the guest room, and the next morning he had a talk with his son-in-law.

“You can’t go on like this,” he said. “You know the proverb: A man who does nothing but eat can eat up a mountain, and a man’s gullet is as deep as the sea, but time passes as quickly as a shuttle! You must think of some way of making a living. When my daughter married you, she expected you to be able to provide for her. This really won’t do, you know.”

Liu heaved a sigh and said: “You are right, sir. But it is easier to catch a tiger in the mountain than it is to find a friend in need. Who

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