Gao, a provincial graduate of Bozhou, was rich and lived five li west of the city at a place called Little Town. His household had many bold servants, who relied on their master’s power and ran wild in the district.
An old villager named Chen had a few fields near the Gao house, and his crops were repeatedly trampled by the Gao family’s mules and horses. When he reasoned with them he was abused by the servants instead. Old Chen judged that he could not match their power, dared complain to no one, and developed a disease of the diaphragm. After more than a year he was dying.
One day he called a workman to his house to make a coffin, and said to him: “Open a small hole in the back of my coffin.” Everyone who heard him was astonished and asked why.
Old Chen said: “I have been bullied by Gao and I am dying of it. I know I cannot avenge myself in life. When I die I want to become a snake and eat Gao’s heart and liver, and only then will my hatred be discharged.” The workmen laughed and agreed.
That evening, going home, they passed the Gao house, and all treated this as news, laughing and clamouring. Gao happened to be standing idle outside his gate, saw the crowd laughing, and asked one of them whom he knew, who told him what Old Chen had said. Gao was alarmed and said: “I really did not know.”
The next morning he went to the Chen house and said: “The previous business was all my servants running wild. I have come in person to apologise, and I hope you will forgive me.”
Old Chen said: “If you truly did not know, will you punish those servants of yours in front of me? Then I will not hate you.”
Gao said: “That I can do.” He invited Old Chen to his house, had the servants beaten heavily, made them kowtow and apologise, and kept him for a drink. Old Chen was greatly pleased and could eat again.
Suddenly he felt sick in the chest and vomited something over a foot long. Everyone looked — it was a small snake, moving in the phlegm.
Gao was horrified. “If I had not come today to apologise, you would certainly have turned into a snake to take your revenge!”
After that Old Chen’s illness also got better.
