Full text translation of Mr. Wu You’s biography

1. Mr. Wu You is an ordinary citizen in Zhongshan. He is nearly seventy years old and makes a living by planting mulberry, hemp and grains. He does not want to associate with vulgar people. He does not take to heart the slander and praise of others. People think that he is a reasonable person. Haiyang died, a man of noble moral character. He was seventy-three years old and devoted himself to studying and learning. The imperial court conferred official positions on him many times, but he did not take up the post. He said: "I am just a rural commoner in the remote town of Xiaoyi, and I am not qualified to be an errand boy." Mr. Wu Shigong had always been friendly with his husband, but they were separated from each other for a whole year. I hadn't seen him in years, so I came to Zhongshan in person to visit him.

2. The two old men were very happy after meeting. Mr. Wu You said: "You came all the way to see me. I have nothing to express my respect. However, I have a little reserve of wine in my humble house. I always drink it alone on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. Now I always drink it alone." Friends are coming over, why don't you take it out and drink together?" So we drank happily together, and the night was almost over and we still hadn't had enough fun. The next day, Mr. Wu You invited Wu Shigong to drink again. Holding the wine glass, he commented on the peace and chaos in the world from ancient times to the present. He felt so happy that he was already drunk without knowing it. In the evening, Mr. Wu You's drunkenness had dissipated, but the dead man was still lying on the ground, his breath was weak, and he couldn't wake up. (Mr. Wu You) was very panicked and asked a nearby doctor to check his pulse. The doctor said: "It's dangerous! If there is no God of Command, who can save him? I have nowhere to use my medical skills." Mr. Wuyou had no choice but to do nothing, and in the end it had no effect. (Mr. Therefore) he became more and more frightened. , discussed with his wife: "I'm afraid it won't work if an old friend comes to visit me and dies here? (I) often hear that there is (an) Elder Zixu in the mountains a hundred miles away, who has been working as a doctor for generations. For his career, people praised him as "the current Duke of Taicang and Bian Que". If he could be invited to treat him, he would definitely be able to come back to life. But the road is difficult and there is no one at home who can be dispatched. What should I do about this matter? ?” The wife said, “Even so, we will eventually be able to save him. I think it is unethical to sit back and watch your old friend die (without thinking of a way), and I personally think you should not take this approach. It is a shame for a gentleman to harm his moral integrity and to be sorry for his friend. How can he be better than risking his life to save him?" Mr. Wuyou felt that his wife's words were correct. (He said to his wife): "What you said is in line with my thoughts. If I can save him, why should I begrudge my old bones? Even if there is any disaster, it is my duty." So he asked his wife to look after the dead man, and he personally rode the donkey to the mountains overnight.

3. It is now the end of June, I can’t see my fingers, and every step or two forward is very difficult. By midnight, we were not even halfway through the journey. Not long after, dark clouds covered the sky and there was thunder and lightning. The husband wanted to stay in a village to take shelter from the rain, but no one would let him in when he knocked on the door. While he was hesitating, it suddenly started raining heavily. The husband immediately remembered that he had been here before and there was a temple outside the village, so he found the temple through lightning. The gentleman entered the door and climbed the steps. He saw that the door of the palace was ajar with a small gap, and he was about to go in. Suddenly there was a thunderous thunder, lightning flashed, and the hall was clearly illuminated. Only then did he see a hanged woman hanging from the beams and pillars, with disheveled hair and bent neck. The situation was miserable. The husband was suddenly startled, turned around and ran under the eaves, his heart still pounding. After a while, I saw the temple door open, and a female ghost jumped in. The frightening thunder seemed to break the wall, and lightning flashed continuously. The husband secretly thought to himself: Could it be that the hanged woman turned into a ghost? Looking at her carefully under the lightning light, I saw that the female ghost's face was covered with blood, and she was holding a dead baby in her arms. Looking back, I was crying, as if I had a strange grievance and no place to complain. Mr. Wu You lay down on the donkey, holding his breath and not daring to move a little. After a while, the donkey screamed in fright. The female ghost noticed it and glared at the husband, trying to advance and retreat many times. The husband has always been very courageous and thought to himself: People say that once you encounter a ghost, you will definitely die, and death will just turn into a ghost. Why should you be afraid of (her)? So he held the whip in his hand and asked loudly: "Are you? Are you a ghost or a human?" The female ghost roared desperately and miserably, trying to hit the husband in a sinister and terrifying way. The husband was so frightened that his hair stood up straight up, and he hurriedly hit her with a whip, hitting the ghost's head (just in time), and the (female ghost) immediately fell to the ground. (Sir) then led the donkey and ran out of the temple, jumped on the donkey and fled.

4. The weather did not start to clear up until after dawn. (Mr.) was extremely tired, but considering that his life and death were unknown, he wanted to rush to the mountains as soon as possible and did not dare to stop and rest. After noon, we started to enter the mountain. There was a thatched shop at the mountain pass. (The gentleman came forward) and inquired about the residence of the elder Zixu. He found out that the elder lived on the north side of the mountain. However, the mountains were continuous and crisscrossed in front of him, and there were almost no vacancies. The place was empty, so he left the donkey at the shopkeeper's house and walked forward. After walking about ten miles along the mountain road, he suddenly heard a whistle from the jungle. Soon he saw a group of bandits forming a formation to block him in front. The leader was tall and big, with a dark face and a thick beard. There were about dozens of cavalry following, and more than a hundred soldiers on foot followed them. (They) were all wearing armor and holding weapons.

One of them shouted loudly: "Our king is here, why don't you kneel down!" Mr. Wu You tried to dodge quickly but it was too late, and he was finally captured. The leader jumped off the horse, sat on the big stone, stretched out his feet, held the hilt of the sword in his hand, stared at him, and shouted in a voice like a little tiger: "Come here! I am the owner of this mountain stronghold. From my occupation It has been more than ten years since Shanshan became the lord, and even the government and soldiers dare not invade my territory. Where are you from, an arrogant person who dares to break into my mountain stronghold without permission? Do you want my knife to be stained with blood?" The husband crawled on the ground like a snake, then he knelt down and cried: Please allow me to explain the whole story. I hope your Majesty will listen. The villain is an ordinary citizen in Zhongshan. My friend is sick and in critical condition. I can't bear to watch him die, so I go to the mountain to invite the elder Zixu to extend my friend's life. In a hurry, I took the wrong path and entered Guizhai by mistake. , the crime deserves death. My own death is not worth pitying, but I regret that I could not ask a doctor to save my friend. I hope your Majesty will take pity on me. "As soon as I finished speaking, I burst into tears. The leader said: "So it seems that you are a loyal person. "(Then) he turned back to his men and said: "There is nothing more unlucky than killing a chivalrous man. Let him go so that he can realize his wish, and this will also encourage all those who love justice!" Then he said to Mr. Wu You: "Although we people gather in the mountains and forests, we are by no means ordinary bandits. You Don't be afraid. Elder Zixu is a kind-hearted man who lives in the north of the mountain. You have to climb to the top of the mountain and then walk down the north slope to reach his home. Go find him quickly to save your friend; but Elder Zixu often goes to thousands of mountains and valleys to collect medicines. Even we people rarely meet him, and you may not be able to meet him either. "Mr. Wu You bowed twice to express his gratitude, and then left.

5. (Mr. Wu You continued) As he walked forward, the mountain became deeper and deeper, and finally he lost his way. Mr. Wu You followed the high and pathless place. Climbing up, pulling away thorns, clinging to vines, stepping on flowing stones, wading through streams; climbing over cliffs, climbing higher and further, and walking farther and farther. I was exhausted but still couldn't reach the top of the mountain. Suddenly I saw the tiger. The footprints were as big as Shengzi; after a while, a huge tiger roar was heard, and the echoes in the surrounding valleys shook, and the woods and mountains and springs trembled. Just as the sound stopped, a hungry tiger appeared in the woods and grass, staring greedily and fiercely. He. The husband secretly thought that he would definitely die this time, (so) he sighed: "I didn't expect to die in the mouth of this beast today!"

6. The husband was waiting for death with his eyes closed, (but) ) heard the tiger scream and felt very strange. He opened his eyes and saw that an arrow had penetrated the tiger's throat. After a while, he saw an old man standing on the cliff with an arrow and bow in his hand. He was wearing short clothes, straw sandals, no hat, no socks, his beard and eyebrows were all white, and his face was as rosy as cinnabar. He looked like an immortal. He hurried forward and paid homage to the old man. The old man didn't dare to neglect. "What do you do? Where are you from? Where are you going?" The husband told the elder the whole story and where he came from. The old man smiled and said, "I am Elder Zixu. The Humble House is nearby, you must go and sit there. So he led his husband to his home, killed chickens and cooked rice for him to eat. The husband asked: "The matter is too urgent! Please go ahead quickly, hoping there is a little possibility (to save my friend)." If you don't go quickly, you won't have enough time. "The elder asked: "Compared with you, the patient, which one is older?" The husband replied: "(He) is four years older than me. The elder asked about his condition again, and then said, "Don't worry! I will definitely go with you early tomorrow morning." The gentleman said that the road was difficult and dangerous, and he was afraid that staying overnight would delay the opportunity. The elder said: "There is a flat road in the back mountain. It only takes half a day to reach Zhongshan." "In the early morning of the next day, the elder took a bag with medicine and rode a strong donkey, and set off with the husband. Soon, they came to the mountain pass. The husband took out the donkey he had left and rode the donkey along the road with the elder. Running, he passed the temple he had visited before. The husband then talked about his encounter with a ghost, pointed to the temple to the elder, and said to him: "This temple is the place where I met the ghost. At that time, I still (thought) I would definitely die here. "The elder smiled and said: "Hey! Aren't you too confused, sir? Ghosts and gods are just illusory shadows in the mind (manifested by delusions). How can they bring disaster to others? You are a wise man, Why do you believe such nonsense?" I happened to meet five or six farmers next to the temple. They stopped farming and sat on the ridge to rest. The elder accompanied the gentleman and walked up to them to inquire about this matter and told them about the day before yesterday. What he saw at night. The farmer covered his mouth, laughed, and said: "You are wrong! The woman who was hanged was the concubine of someone in our village, the king, and she cannot be harmed by the vicious mother-in-law and her husband's wife. Rong, so he hanged himself in the temple. The "female ghost" you saw is the wife of Li from our village. The family has always been poor, but this year there was a bad harvest, heavy taxes, and no food or clothing. Her husband just died, and her son died short-lived yesterday. She cried out to the heavens and the earth, and was distraught. Due to the excessive grief, she was possessed by evil spirits. She went crazy in the middle of the night. She dug up her son's grave and took his body home. She herself said that her head was injured by the ghost in the temple. If you didn't ask about this matter, how would you know that it was your husband who did it? "After saying that, everyone burst into laughter.

7. When (Mr. Wu You) returned to Zhongshan, the dead man had not yet woken up.

After diagnosing him, Elder Zixu said: "This is not a disease, it's just drunk. (This kind of) wine is produced in Zhongshan. You can stay awake for a thousand days after being drunk. You drink this wine often, so there is no abnormal reaction. "This old man is a foreigner, how can he bear this kind of wine?" So he took out the needle, pricked the blood in these places for treatment, and lit mugwort to roast the acupoints. After a while, the dead man came to his senses. He thanked: "Thanks to the elder for saving me, you gave me a second life. How can I repay this great kindness?" The elder said: "You have given me a second life. The old man is not sick in the first place, so what merits can there be in being old?" Mr. Wu You offered money to the elder, but the elder repeatedly declined and refused to accept it. He said: "My family has been treating diseases as a profession for generations, but I just want to I just want to save people, so what else do I need money for? Am I a businessman who loves money?" Finally, he gave them a few doses of medicine and left without asking for any money. Mr. Shishi stayed for another twenty days before bidding farewell to Mr. Wu You and leaving. However, he never dared to drink without restraint from then on.