農子馬天榮，年二十餘。喪偶，貧不能娶。偶芸田間，見少婦盛妝，踐禾越陌而過，貌赤色，致亦風流。馬疑其迷途，顧四野無人，戲挑之。婦亦微納。欲與野合。笑曰：「青天白日，寧宜為此？子歸，掩門相候，昏夜我當至。」馬不信，婦矢之。馬乃以門戶嚮背具告之，婦乃去。夜分，果至，遂相悅愛。覺其膚肌嫩甚；火之，膚赤薄如嬰兒，細毛遍體，異之。又疑其蹤跡無據，自念得非狐耶？遂戲相詰。婦亦自認不諱。馬曰：「既為仙人，自當無求不得。既蒙繾綣，寧不以數金濟我貧？」婦諾之。次夜來，馬索金。婦故愕曰：「適忘之。」將去，馬又囑。至夜，問：「所乞或勿忘耶？」婦笑，請以異日。逾數日，馬復索。婦笑向袖中出白金二鋌，約五六金，翹邊細紋，雅可愛玩。馬喜，深藏于櫝。積半歲，偶需金，因持示人。人曰：「是錫也。」以齒齕之，應口而落。馬大駭，收藏而歸。至夜，婦至，憤致誚讓。婦笑曰：「子命薄，真金不能任也。」一笑而罷。
农子马天荣，年二十余。丧偶，贫不能娶。偶芸田间，见少妇盛妆，践禾越陌而过，貌赤色，致亦风流。马疑其迷途，顾四野无人，戏挑之。妇亦微纳。欲与野合。笑曰：「青天白日，宁宜为此？子归，掩门相候，昏夜我当至。」马不信，妇矢之。马乃以门户向背具告之，妇乃去。夜分，果至，遂相悦爱。觉其肤肌嫩甚；火之，肤赤薄如婴儿，细毛遍体，异之。又疑其踪迹无据，自念得非狐耶？遂戏相诘。妇亦自认不讳。马曰：「既为仙人，自当无求不得。既蒙缱绻，宁不以数金济我贫？」妇诺之。次夜来，马索金。妇故愕曰：「适忘之。」将去，马又嘱。至夜，问：「所乞或勿忘耶？」妇笑，请以异日。逾数日，马复索。妇笑向袖中出白金二铤，约五六金，翘边细纹，雅可爱玩。马喜，深藏于椟。积半岁，偶需金，因持示人。人曰：「是锡也。」以齿龁之，应口而落。马大骇，收藏而归。至夜，妇至，愤致诮让。妇笑曰：「子命薄，真金不能任也。」一笑而罢。
Ma Tianrong, a farmer’s son, was a little over twenty. His wife had died, and he was too poor to marry again. One day as he was hoeing in his fields he saw a young married woman in full finery tramping through the grain and across the field paths. Her face was a ruddy colour, but she had a certain charm all the same. Ma supposed she had lost her way. Looking round and seeing no one in the open fields, he flirted with her, and she seemed not unwilling. He wanted to have her there in the field. She laughed. “In broad daylight? Is this the place for that? Go home, close your door and wait for me. I will come after dark.” Ma did not believe her; she swore to it. So Ma told her just where his house stood and which way the door faced, and she left. In the middle of the night she came, as she had said, and they took their pleasure together. He felt how very soft her skin was. When he held a lamp to her, her skin was red and thin as a baby’s, and fine hair grew all over her body. He thought this strange. He was puzzled, too, that he could not tell where she came from, and thought to himself: could she be a fox? So he teased her with it, and she owned to it without any pretence. “Since you are an immortal,” Ma said, “there can be nothing you want that you cannot have. You have been so loving to me — won’t you help a poor man with a few taels of silver?” She promised. The next night she came, and Ma asked for the silver. She pretended surprise. “I forgot it just now.” As she was leaving, Ma reminded her. The following night he asked, “You haven’t forgotten what I asked for, have you?” She laughed and asked him to wait for another day. Several days later Ma asked again. Laughing, she took from her sleeve two ingots of silver, five or six taels in all, with turned-up edges and fine markings, very pretty to look at and handle. Ma was delighted and hid them deep in a chest. Half a year went by. Then he happened to need money and took them to show someone. “It’s tin,” the man said, and bit it; the metal came away in his teeth. Ma was badly shaken. He put the ingots away and went home. That night when she came, he angrily reproached her. She laughed. “Your lot in life is thin. Real silver would be more than you could bear.” With a laugh, that was the end of it.
馬曰：「聞狐仙皆國色，殊亦不然。」婦曰：「吾等皆隨人現化。子且無一金之福，落雁沉魚，何能消受？以我蠢陋，固不足以奉上流；然較之大足駝背者，即為國色。」過數月，忽以三金贈馬，曰：「子屢相索，我以子命不應有藏金。今媒聘有期，請以一婦之資相饋，亦借以贈別。」馬自白無聘婦之說。婦曰：「一二日自當有媒來。」馬問：「所言姿貌如何？」曰：「子思國色，自當是國色。」馬曰：「此即不敢望。但三金何能買婦？」婦曰：「此月老註定，非人力也。」馬問：「何遽言別？」曰：「戴月披星，終非了局。『使君自有婦』，搪塞何為？」天明而去，授黃末一刀圭，曰：「別後恐病，服此可療。」
马曰：「闻狐仙皆国色，殊亦不然。」妇曰：「吾等皆随人现化。子且无一金之福，落雁沉鱼，何能消受？以我蠢陋，固不足以奉上流；然较之大足驼背者，即为国色。」过数月，忽以三金赠马，曰：「子屡相索，我以子命不应有藏金。今媒聘有期，请以一妇之资相馈，亦借以赠别。」马自白无聘妇之说。妇曰：「一二日自当有媒来。」马问：「所言姿貌如何？」曰：「子思国色，自当是国色。」马曰：「此即不敢望。但三金何能买妇？」妇曰：「此月老注定，非人力也。」马问：「何遽言别？」曰：「戴月披星，终非了局。『使君自有妇』，搪塞何为？」天明而去，授黄末一刀圭，曰：「别后恐病，服此可疗。」
Ma said, “I’ve heard that fox immortals are all beauties fit for a kingdom. It doesn’t seem so at all.” “We take our form to suit the man,” she said. “You haven’t the fortune for even one tael of silver. How could you enjoy a beauty who makes the wild geese fall and the fish sink? Coarse and ugly as I am, I am certainly not fit to wait on a man of the better sort; but next to a big-footed hunchback, I am a beauty fit for a kingdom.” A few months later she suddenly gave Ma three taels. “You kept asking me for money,” she said, “but your fate was not meant to hold a store of it. Now the time of your betrothal is near, so let me give you the price of a wife; it will be my parting gift as well.” Ma said there was no talk of his taking a wife. “In a day or two a matchmaker will come,” she said. “What does the girl look like?” Ma asked. “You long for a beauty fit for a kingdom; a beauty fit for a kingdom she must be.” “That I don’t dare hope for,” said Ma. “But how can three taels buy a wife?” “That was fixed by the Old Man under the Moon. Human effort has nothing to do with it.” “Why speak of parting so suddenly?” Ma asked. “Coming under the moon and going under the stars — it can never come to anything. ‘You, sir, have a wife of your own’: what use is a stopgap?” At daybreak she left. She gave him a spoonful of yellow powder and said, “After we part you may fall ill. Take this and it will cure you.”