童時赴郡試，值春節。舊例，先一日，各行商賈，綵樓鼓吹赴藩司，名曰：「演春」。余從友人戲矚。是日遊人如堵。堂上四官，皆赤衣，東西相嚮坐。時方稚，亦不解其何官。但聞人語嚌嘈，鼓吹聒耳。忽有一人，率披髮童，荷擔而上，似有所白；萬聲洶動，亦不聞為何語。但視堂上作笑聲。即有青衣人大聲命作劇。其人應命方興，問：「作何劇？」堂上相顧數語。吏下宣問所長。答言：「能顛倒生物。」吏以白官。少頃復下，命取桃子。術人聲諾，解衣覆笥上，故作怨狀，曰：「官長殊不了了！堅冰未解，安所得桃？不取，又恐為南面者所怒。奈何！」其子曰：「父已諾之，又焉辭？」術人惆悵良久，乃云：「我籌之爛熟。春初雪積，人間何處可覓？惟王母園中，四時常不凋謝，或有之。必竊之天上，乃可。」子曰：「嘻！天可階而升乎？」曰：「有術在。」乃啟笥，出繩一團，約數十丈，理其端，望空中擲去；繩即懸立空際，若有物以掛之。未幾，愈擲愈高，渺入雲中；手中繩亦盡。乃呼子曰：「兒來！余老憊，體重拙，不能行，得汝一往。」遂以繩授子，曰：「持此可登。」子受繩，有難色，怨曰：「阿翁亦大憒憒！如此一線之繩，欲我附之，以登萬仞之高天。倘中道斷絕，骸骨何存矣！」父又強嗚拍之，曰：「我已失口，悔無及。煩兒一行。兒勿苦，倘竊得來，必有百金賞，當為兒娶一美婦。」子乃持索，盤旋而上，手移足隨，如蛛趁絲，漸入雲霄，不可復見。久之，墜一桃，如碗大。術人喜，持獻公堂。堂上傳示良久，亦不知其真偽。忽而繩落地上，術人驚曰：「殆矣！上有人斷吾繩，兒將焉托！」移時，一物墮。視之，其子首也。捧而泣曰：「是必偷桃為監者所覺，吾兒休矣！」又移時，一足落；無何，肢體紛墮，無復存者。術人大悲，一一拾置笥中而合之，曰：「老夫止此兒，日從我南北游。今承嚴命，不意罹此奇慘！當負去瘞之。」乃昇堂而跪，曰：「為桃故，殺吾子矣！如憐小人而助之葬，當結草以圖報耳。」坐官駭詫，各有賜金。術人受而纏諸腰，乃扣笥而呼曰：「八八兒，不出謝賞，將何待？」忽一蓬頭僮首抵笥蓋而出，望北稽首，則其子也。以其術奇，故至今猶記之。後聞白蓮教能為此術，意此其苗裔耶
童时赴郡试，值春节。旧例，先一日，各行商贾，彩楼鼓吹赴藩司，名曰：「演春」。余从友人戏瞩。是日游人如堵。堂上四官，皆赤衣，东西相向坐。时方稚，亦不解其何官。但闻人语哜嘈，鼓吹聒耳。忽有一人，率披发童，荷担而上，似有所白；万声汹动，亦不闻为何语。但视堂上作笑声。即有青衣人大声命作剧。其人应命方兴，问：「作何剧？」堂上相顾数语。吏下宣问所长。答言：「能颠倒生物。」吏以白官。少顷复下，命取桃子。术人声诺，解衣覆笥上，故作怨状，曰：「官长殊不了了！坚冰未解，安所得桃？不取，又恐为南面者所怒。奈何！」其子曰：「父已诺之，又焉辞？」术人惆怅良久，乃云：「我筹之烂熟。春初雪积，人间何处可觅？惟王母园中，四时常不凋谢，或有之。必窃之天上，乃可。」子曰：「嘻！天可阶而升乎？」曰：「有术在。」乃启笥，出绳一团，约数十丈，理其端，望空中掷去；绳即悬立空际，若有物以挂之。未几，愈掷愈高，渺入云中；手中绳亦尽。乃呼子曰：「儿来！余老惫，体重拙，不能行，得汝一往。」遂以绳授子，曰：「持此可登。」子受绳，有难色，怨曰：「阿翁亦大愦愦！如此一线之绳，欲我附之，以登万仞之高天。倘中道断绝，骸骨何存矣！」父又强呜拍之，曰：「我已失口，悔无及。烦儿一行。儿勿苦，倘窃得来，必有百金赏，当为儿娶一美妇。」子乃持索，盘旋而上，手移足随，如蛛趁丝，渐入云霄，不可复见。久之，坠一桃，如碗大。术人喜，持献公堂。堂上传示良久，亦不知其真伪。忽而绳落地上，术人惊曰：「殆矣！上有人断吾绳，儿将焉托！」移时，一物堕。视之，其子首也。捧而泣曰：「是必偷桃为监者所觉，吾儿休矣！」又移时，一足落；无何，肢体纷堕，无复存者。术人大悲，一一拾置笥中而合之，曰：「老夫止此儿，日从我南北游。今承严命，不意罹此奇惨！当负去瘗之。」乃升堂而跪，曰：「为桃故，杀吾子矣！如怜小人而助之葬，当结草以图报耳。」坐官骇诧，各有赐金。术人受而缠诸腰，乃扣笥而呼曰：「八八儿，不出谢赏，将何待？」忽一蓬头僮首抵笥盖而出，望北稽首，则其子也。以其术奇，故至今犹记之。后闻白莲教能为此术，意此其苗裔耶
When I was a boy I went to the prefectural city to sit the examination, and it happened to be the festival of the beginning of spring. By old custom, on the day before, the merchants of every trade went to the provincial treasurer’s office with decorated floats, drums and pipes. This was called ‘Performing the Spring’. I went along with a friend to watch the fun. That day the sightseers stood packed like a wall. In the hall sat four officials, all in red robes, facing one another east and west. I was only a child then, and did not know what officials they were. I only heard the hubbub of voices and the drums and pipes deafening my ears. Suddenly a man came up to the hall leading a boy with loose hair, a carrying pole on his shoulder. He seemed to be saying something, but ten thousand voices were roaring, and I could not hear what. I only saw that the people in the hall were laughing. At once a man in blue called out loudly, ordering him to perform. The man answered and rose to his feet. “What shall I perform?” he asked. The officials in the hall looked at each other and exchanged a few words. A clerk came down and asked what he was good at. “I can turn the seasons of living things upside down,” he answered. The clerk reported this to the officials. In a little while he came down again with the order: produce some peaches. The conjurer said he would. He took off his coat and threw it over his box, and made a show of grumbling: “The officials have no sense at all! The ice hasn’t even thawed. Where am I to get peaches? But if I don’t, I’m afraid the gentlemen sitting up there facing south will be angry. What am I to do?” “You’ve already said yes, father,” said his son. “How can you back out now?” The conjurer brooded for a long time. Then he said, “I have thought it over and over. At the start of spring, with snow on the ground, where in the world of men could you find one? Only in the garden of the Queen Mother, where nothing ever withers in any season, might there be some. I shall have to steal them from Heaven. That is the only way.” “Ha!” said the boy. “Can you climb to Heaven by stairs?” “There are ways,” he said. He opened the box and took out a ball of rope some hundreds of feet long. He sorted out one end and flung it up into the air. At once the rope hung upright in the sky, as if something up there had caught hold of it. Soon, the more he threw, the higher it went, until it vanished into the clouds and the rope in his hands ran out. Then he called to his son, “Come here, boy! I am old and worn out, my body is heavy and clumsy, and I can’t go. You will have to go for me.” He handed the rope to his son. “Hold on to this and you can climb up.” The boy took the rope with a look of dismay. “Father, you really are out of your mind!” he complained. “You want me to cling to a thread of rope like this and climb ten thousand fathoms up into the sky. If it breaks halfway, there won’t be a bone of me left!” His father coaxed him and patted him. “I spoke too soon, and it’s too late to take it back. Please go, son. Don’t be upset. If you can steal one and bring it back, there’s sure to be a reward of a hundred pieces of gold, and I’ll get you a pretty wife.” So the boy took hold of the rope and went up, winding round it, his hands moving and his feet following, like a spider climbing its thread, until he passed into the clouds and could no longer be seen. After a long while a peach came down, as big as a bowl. The conjurer was delighted and took it up to the hall as an offering. In the hall they passed it round for a long time, and could not tell whether it was real or not. Suddenly the rope fell to the ground. “It’s all over!” cried the conjurer in alarm. “Someone up there has cut my rope. What will my boy hold on to now?” After a while something fell. They looked: it was his son’s head. He held it in both hands and wept. “He must have been caught stealing peaches by the guards. My boy is done for!” After another while a foot fell. Before long the limbs and body came tumbling down, until there was nothing left. The conjurer was stricken with grief. He picked up the pieces one by one, put them in the box and closed it. “I had only this one son,” he said, “and every day he followed me on my travels, north and south. Now, for obeying your stern command, he has met with this strange and terrible end. I never dreamed of it! I must carry him away and bury him.” Then he went up into the hall, knelt and said, “For the sake of a peach you have killed my son! If you take pity on a humble man and help me bury him, I will repay you, though I have to come back from the dead and knot the grass.” The officials, shocked and astonished, each gave him money. The conjurer took it and tied it round his waist. Then he knocked on the box and called, “Eight-Eight, my boy, come out and thank them for their gifts! What are you waiting for?” Suddenly a tousle-headed boy pushed up the lid of the box with his head and came out, and bowed his head toward the north. It was the conjurer’s son. Because the trick was so marvellous, I remember it to this day. Later I heard that the White Lotus sect could do this trick. Perhaps he was one of their offshoots?