海州劉子固，十五歲時，至蓋省其舅。見雜貨肆中一女子，姣麗無雙，心愛好之。潛至其肆，託言買扇。女子便呼父。父出，劉意沮，故折閱之而退。遙睹其父他往，又詣之。女將覓父。劉止之曰：「無須，但言其價，我不靳直耳。」女如言，故昂之。劉不忍爭，脫貫竟去。明日復往，又如之。行數武，女追呼曰：「返來！適偽言耳，價奢過當。」因以半價返之。劉益感其誠，蹈隙輒往，由是日熟。女問：「郎居何所？」以實對。轉詰之，自言：「姚氏。」臨行，所市物，女以紙代裹完好，已而以舌舐黏之。劉懷歸不敢復動，恐亂其舌痕也。積半月，為僕所窺，陰與舅力要之歸。意惓惓不自得。以所市香帕脂粉等類，密置一篋，無人時，輒闔戶自撿一過，觸類凝思。次年，復至蓋，裝甫解，即趨女所；至則肆宇闔焉，失望而返。猶意偶出未返，蚤又詣之，闔如故。問諸鄰，始知姚原廣寧人，以貿易無重息，故暫歸去；又不審何時可復來。神志乖喪。居數日，怏怏而歸。母為議婚，屢梗之，母怪且怒。僕私以曩事告母，母益防閑之，蓋之途由是絕。劉忽忽遂減眠食。母憂思無計，念不如從其志。於是刻日辦裝，使如蓋，轉寄語舅，媒合之。舅即承命詣姚。踰時而返，謂劉曰：「事不諧矣！阿繡已字廣寧人。」劉低頭喪氣，心灰絕望。既歸，捧篋啜泣，而徘徊顧念，冀天下有似之者。適媒來，豔稱復州黃氏女。劉恐不確，命駕至復。入西門，見北向一家，兩扉半開，內一女郎，怪似阿繡。再屬目之，且行且盼而入，真是無訛。劉大動，因僦其東鄰居，細詰知為李氏。反復凝念：天下寧有如此相似者耶？居數日，莫可夤緣，惟日眈眈伺候其門，以冀女或復出。一日，日方西，女果出。忽見劉，即返身走，以手指其後；又復掌及額，乃入。劉喜極，但不能解。凝思移時，信步詣舍後，見荒園寥廓，西有短垣，略可及肩。豁然頓悟，遂蹲伏露草中。久之，有人自牆上露其首，小語曰：「來乎？」劉諾而起。細視，真阿繡也。因大恫，涕墮如綆。女隔堵探身，以巾拭其淚，深慰之。劉曰：「百計不遂，自謂今生已矣，何期復有今夕？顧卿何以至此？」曰：「李氏，妾表叔也。」劉請踰垣。女曰：「君先歸，遣從人他宿，妾當自至。」劉如言，坐伺之。少間，女悄然入，妝飾不甚炫麗，袍袴猶昔。劉挽坐，備道艱苦。因問：「卿已字，何未醮也？」女曰：「言妾受聘者妄也。家君以道里賒遠，不願附公子婚，此或託舅氏詭詞，以絕君望耳。」既就枕席，宛轉萬態，款接之歡，不可言喻。四更遽起，過牆而去。劉自是不復措意黃氏矣。旅居忘返，經月不歸。
海州刘子固，十五岁时，至盖省其舅。见杂货肆中一女子，姣丽无双，心爱好之。潜至其肆，托言买扇。女子便呼父。父出，刘意沮，故折阅之而退。遥睹其父他往，又诣之。女将觅父。刘止之曰：「无须，但言其价，我不靳直耳。」女如言，故昂之。刘不忍争，脱贯竟去。明日复往，又如之。行数武，女追呼曰：「返来！适伪言耳，价奢过当。」因以半价返之。刘益感其诚，蹈隙辄往，由是日熟。女问：「郎居何所？」以实对。转诘之，自言：「姚氏。」临行，所市物，女以纸代裹完好，已而以舌舐黏之。刘怀归不敢复动，恐乱其舌痕也。积半月，为仆所窥，阴与舅力要之归。意惓惓不自得。以所市香帕脂粉等类，密置一箧，无人时，辄阖户自捡一过，触类凝思。次年，复至盖，装甫解，即趋女所；至则肆宇阖焉，失望而返。犹意偶出未返，蚤又诣之，阖如故。问诸邻，始知姚原广宁人，以贸易无重息，故暂归去；又不审何时可复来。神志乖丧。居数日，怏怏而归。母为议婚，屡梗之，母怪且怒。仆私以曩事告母，母益防闲之，盖之途由是绝。刘忽忽遂减眠食。母忧思无计，念不如从其志。于是刻日办装，使如盖，转寄语舅，媒合之。舅即承命诣姚。逾时而返，谓刘曰：「事不谐矣！阿绣已字广宁人。」刘低头丧气，心灰绝望。既归，捧箧啜泣，而徘徊顾念，冀天下有似之者。适媒来，艳称复州黄氏女。刘恐不确，命驾至复。入西门，见北向一家，两扉半开，内一女郎，怪似阿绣。再属目之，且行且盼而入，真是无讹。刘大动，因僦其东邻居，细诘知为李氏。反复凝念：天下宁有如此相似者耶？居数日，莫可夤缘，惟日眈眈伺候其门，以冀女或复出。一日，日方西，女果出。忽见刘，即返身走，以手指其后；又复掌及额，乃入。刘喜极，但不能解。凝思移时，信步诣舍后，见荒园寥廓，西有短垣，略可及肩。豁然顿悟，遂蹲伏露草中。久之，有人自墙上露其首，小语曰：「来乎？」刘诺而起。细视，真阿绣也。因大恫，涕堕如绠。女隔堵探身，以巾拭其泪，深慰之。刘曰：「百计不遂，自谓今生已矣，何期复有今夕？顾卿何以至此？」曰：「李氏，妾表叔也。」刘请逾垣。女曰：「君先归，遣从人他宿，妾当自至。」刘如言，坐伺之。少间，女悄然入，妆饰不甚炫丽，袍袴犹昔。刘挽坐，备道艰苦。因问：「卿已字，何未醮也？」女曰：「言妾受聘者妄也。家君以道里赊远，不愿附公子婚，此或托舅氏诡词，以绝君望耳。」既就枕席，宛转万态，款接之欢，不可言喻。四更遽起，过墙而去。刘自是不复措意黄氏矣。旅居忘返，经月不归。
Liu Zigu of Haizhou, at the age of fifteen, went to Gai to visit his mother’s brother. In a general store there he saw a girl of matchless beauty, and his heart went out to her. He slipped into the shop on the pretext of buying a fan. The girl called her father. When the father came out, Liu lost heart; he deliberately offered too little and backed out. Seeing from a distance that her father had gone off somewhere, he went back. The girl was about to fetch her father. Liu stopped her. “No need. Just tell me the price. I won’t haggle.” She did as he said, and named a high price on purpose. Liu could not bear to argue; he set down his string of cash and left. The next day he went again and did the same. He had gone only a few steps when she ran after him, calling, “Come back! I was lying just now. The price was too high.” And she gave him back half. Liu was all the more moved by her honesty. He went whenever he could slip away, and they grew more familiar day by day. “Where do you live?” she asked. He told her the truth. When he asked her in turn, she said, “Our name is Yao.” As he was leaving, she wrapped his purchases neatly in paper for him, then licked the edge with her tongue to seal it. Liu carried the packet home inside his robe and dared not touch it again, for fear of spoiling the mark of her tongue. After half a month of this, a servant found him out, and secretly joined with the uncle in pressing him to go home. Liu went, heavy-hearted and restless. He put the scented handkerchiefs, rouge, powder and other things he had bought into a box, and whenever no one was about he shut the door and went through them one by one, each thing setting him dreaming. The next year he went to Gai again. He had barely unpacked when he hurried to her shop, only to find it shut up. He came away disappointed. Thinking she might just be out, he went again early the next morning; it was shut as before. He asked the neighbours, and learned that Yao was really from Guangning; trade had brought him little profit, so he had gone home for a while, and no one knew when he would be back. Liu was quite lost. After a few days he went home, dejected. His mother began arranging a marriage for him, but he blocked it again and again, and she was puzzled and angry. The servant privately told her what had happened before. She watched her son all the more closely, and his trips to Gai came to an end. Liu fell into a daze, and slept and ate less and less. His mother worried and could think of nothing to do, and decided she had better let him have his way. So she set a day, had his things packed and sent him to Gai, with word to his uncle to arrange the match. The uncle went to the Yaos at once. After a while he came back and said to Liu, “It’s no good. A Xiu is already promised to a man in Guangning.” Liu hung his head; his heart turned to ashes. Back home, he would hold the box and weep, and as he brooded he kept hoping that somewhere in the world there might be a girl like her. Just then a matchmaker came singing the praises of a Miss Huang of Fuzhou. Afraid the woman was not to be trusted, Liu set out for Fuzhou to see for himself. Entering by the west gate, he saw a house facing north with its double doors half open, and inside a young woman who looked uncannily like A Xiu. He looked again: she was walking in, glancing back as she went. It was she, no mistake. Liu was deeply stirred. He rented the house next door on the east side, and by careful asking found that the family were named Li. He turned it over and over: could there be anyone in the world so alike? Several days passed with no way to approach her; he could only watch her gate hungrily all day, hoping she might come out again. One day, as the sun went west, she did come out. Catching sight of Liu, she turned back at once and pointed behind her; then she put her palm to her forehead and went in. Liu was overjoyed, but could not make it out. After thinking it over for a while, he wandered round behind his house and found a wide, overgrown garden, with a low wall on the west side about shoulder high. Suddenly he understood, and crouched down in the dewy grass. After a long while a head appeared over the wall and a low voice said, “Are you there?” Liu answered and stood up. He looked closely: it really was A Xiu. He was so overcome that his tears ran down in long strings. She leaned over the wall, wiped his tears with her kerchief, and comforted him tenderly. “I tried everything and nothing worked,” said Liu. “I told myself this life was over for me. Who could have hoped for tonight? But how do you come to be here?” “Mr. Li is my uncle,” she said. Liu asked if he might climb over. “Go back first,” she said, “and send your servant to sleep somewhere else. I will come to you.” Liu did so, and sat waiting. Soon she slipped quietly in, not much made up, in the same gown and trousers as before. Liu drew her down beside him and told her all he had suffered. Then he asked, “You were promised. Why aren’t you married?” “Whoever said I was betrothed lied,” she said. “My father didn’t want to marry me to you because you live so far away. Perhaps he gave your uncle that story to put an end to your hopes.” Then they went to bed, and she was pliant and endlessly winning; the joy of it was past words. At the fourth watch she rose abruptly and went back over the wall. From then on Liu gave no more thought to Miss Huang. He stayed on in his lodgings and forgot about going home; a month went by and he did not return.