濟陽祝村有祝翁者，年五十餘，病卒。家人入室理縗絰，忽聞翁呼甚急。群奔集靈寢，則見翁已復活。群喜慰問。翁但謂媼曰：「我適去，拚不復返。行數里，轉思拋汝一副老皮骨在兒輩手，寒熱仰人，亦無復生趣，不如從我去。故復歸，欲偕爾同行也。」咸以其新蘇妄語，殊未深信。翁又言之。媼云：「如此亦復佳。但方生，如何便得死？」翁揮之曰：「是不難。家中俗務，可速作料理。」媼笑不去。翁又促之。乃出戶外，延數刻而入，紿之曰：「處置安妥矣。」翁命速妝。媼不去，翁催益急。媼不忍拂其意，遂裙妝以出。媳女皆匿笑。翁移首于枕，手拍令臥。媼曰：「子女皆在，雙雙挺臥，是何景象？」翁捶床曰：「並死有何可笑！」子女見翁躁急，共勸媼姑從其意。媼如言，並枕僵臥。家人又共笑之。俄視，媼笑容忽斂，又漸而兩眸俱合，久之無聲，儼如睡去。眾始近視，則膚已冰而鼻無息矣。試翁亦然，始共驚怛。康熙二十一年，翁弟婦傭于畢刺史之家，言之甚悉。
济阳祝村有祝翁者，年五十余，病卒。家人入室理缞绖，忽闻翁呼甚急。群奔集灵寝，则见翁已复活。群喜慰问。翁但谓媪曰：「我适去，拼不复返。行数里，转思抛汝一副老皮骨在儿辈手，寒热仰人，亦无复生趣，不如从我去。故复归，欲偕尔同行也。」咸以其新苏妄语，殊未深信。翁又言之。媪云：「如此亦复佳。但方生，如何便得死？」翁挥之曰：「是不难。家中俗务，可速作料理。」媪笑不去。翁又促之。乃出户外，延数刻而入，绐之曰：「处置安妥矣。」翁命速妆。媪不去，翁催益急。媪不忍拂其意，遂裙妆以出。媳女皆匿笑。翁移首于枕，手拍令卧。媪曰：「子女皆在，双双挺卧，是何景象？」翁捶床曰：「并死有何可笑！」子女见翁躁急，共劝媪姑从其意。媪如言，并枕僵卧。家人又共笑之。俄视，媪笑容忽敛，又渐而两眸俱合，久之无声，俨如睡去。众始近视，则肤已冰而鼻无息矣。试翁亦然，始共惊怛。康熙二十一年，翁弟妇佣于毕刺史之家，言之甚悉。
In Zhu Village in Jiyang there was an old man named Zhu. He was in his fifties when he fell ill and died. The family had gone into the room to see to the mourning clothes when suddenly they heard him calling out, very urgently. They all ran to where the body lay, and found that he had come back to life. Overjoyed, they crowded round asking how he was. But the old man spoke only to his wife. “Just now I left,” he said, “and I meant never to come back. But after a few li I thought again: if I leave you, an old bag of skin and bones, in the children’s hands, at others’ mercy whether you’re cold or warm, there’ll be no joy left in living for you. Better you come with me. So I came back, to take you along.” They all took this for the raving of a man just revived, and none of them really believed it. The old man said it again. “That would be fine, too,” said his wife. “But I’m alive just now. How am I to die all of a sudden?” He waved her off. “That’s not hard. Go and settle the household business, quickly.” She laughed and did not go. He urged her again. So she went out of the room, stayed away a little while, and came back in. “It’s all seen to,” she told him, to put him off. He told her to dress at once. She did not go, and he pressed her harder still. Not having the heart to cross him, she put on her skirt and her finery and came out. The daughters-in-law and daughters all hid their smiles. The old man moved his head over on the pillow and patted it for her to lie down. “The children are all here,” said his wife. “The two of us stretched out side by side — what kind of sight is that?” He pounded the bed. “What’s funny about dying together?” Seeing him so agitated, the sons and daughters all urged her to humour him for now. She did as they said and lay down stiff beside him, sharing his pillow. The family laughed at them again. A moment later they looked, and the smile had suddenly gone from her face. Then little by little both her eyes closed. For a long time there was no sound; she seemed to have fallen asleep. Only then did they go close to look: her skin was already cold and there was no breath in her nose. They tried the old man, and it was the same. Only then were they all shocked and stricken. In the twenty-first year of the Kangxi reign, the old man’s younger brother’s wife was a servant in the household of Prefect Bi, and she told the whole story in detail.
異史氏曰：「翁其夙有畸行與？泉路茫茫，去來由爾，奇矣！且白頭者欲其去，則呼令去，抑何其暇也！人當屬纊之時，所最不忍訣者，床頭之昵人耳。苟廣其術，則賣履分香，可以不事矣。」
异史氏曰：「翁其夙有畸行与？泉路茫茫，去来由尔，奇矣！且白头者欲其去，则呼令去，抑何其暇也！人当属纩之时，所最不忍诀者，床头之昵人耳。苟广其术，则卖履分香，可以不事矣。」
The Historian of the Strange says: Had the old man always been somehow out of the common way? The road to the Yellow Springs is vast and dim, yet he came and went on it as he pleased — remarkable! And when he wanted the white-haired one to go, he simply called her and told her to go — how easy he was about it! When a man lies dying and the floss is held to his nostrils, the one he can least bear to leave is the dear one at his bedside. If this art were spread abroad, there would be no more need to sell shoes and share out the incense.