Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
Date: 09-24-03 21:03
This is an abrideged version of Lin Yutang's story "The Donkey That Paid Its Debt". You can read the full version on page 230 in the book "WITH LOVE AND IRONY". The Introduction of this book was written by Pearl S. Buck. It was first published in 1942. I had posted the abrideged version of this story to the Forum several years ago. Now I cannot find it in the Forum. I now use the name "A Tale from Yangzhou" and the names of the characters have been changed so that it is easy to read in Hanyu Pinyin of Chinese words.
I have a few of Dr. Lin's books in Chinese and English. I lent a few to friends. They did not return them to me saying that they lost them. Those were the collecting items.
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A tale from Yangzhou
揚 州 故 事
During the early period of the Republic of China (1911AD to ?) there lived two rice merchants in the city of Yangzhou (揚州) in Jiangsu province (江蘇省). One was called Chen Keqiang (陳克強) and the other Li Daiwen (李大文). They had been good friends for many years.
During the great flood of 1931 Li Daiwen was on the brink of insolvency and borrowed $500.00 from Chen Keqiang. In return Li Daiwen signed an I.O.U. "I Owe You" and gave it to Chen Keqiang to keep and promised to repay the loan later.
After the flood Li Daiwen went to establish a business in the city of Hefei (合肥) in Anhui province (安徽省). Being a well-off business man Chen Keqiang did not ask for the repayment of the loan.
When Chen Keqiang received the news of Li Daiwen's death he remembered that Li still owed him $500.00. So Chen went to Hefei to attend Li's funeral. He brought with him the I.O.U. hoping that he could collect the loan from Li's son.
Li Junior, the son of Li Daiwen, was much obliged to see Chen for coming from so far away to attend his father's funeral. He received Chen with great hosiptality. Chen thought it was not the right time to ask for the repayment.
A few days later Chen showed Li Junior the I.O.U. that his father signed and politely asked for the repayment. Li Junior promised that he would repay his father's debt within a few days. Chen went back to the hotel.
The following few days Li Junior came to see Chen several times. One day Li Junior, accompanied by one of his assistants, went to see Chen. Li Junior advised Chen to have a steam-bath in a public bathhouse. Li junior said that his assistant would accompany him to the bathhouse. So Chen had a steam-bath.
Since he was a businessman Chen could not afford to waste too much time in Hefei. So he decided to go home. Before leaving he went to Li Junior's house asking for the money. Li Junior said,
"Uncle, I have the money for you. Please give me the I.O.U. and I'll give you the money."
Chen was very happy and put his hand to the pocket tring to take out the I.O.U. However, it was not in his pocket. Chen searched and searched throught all the pockets and he could not find the I.O.U..
Li Junior said again,
"How can I give you the money if you don't give me my father's I.O.U.?"
Chen was stunned and he knew the I.O.U. was definitely in his pocket the night before he went for the steam-bath. He suspected that Li Junior's assistant might have stolen it from him, but he could not produce any evidence.Li Junior tried to talk his way out for not paying the money. Chen did not argue with him but asked Li Junior to swear with him in front of his father's coffin which was to be buried the next day.
Chen swore that if he had not lent the deceased $500.00 he would become a donkey in his next incarnation and to be ridden by Li Junior forever. Li Junior also swore that if he had wronged Chen his deceased father would become a donkey in his next life and to be ridden by Chen (Note: his deceased father and not he himself Li Junior). After that Chen went back to the hotel and told people about his dispute with Li Junior. Then he went back to Yangzhou and told members of his family about the whole affair.
Many months later, one rainy afternoon while Chen Keqiang was standing in front of his house staring at the rain he saw Li Daiwen walked into his house. It had been a long time since Chen last saw his old friend. So Chen followed him to the lounge. However, his friend had disappeared. Although Chen had searched through the whole house he could not find his old friend. Suddenly, Chen remembered that his friend had died many months ago and he presumed that it must be his friend's spirit.
Soon after his servant told him that the donkey mother had given birth to a baby donkey. Quickly, Chen went to see the baby donkey which nodded to him when it saw him. Chen thought that it was very strange. Then he recalled the swearing in front of his friend's coffin. He said to the baby donkey:
"If you are really my friend Li Daiwen please nod your head three times".
Indeed, the baby donkey nodded its head three times. Chen was much amused and knew that the baby donkey was the reincarnation of his friend. He looked after the baby donkey with great care.
Several days later Chen discovered that there was a tuft of hair, which resembled the two characters of Dai Wen, under the donkey's belly. Dai-Wen was the given name of his late friend. That was another proof that the donkey indeed was his deceased friend Li Daiwen.
News about the donkey spread far and wide in the country. There was even a story about the donkey in the local newspapers. Many people flocked to Chen's house to see the strange donkey which was born to repayment its loan. Chen named it Dai-Wen.
A year later, Chen rode the donkey to a town called Caoxian (曹縣) which was not far from Hefei. After arriving at the town the donkey went straight into a procelain shop and damaged a shelf of procelaim wares. The shopkeeper demanded Chen to pay for the damage. Chen was furious and scolded the dokey,
"You stupid bastard, Dai-Wen. See what you have done and I have to pay for your silly action."
The shopkeeper was puzzled to hear Chen calling the donkey Dai-Wen. So he asked Chen why he called the donkey Dai-Wen. Chen related the story about his donkey.
"Forget about the damage. I had borrowed seven dollars from Li Daiwen two years ago. I did not repay him as he was dead. I think he is coming back as a dokey to demand for his money."
Chen and the shopkeeper counted the losses which were surprisingly amounted to seven dollars.
Again the news about the donkey's demanding for repayment spread like wild fire. Li Junior was enraged to hear that the donkey was the reincarnation of his father and he sued Chen for defamation.
The case had never been brought to court due to the Japanese invasion. Li Junior died during the Japanese occupation.
An abrideged version from chapter 47 in the book
called "With Love And Irony"
by Dr Lin Yutang (林有堂)
Yoon-Ngan
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