After his wife was taken away and both his parents were lost in quick succession, the filial son found himself struck by one misfortune after another.
On the busy streets of Xi’an, crowds came and went. Among them was a weary, gaunt young man begging by the roadside, his appearance drawing sharp glances from passersby.
“He looks like such a respectable young man. How did he become a beggar?”
“He is young and able-bodied, yet he begs for food?”
Some mocked him. Others looked at him with contempt. The young man said nothing. He only lowered his head in silence.
A family falls into ruin
The young man’s name was Chen Xijiu. He was from Pizhou, Jiangsu, and had been born into a scholarly family. His father, Chen Ziyan, was a respected local scholar. People in the village often said: “With Chen Ziyan’s learning, he is sure to pass the examinations, win official rank, and bring honor to his ancestors.”
Under his father’s influence, Chen Xijiu also studied diligently. A wealthy man surnamed Zhou admired Chen Ziyan’s reputation and betrothed his eldest daughter to Chen Xijiu.
Unexpectedly, Chen Ziyan failed the civil service examinations again and again. As his hope of an official career grew dim, he bid farewell to his wife and son and left to study in the region of Qin.
Years passed with no word from him. The Chen family’s circumstances steadily declined, and Chen Xijiu struggled to make a living while caring for his mother.
Seeing the family’s poverty, Zhou wanted to break off the marriage. His daughter, however, insisted on honoring the engagement. In this way, Chen Xijiu was blessed with a virtuous wife.
After the marriage, his wife accepted hardship without complaint. She respected her mother-in-law, supported her husband, and shared a deep bond with him. Yet her father remained dissatisfied. His younger daughter had married into a better-off household and received a generous dowry, while the Chen family grew poorer by the day.
One day, Zhou sent an elderly maidservant to deliver food to his daughter. As soon as she entered the Chen home, she shouted rudely at Chen’s mother: “My master told me to see whether his daughter has starved to death yet!”
Seeing her father insult her mother-in-law in this way, Chen’s wife was both ashamed and heartbroken. She wept as she drove the maidservant away.
The next day, Zhou came in person and told his daughter: “Come home with me. This poor household is no place for you. We will find you a better match.”
She refused, pleading through tears: “Father, I am already part of the Chen family. Please do not do this.”
A few days later, Zhou sent several strong men to the Chen home to take his daughter away by force. He then pressured Chen Xijiu to write a divorce letter.
Chen was overcome with grief and anger, but his mother advised him: “Wait until your father returns. Then we can decide what to do.”
The mother and son anxiously longed for Chen Ziyan’s return. But then someone from the Zhou family came from Xi’an with devastating news: Chen Ziyan had died.
Unable to bear the blow, Chen’s mother also passed away in sorrow. In a short time, Chen Xijiu had lost both parents. Heartbroken, he longed even more for his wife to return so they could mourn together.
But day after day passed with no news of her. Chen sold the few remaining acres of poor farmland, buried his mother, and set out to search for his father’s remains. He hoped to bring them home so his parents could be buried together.
Begging on the road to find his father
After enduring countless hardships and using up all his travel funds, Chen finally reached Xi’an. With no money left, he begged for food during the day and slept at night against the wall of a temple outside the city.
He asked everyone he met about his father, but no one knew where Chen Ziyan’s remains could be found. Still, Chen refused to give up.
“No matter how far I must go, I have to find my father’s remains,” he said. “This is the last act of filial piety I can offer my parents.”
One day, a man told him: “Several years ago, a scholar died at an inn. He was buried in the eastern suburbs, but the grave can no longer be found.”
Could that scholar have been his father? Chen had no way to know.
One night, as he passed through a desolate burial ground, several men suddenly appeared and blocked his path.
“Pay back the money you owe for your meal!” they shouted.
“I am a stranger here,” Chen replied. “I beg for food in the city and the countryside. How could I owe anyone money?”
When he refused to admit the debt, the men knocked him to the ground and stuffed filthy rags into his mouth. Chen struggled desperately, but his breathing grew weaker and weaker.
A strange meeting in the underworld
Suddenly, the men cried out in terror.
“Where did these officials come from?”
In an instant, everything around him fell silent. A moment later, a carriage arrived. Someone inside asked: “Who is lying there?”
Chen was lifted toward the carriage, and the filthy rags were removed from his mouth.
The man inside suddenly shouted: “This is my son! How dare those evil spirits act so recklessly? Seize them all. Do not let a single one escape.”
Chen opened his eyes as his mind slowly cleared. When he looked closely, he cried out: “Father! I suffered so much searching for your remains. I never expected you to still be alive!”
His father replied: “I am no longer among the living. I now serve as the Chief of Taihang in the underworld, and I have come here for you.”
After years apart, father and son were reunited. Chen poured out everything that had happened at home. Then he told his father: “Under pressure from my father-in-law, I was forced to divorce my wife.”
“You need not worry,” his father said. “Your wife is with your mother now.”
Chen was startled, but before he could ask more, his father pulled him into the carriage.
“Your mother misses you dearly,” his father said. “Let us go to her.”
The carriage sped forward like the wind. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at an official hall. After passing through several gates, Chen saw his mother.
“Mother, I have missed you so much!” he cried, tears streaming down his face.
Then he saw his wife standing beside her.
“My wife is here too? Has she also died?”
His mother shook her head. “No, she is still alive. Your father brought her here. When you return home, she will be sent back.”
Chen pleaded: “I do not want to return to that sorrowful place. I would rather stay here and serve both of you.”
His mother gently wiped away his tears.
“My son,” she said, “you traveled so far and suffered so much in order to find your father’s remains. If you refuse to return now, have you forgotten your original wish? Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor has acknowledged your filial devotion. You will be rewarded with great wealth. You and your wife still have many years of happiness ahead. How can you say you will not go back?”
His father also urged him to return.
Chen then asked where his father’s remains were buried.
His father said: “About a hundred paces from that burial ground, beneath two elm trees, one large and one small. That is where my bones lie.”
Finding his father’s remains
Outside the hall, a strong servant stood holding a horse. Chen’s father said: “At the temple where you sleep, there is some silver. Use it to buy what you need for the trip home. After you return, go to your father-in-law and demand your wife’s return.”
Chen mounted the horse. It galloped swiftly, and by dawn, he was back in Xi’an. As soon as he dismounted, the servant and the horse vanished.
At the temple where he had been sleeping, Chen found the silver. He used it to buy a coffin, then went to the place his father had described. Sure enough, beneath the two elm trees, he found his father’s remains.
After all his suffering, Chen returned to his hometown and buried his parents together.
But one question remained: would Chen Xijiu be able to bring his wife home?
To be continued…
Adapted from Chen Xijiu in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
Translated by Cecilia
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