Curiosity is a natural human trait, prompting people to want to uncover the truth behind everything. In public contexts, this is called investigation or inquiry. However, when it comes to private matters, such actions may not be entirely legitimate and are referred to as "intrusion of privacy."
Do ghosts have privacy? Could they also resent being spied on, and as a result, punish those who do? This story reflects such a terrifying possibility. Of course, one could argue that Song’s mother was rather unfortunate, for from her perspective, she had the right to know everything happening within her rented home.
The novel vividly portrays the old woman—who turns out to be a female ghost—in an eerie and terrifying manner. Through vivid similes, the reader can almost see and hear her: her water-spraying is described as being "like a tailor spraying water on clothes," her hair "as white as a broom," and her movements as "walking urgently like a crane." These exaggerated actions, coupled with her strange behavior in the stillness of the night—white hair, water spraying—leave a deep impression on the reader. The narrative is also well-structured: first, the sound is heard, “the sound of puffing in the courtyard”; then, the maid peeks through the window, “peeking through a hole”; finally, the lady and the maids all witness it together, which leads to the eventual tragedy.
After reading this story, Wang Yuyang, a contemporary of Pu Songling, considered it unbelievable and remarked, “Yushu lost his mother as an infant, so this event is likely based on rumors.” This probably ignores the distinction between fiction and history.
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