There was a man named Xu who lived in the northern town of Zi Chuan and made his living by fishing. Every night, he would bring wine to the riverbank, drinking while fishing. Before drinking, he would always pour a bit of wine on the ground as an offering, saying: “To the spirits of those who drowned in the river, come and drink this wine!” This became a habit. Strangely, while others could hardly catch any fish in the same area, Xu would always return with baskets full.
One evening, as Xu was drinking alone, a young man lingered near him, refusing to leave. Xu invited the youth to drink with him, and the young man readily accepted. However, that night, not a single fish was caught, leaving Xu disappointed. The young man then stood up and said, “Let me go downstream and drive some fish toward you!” With that, he floated away effortlessly. Before long, he returned and said, “A large school of fish is on its way!” Sure enough, the river soon resonated with the splashing and gulping sounds of a dense school of fish. Xu cast his net and pulled up several large fish, each over a foot long. Overjoyed, Xu thanked the young man profusely. On his way home, Xu offered some fish to the young man, but he refused, saying, “I’ve enjoyed your fine wine many times; this small effort is hardly enough to repay your generosity. If you don’t mind, I hope we can continue like this in the future.”
Xu was puzzled and said, “But we’ve only just shared one evening of wine together. How could you say it’s been many times? If you’re willing to visit often, I would be deeply grateful, but I’m ashamed that I have no way to repay your kindness in driving fish toward me.” He then asked for the young man’s name. The young man replied, “My surname is Wang, and I have no formal courtesy name. You can call me Wang Liulang (Sixth Brother Wang) when we meet.” Afterward, the two parted ways.
The next day, Xu sold his catch and used the money to buy more wine. That evening, when he arrived at the riverbank, Wang Liulang was already there. The two drank happily, and after a few cups of wine, Wang once again went to drive fish toward Xu.
This went on for six months.
One day, Wang Liulang told Xu, “Since we became friends, I’ve felt closer to you than to a real brother. But the time of our parting is near.” His words were deeply sorrowful. Startled, Xu asked what was happening. Wang hesitated several times before finally revealing, “Given the closeness we share, I hope you won’t be too shocked. The truth is, I’m a ghost. In life, I loved drinking, but I drowned here in a drunken state several years ago. The reason you’ve always caught so many fish is that I’ve been secretly driving them toward you to repay the kindness of your wine offerings. Tomorrow, my period of punishment ends, and someone will replace me. I will leave the underworld and be reincarnated. Tonight is our last meeting, and I cannot help but feel sorrowful.”
Hearing that Wang Liulang was a ghost, Xu was initially terrified. But remembering their long friendship, he soon overcame his fear and instead felt sadness over their impending separation. Xu poured a full cup of wine and said, “Liulang, please drink this wine and don’t be upset. Although it’s sad to part so soon after meeting, you’re leaving your suffering behind and starting anew. That’s something to celebrate, not to grieve over.”
The two drank together once more, and Xu asked, “Who will take your place?”
Wang replied, “Tomorrow at noon, watch the riverbank. A young woman will drown while crossing the river. She will take my place.”
As dawn approached, the rooster crowed, signaling the end of their time together. Wang and Xu parted tearfully.
The Next Day
Xu returned to the riverbank early, eagerly awaiting the strange event Wang Liulang had described. Around noon, a young woman carrying an infant approached the river. As she reached the water's edge, she suddenly fell in. The baby was flung onto the riverbank, crying loudly, kicking and flailing its arms. The woman, meanwhile, bobbed up and down in the water, struggling to stay afloat. Eventually, she climbed out, soaking wet, and after resting on the ground for a moment, picked up the child and walked away.
When Xu saw her fall into the water, he was overcome with the urge to rescue her. But then he remembered that she was meant to replace Wang Liulang and hesitated, deciding against intervening. When the woman climbed out of the river unharmed, Xu began to doubt the accuracy of Wang Liulang’s words.
That evening, Xu returned to his usual fishing spot. To his surprise, Wang Liulang appeared again, smiling as he said, “Here we are together again, so there’s no need to speak of farewells for now.”
Xu, puzzled, asked what had happened. Wang explained, “That young woman was indeed meant to replace me. However, I took pity on her because she was carrying an innocent child. I couldn’t bear to let two lives perish to save just one, so I let her go. Now, I don’t know when someone else will come to take my place. Perhaps this means the bond between us hasn’t yet run its course!”
Deeply moved, Xu remarked, “Such kindness and compassion will surely be noticed by the heavens.” From that day onward, the two resumed their regular meetings, drinking and fishing together as before.
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