醒世姻緣

by Pu Songling

片段: ...城外的舖子排門問去,一概回說沒有,直問到西門外剪子巷汪家鋪內,問著他,大 模大樣,不瞅不睬的,問說要換多少。狄希陳見他大意,做說要換一千兩。 汪朝奉道:"這折子錢不過是納例事用,如何要換這許多?"狄希陳說:"有 兩個小价甚是小心,所以每人都要與他納個監生。"汪朝奉道:"沒有這許多了, 多不過二、三百兩光景。"狄員外說:"就是二、三百兩也可,待我零碎再換。每 兩換多少數?"汪朝奉道:"有帶的銀子麼?取出來看看。看了銀色,再講錢數。" 狄員外取出一錠元寶來,汪朝奉接到手裡,看了一看,問說:"銀子都是一樣麼?" 狄員外說:"都是足色紋銀。"汪朝奉道:"既是紋銀,每一兩七十八文。"狄員 外道:"八十二文罷。"汪朝奉道:"這銀錢交易,那有謊說?"狄員外道:"八 十一文何如?"汪朝奉佯佯不理,竟自坐在櫃內。狄員外道:"八十個齊頭罷。" 汪朝奉道:"如今錢貴了,等幾時賤些再與盛價納監罷。"狄希陳道:"既是換不 出錢來,且叫他開著當舖,營運著利錢,等候納監不遲。"彼此看幾眼散了。回到 下處,方知秦敬宇說得不差,高沒鼻子也是實話。 次早,狄希陳又拿了二百兩銀子,叫狄周跟著,約道秦敬宇已到鋪中。狄希陳 走到秦敬宇家內客位裡坐起,走出一個十一、二歲的丫頭來,說道:"俺爹往當舖 去了,家中通沒有人,有甚話說請往當舖說去。"狄希陳道:"你到家裡說去,我 是明水鎮的狄相公,你爹約我來家換錢哩。你後頭說家裡知道。"丫頭果然回家去 說了。 孫蘭姬聽說,將信將疑,悄悄的走到客廳後邊張了看,一些也不差,真真正正...

326 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2013

About the author

Pu Songling (simplified Chinese: 蒲松龄; traditional Chinese: 蒲松齡; pinyin: Pú Sōnglíng; Wade–Giles: P'u Sung-ling, June 5, 1640—February 25, 1715) was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

Pu was born into a poor landlord-merchant family from Zichuan (淄川, now Zibo, Shandong). At the age of nineteen, he received the gongsheng degree in the civil service examination, but it was not until he was seventy-one that he received the xiucai degree.

He spent most of his life working as a private tutor, and collecting the stories that were later published in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Some critics attribute the Vernacular Chinese novel Xingshi Yinyuan Zhuan to him.