There is a mountain in eastern Shandong called Phoenix Mountain. In the early years, a young man named Du Yu lived in a thatched house at the foot of the mountain. Du Yu's parents died when he was young, and he lived alone. He made a living by looking after mountains and forests,

There is a mountain in eastern Shandong called Phoenix Mountain. In the early years, a young man named Du Yu lived in a thatched house at the foot of the mountain. Du Yu's parents died when he was young, and he lived alone. He made a living by looking after mountains and forests, and cultivating half an acre of thin farmland. In his spare time, Du Yu often catches rabbits and foxes in the mountains. In addition to filling his stomach, the prey he catches is often sold at the market in exchange for daily necessities such as salt and clothing. Although life is a bit harsh, it is still manageable.

Although Du Yu is tall, burly and talented, he has lived alone in the mountains for many years and has little contact with the outside world. Therefore, although he is in his early 20s, he has not been able to marry and have children. In order to alleviate the loneliness and misery in his heart, Du Yu raised a group of chickens at home. Du Yu loved those chickens very much and regarded them as his companions and children. He often went to the mountains to catch bugs and feed them. When the chicks can forage on their own, Du Yu drives the chicks into the woods early in the morning and lets them forage freely. In the evening, Du Yu whistled, and the chicks ran home automatically. The small courtyard that used to be silent suddenly became alive. Du Yu formed a deep relationship with those chicks. A month passed, and those chicks grew up day by day. Du Yu saw this and was very happy. He talked to those chickens every day and lived a happy life.

One morning, Du Yu opened the chicken coop and found that one chicken was missing; the next day, another chicken was missing; and the third day, another chicken was missing. Du Yu was very angry and anxious after losing chickens one after another. He walked around the chicken coop over and over again and found that the chicken coop was not damaged at all. He concluded that it was not the work of bad people. Thinking of the foxes that often appeared in the mountains, Du Yu felt confident and secretly determined to capture the chicken thief alive. So, dozens of buttons were made from wire overnight and placed around the chicken coop. The first night was uneventful; the second night was uneventful; the third night was uneventful again. But Du Yu refused to give up and firmly believed that the chicken thief would come and he would be caught sooner or later.

On the fourth night, Du Yu was still awake, staring at the chicken coop. After staying up for several nights, Du Yu felt tired and exhausted and couldn't help but doze off. When he was drowsy, he suddenly heard a sound next to the chicken coop. Du Yu felt ecstatic in his heart. He looked up at the west sky and saw that the bright moon was already setting in the west. Du Yu quickly opened the door and ran out, only to see a white fox stuck there under the moonlight, struggling desperately to escape. Next to it lay a chicken that had been bitten to death by a fox. Du Yu stretched out his hand to catch him and brought him into the house.

Du Yu lit the oil lamp and looked at the fox carefully by the light. He couldn't help being surprised: it turned out that this was a silver fox that was rare to see in a hundred years. The snow-white fur is like white clouds, and the little eyes are as bright as little lanterns. At this moment, she was looking at Du Yu in horror, her mouth kept chewing on the ground, her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked pitiful. Du Yu suddenly felt compassion, completely forgetting that it was the fox who had stolen the chickens he had worked so hard to raise. Du Yu subconsciously untied the wire fastened to the fox's front paw, released the fox, and threw the chicken next to the fox. The fox didn't rush to escape. He put his mouth to the ground and took three sips. Then he picked up the chicken, turned around and left.

Du Yu went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. All he could think about was the silver fox kowtowing. He didn't fall asleep until the rooster crowed twice. Du Yu had a strange dream at night. He dreamed that his mother had married him a beautiful wife, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Du Yu opened his eyes and saw that the sun was already high. After being confused for a long time, I finally came to my senses and realized that I had just had a dream. I couldn't help but shake my head and smile.

The next night, Du Yu had just fallen asleep when he felt someone crawling into his bed. Du Yu quickly opened his eyes and saw that the room was dark and he couldn't see anything clearly. He stretched out his hand and found something soft lying next to him. Du Yu quickly lit the oil lamp and saw a young woman lying on the side looking at him. I saw that the woman was radiant, charming, seventeen or eighteen years old, and I had never seen her before.Du Yu was shocked. He quickly stood up and lit the oil lamp, asking: "Who are you?" Why are you lying here? The woman's face was red, and she burst into tears suddenly. She choked and said: Don't ask me who I am, I only know that you are my savior. It's getting late, go to sleep.

said, the woman stretched out her hand to greet Du Yu. Although Du Yu was doubtful and didn't know when he became her benefactor, first of all, he was young and energetic, which was the season of physical hunger and thirst. Secondly, when he saw the woman, he had no ill intentions. Du Yu grabbed the woman's finger and felt Her fingers were soft and tender, but there was a deep blood mark on her wrist, which seemed to be caused by being tied up, which made her feel confused. Du Yu couldn't hold himself back for a long time. Without thinking much, he pulled him into the bed and turned on the lamp to sleep. It was a romantic and happy night. At dawn, the woman stood up to leave. Du Yu persuaded her to stay, but the woman firmly declined and promised to come back tomorrow night.

On the second night, the woman arrived again. The woman didn't say much, and the two quickly got to the point. From then on, the woman came at night and left at dawn, without interruption. During this period, Du Yu asked her about her origin many times, but the woman always laughed and refused to answer. So, more than a month passed.

This night, the moon is bright, the stars are sparse, and the mountain breeze is gentle. The woman arrived as expected again. The woman was seen wearing a snow-white dress, her cheeks were glowing with the morning glow, her eyes were as condensed as water, and she was radiant. Du Yu's eyes were already wide-eyed, and he quickly took the woman's hand, intending to rush to the land of gentleness as soon as possible. The woman refused with a smile, pulled Du Yu's hand to her lower abdomen, and smiled shyly. Du Yu didn't know what he meant. The woman patted Du Yu lightly and said coquettishly: "Fool, the little girl is pregnant." After a long time, Du Yu finally came to his senses. Naturally, he was overjoyed when he thought that he was going to be a father. In the evening, the two were even more affectionate.

Another night, there was strong wind and lightning and thunder. Du Yu wandered around the hut, eagerly waiting for the woman's arrival. The woman still didn't arrive. Du Yu was very worried about the woman's safety and became increasingly sleepy. It wasn't until the rooster crowed that Du Yu fell into a deep sleep. Du Yu was filled with joy when he saw the woman arriving. Unexpectedly, the woman said with tears in her eyes: I am a silver fox who has been cultivating in Phoenix Mountain for hundreds of years. Because my mother was seriously ill at home, I had to go down the mountain to steal chickens to replenish my mother's health. Unexpectedly, I was tricked by you. Captured, luckily he was released by you again. In order to thank you for your kindness of not killing, you and I became husband and wife. Now my mother has recovered from her illness, my practice period has expired, and I will move to another place soon. There's just one thing left for me. Tomorrow night you go to the big crooked pine tree in the mountains, and I will return the child to you. You must raise him well, send him to school, and teach him to read and write. He will definitely become a great person in the future. If we are destined, we will meet in the future. After saying that, the woman shed tears and left. Du Yu was reluctant to leave and shouted: Don't leave me!

Just as he was shouting, Du Yu woke up suddenly. When he opened his eyes, raindrops were leaking from the roof and falling on his face. Du Yu wiped his face and calmed down, then realized that he had just dreamed again. Du Yu forgot to look out the window. It was already dawn. Du Yu vaguely remembered the scene in the dream, silently thinking about the words of the woman in the dream, and spent the whole day in uneasiness.

At dusk, Du Yu came to the crooked-neck pine tree with suspicion, and he saw a small white package, with a newly born little boy lying inside. The little boy's face was round and red, his mouth was open, he was kicking his legs and smiling at Du Yu. Du Yu's heart felt hot, he lowered his head, kissed the child's face over and over again, took the child home, and fed him carefully. From then on, I gave up the idea of ​​marrying a wife.

Eighteen years later, the little boy indeed obtained the imperial examination and became a minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was an upright and upright official and was praised by the people as "Du Qingtian".

After his son became successful, Du Yu did not enjoy the blessings with his son. He continued to look after mountains and forests, raise chickens and ducks, and live a contented life.

Thirty years later, Du Yu is already over 70 years old, but his body is still very strong, but his ears are a little behind.One night, Du Yu was sleeping when he suddenly dreamed of a woman wearing a snow-white dress. She whispered to him in his ear: "Sir, do you still remember me? I have made you suffer all these years, and it's time for us to reunite." That's it." That night, Du Yu died without any illness.

Author: Li Jiantong