Okay, here is the translation following your instructions: The First Strange Stories from a Ming Case Book

Author: (Ming) Ling Mengchu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Jin Laosheng has four sons. One day, it is his seventieth birthday, and the four sons set up a banquet to celebrate. Jin Laosheng sees his four sons bustling about, and his heart is pleased. He then says to his sons, "I rely on the heavens for protection. Although I have worked hard my whole life, my wealth is enough to live on. Moreover, I have been careful and have melted down eight large ingots of silver, which I have never moved. They are by my pillow, now tied with thread to make pairs. I will choose a good day to divide them among you, giving each pair to you as a family treasure." The four sons rejoice and thank him, and they all leave happily. That night, Jin Laosheng, a bit tipsy, lights a lamp and goes to bed. His drunken eyes blur as he sees eight large ingots of silver, white and shiny, placed by his pillow. He touches them a few times, laughs heartily, and falls asleep. He doesn’t sleep soundly when he hears footsteps walking in front of the bed. He suspects there is a thief. He listens carefully again and hears it as if they are hesitant to move forward. The bed’s lamp is dim, and when he lifts the curtain, he sees eight men in white robes, with red ribbons around their waists, bowing forward. "Our brothers have been destined by fate to serve in your family. We have been raised and cherished by our master, without any toil, for many years. Our time is almost up. After our master passes away, we will find our own way. Now, we hear that our master intends to distribute us among your sons. We have no prior connection with your sons, so we come to bid farewell and seek refuge with Wang family in a certain county and village. If our fate is not yet fulfilled, we may still be able to serve together." With that, they turn and leave. Jin Laosheng, not knowing what is happening, is startled. He rolls off the bed without even putting on his shoes and runs after them, seeing the eight men leave the room far behind. Jin Laosheng, in his haste, trips over the doorframe and falls hard. Suddenly, he wakes up—it was all a dream. He quickly gets up, lights a bright lamp, and looks at his pillow, only to find that the eight ingots of silver are gone. Thinking about the dream, every word comes true. He sighs and choked up for a moment, saying, "I can’t believe I have worked hard my whole life, yet my sons won’t inherit any of it—it’s all gone to others! They even gave me the exact names and addresses. I will wait and see where they lead." He stays up all night. The next morning, he tells his sons about the dream. Some of the sons are frightened, while others are skeptical. The frightened ones say, "It’s not our property—clearly, something is strange." The skeptical ones say, "The old man was just speaking in jest. He must have changed his mind and can’t bear to part with it. This ghost story is unlikely." Seeing his sons doubt him, Jin Laosheng urgently wants to verify the truth. He travels to the county and village and indeed finds the Wang family. Knocking on the door, he sees bright candles and offerings in front of the hall, being presented to the gods. Jin Laosheng asks, "What is happening here?" The family member reports that the master is being called. Wang Laosheng greets Jin Laosheng and asks about his visit. Jin Laosheng says, "I have a puzzling matter and came to ask for news. I see you are offering sacrifices here, which must have a reason. May I ask what it is?" Wang Laosheng replies, "By chance, my wife fell ill, and I consulted an oracle. The oracle said, 'Move the bed to a new position.' Yesterday, while she was ill, she saw eight white-robed men with red ribbons around their waists, who said to her, 'We were in the Jin family, but our fate is now fulfilled, so we are coming to seek refuge with your family.' After speaking, they all disappeared under the bed. She was terrified and broke into a cold sweat, but afterwards, she felt much better. When we moved the bed, we found eight large ingots of silver tied with red thread in the dust. We don’t know where they came from. This is all thanks to the gods and heavens, so we are offering sacrifices to show our gratitude. Now that you have come to ask, perhaps you know something about it?" Jin Laosheng stamps his feet and says, "This is the lifetime savings of an old man. The other day, I had a dream, and it vanished. In the dream, it even revealed your name and address, so I came looking for you. It seems fate is set, and there is nothing I can do about it. But I just want to take a look to settle my mind." Wang Laosheng smiles and says, "No problem." He goes inside and asks the attendants to bring out four trays, each with two ingots, all tied with red thread—the very silver from Jin’s family. Jin Laosheng looks at them, wide-eyed and helpless, and can’t help but shed tears. He touches them gently and says, "I must be so unlucky, unable to enjoy this." Although Wang Laosheng tells the attendants to take the silver back inside, seeing Jin Laosheng’s distress, he feels deeply sorry. He takes three taels of silver and gives it to Jin Laosheng as a farewell gift. P2-3