When Mr. Song Yushu of Laiyang was a department official, the house he rented was very desolate and deserted.

　　One night, two maids attended the Old Lady to sleep in the main hall. They heard a flapping sound in the courtyard, like that of a tailor spraying water on clothes. The Old Lady urged the maids to get up. They made a hole in the window paper and peeked out. They saw an old woman, short in stature and hunchbacked, with white hair like a broom. She wore a bun on her head, about two feet long. She walked in circles around the courtyard, hurrying with quick, crane-like steps. As she walked, she spat water, and the water never ran out.

　　The maids, startled, returned and reported this. The Old Lady also rose in alarm. The two maids supported her as they gathered by the window to watch. Suddenly the old woman approached the window and spat directly through the lattice. The window paper burst. The three people all fell to the ground, and the other family members knew nothing of this.

　　When the eastern sun had risen, the family gathered together. They knocked at the door but received no answer. Only then did they become alarmed. They pried open the door and entered. They saw the mistress and the two maids, lying dead side by side in the room. The area below the ribs of one maid was still warm. They raised her up and poured water into her mouth. After a while, she revived and then related what she had seen.

　　When Mr. Song arrived, he was so grieved and enraged that he wished to die. He carefully searched for the place where the old woman had disappeared. Digging down a little over three feet, they gradually revealed white hair. Digging further, they found a corpse, exactly in the appearance as described by the maid: the face was plump and swollen, as if alive. Mr. Song ordered them to beat it. The flesh and bones immediately rotted away, and inside the skin was nothing but clear water.


中文：

　　【原文】

　　莱阳宋玉叔先生为部曹时，所僦第甚荒落。一夜，二婢奉太夫人宿厅上，闻院内扑扑有声，如缝工之喷衣者。太夫人促婢起，穴窗窥视，见一老妪，短身驼背，白发如帚，冠一髻，长二尺许，周院环走，竦急作鹤步，行且喷，水出不穷。婢愕返白。太夫人亦惊起，两婢扶窗下聚观之。妪忽逼窗，直喷棂内，窗纸破裂，三人俱仆，而家人不之知也。

　　东曦既上，家人毕集，叩门不应，方骇。撬扉入，见一主二婢，骈死一室。一婢鬲下犹温。扶灌之，移时而醒，乃述所见。先生至，哀愤欲死。细穷没处，掘深三尺馀，渐露白发，又掘之，得一尸，如所见状，面肥肿如生。令击之，骨肉皆烂，皮内尽清水。

　　【翻译】

　　莱阳人宋玉叔先生做某部属官的时候，租住的宅子很是荒僻。一天夜里，两个丫环陪宋先生的老母亲住在厅上，忽然听见院子里有“扑扑”的响声，好像是裁缝往衣服上喷水的声音。宋母催促丫环起来察看，丫环在窗户纸上抠了个小洞偷偷往外看，只见一个老太太，身材矮小，驼着背，白发如同扫帚，头上戴着一个发髻，大约有二尺来长。老太太围着院子转圈儿走，像鹤那样一耸一耸地大步急行，一边走一边喷水，喷出的水无穷无尽。丫环非常吃惊，回来告诉了宋母。宋母听后也惊恐地起了床，由两个丫环搀扶着来到窗下一块儿往外看。院里的老太太突然逼近窗前，直冲着窗棂喷水，窗纸被水冲破了，屋里的三个人全都跌倒在地上，但这些情况家里的人还都不知道。

　　天已经亮了，家人都聚在一起，敲这里的门却无人应答，这才惊慌起来。等撬开门进去一看，只见一主二仆，并排死在房间里。其中一个丫环的胸口还有些热气，就扶起她来给她喝水，过了一个时辰丫环才苏醒过来，于是把她所看见的都说了出来。宋先生赶到后，痛不欲生。他仔细查找那老妇人消失的地方，在那里挖了三尺多深，才渐渐露出了白发，再继续挖掘就挖出了一具尸体，正是丫环所说的那个模样，脸面肥肿像个活人。宋先生命令家人痛打尸体，只见骨肉顿时破烂，皮肤里全都是清水。