Spraying Water: The Mysterious Events in Laiyang

A shocking discovery in Laiyang as a family finds lifeless bodies and a mysterious old woman who can spray water like no other.

When Mr. Song Yushu, a resident of Laiyang, served as an official in a certain department, he rented a remote house. One night, two maids were accompanying Mr. Song’s elderly mother in the hall when suddenly they heard a “swooshing” sound in the courtyard, like the sound of a tailor spraying water on clothes. Mrs. Song urged the maids to get up and investigate. The maids secretly made a small hole in the window paper and looked outside. They saw an old lady, short in stature, hunchbacked, with white hair like a broom, and wearing a bun on her head, about two feet long. The old lady walked around the courtyard in circles, taking big steps like a crane, spraying water as she walked, and the water she sprayed seemed endless. The maids were very surprised and returned to tell Mrs. Song. After hearing this, Mrs. Song was also frightened and got out of bed with the help of the two maids. They looked out of the window together. The old lady in the courtyard suddenly approached the window, spraying water directly at the window mullions. The window paper was broken by the water, and all three people in the room fell to the ground, but the people in the house still did not know about these events.

The day had already dawned, and the family had gathered together. They knocked on the door here, but there was no response, which made them panic. When they finally pried open the door and went inside, they saw a master and two servants lying dead in the room side by side. One of the maids still had some warmth in her chest, so they helped her up and gave her water to drink. After an hour, the maid finally regained consciousness, and then she recounted everything she had seen. When Mr. Song arrived, he was filled with unbearable grief. He carefully searched for the place where the old woman had disappeared, dug more than three feet deep, and gradually exposed white hair. Continuing to dig, they unearthed a corpse that matched the maid’s description. The face of the corpse was swollen, resembling a living person. Mr. Song ordered his family to beat the corpse, and they immediately saw the flesh and bones falling apart, and the skin was filled with clear water.

《喷水》

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。