Explore the astonishing story of Zhucheng, where a man's head laughed off but didn't die, leading to a bizarre lawsuit years later.
Mr. Sun Jingxia, a teacher at the county school, said that in Zhucheng County, someone encountered bandits causing havoc. He was killed and his head hung in front of his chest. After the bandits retreated, his family found his corpse and intended to carry it away for burial. However, they heard a faint breath and upon closer examination, they found that his throat had been cut by a finger’s width, but not completely severed. So, his family supported his head and carried him back home. After a day and a night, he began to moan, and his family fed him a little food with a spoon and chopsticks. Surprisingly, half a year later, he had completely recovered.
More than ten years later, this man gathered with two or three people for a chat. Someone told a joke that made everyone burst into laughter, and this man also applauded and laughed heartily. Unexpectedly, in the midst of laughing heartily, the wound on his throat suddenly burst open, and his head fell to the ground, blood gushing out. Everyone saw that he had already passed away. His father accused the person who told the joke. They collected some money, sent it, and paid for the burial expenses to settle the matter.
Yi Shi said: A laughter that laughed the head off, this is the greatest laughter in history. The head was connected to the neck by a thread but didn’t die, and it was only after ten years that it led to a lawsuit caused by laughter. Isn’t it the result of those two or three neighbors in their past lives owing him a debt!
《诸城某甲》
学师孙景夏先生言：其邑中某甲者，值流寇乱，被杀，首坠胸前。寇退，家人得尸，将舁瘗之，闻其气缕缕然，审视之，咽不断者盈指。遂扶其头，荷之以归。经一昼夜始呻，以匕箸稍稍哺饮食，半年竟愈。又十馀年，与二三人聚谈。或作一解颐语，众为哄堂，甲亦鼓掌。一俯仰间，刀痕暴裂，头堕血流。共视之，气已绝矣。父讼笑者。众敛金赂之，又葬甲，乃解。
异史氏曰：一笑头落，此千古第一大笑也。颈连一线而不死，直待十年后，成一笑狱，岂非二三邻人，负债前生者耶！