Explore the fascinating life of Yu De, a reclusive scholar known for his mysterious experiences, including an inexplicable water basin, and the secret to longevity.
In Wuchang, there was a villa owned by a man named Yintu Nan. It was once rented by a young scholar for half a year, during which Yintu Nan never inquired about the scholar’s affairs. One day, Yintu Nan encountered the scholar at the villa’s entrance. The scholar appeared very young, dressed elegantly, and had a graceful demeanor. Yintu Nan approached him and found him to be kind and cultured, making him quite likable. Yintu Nan felt that this scholar was not ordinary.
When he returned home, he told his wife about the encounter. His wife sent a maid to visit the scholar under the pretext of presenting gifts and secretly observe their household. She discovered that the scholar’s wife was a beautiful woman, even more enchanting and lovely than a fairy. The rare flowers, exotic rocks, and exquisite clothing and treasures inside the house were all unheard of and unseen.
Yintu Nan couldn’t figure out what the scholar did for a living, so he presented his name card and requested a meeting. Unfortunately, the scholar was out at the time. The next day, the scholar promptly returned the visit. When Yintu Nan examined the name card, he learned that the scholar’s surname was Yu, and his given name was De. During their conversation, Yintu Nan tried to inquire about Yu De’s background in detail, but he evaded the questions and hesitated in his responses.
After persistent questioning, Yu De finally said, “If you wish to associate with me, I won’t unilaterally refuse. However, you should know that I am neither a thief nor a fugitive. Why must you press me to reveal my origins?” Yintu Nan expressed his apologies, and Yu De hosted a banquet to entertain him. They had a jovial time together, and it was only at dusk that two servants arrived with horses and lanterns to escort Yu De away.
The next day, Yu De sent an invitation card to invite Yintu Nan. Yintu Nan went to his house and saw that the walls of the house were covered with bright light paper, shining like mirrors. A golden lion incense burner was burning precious incense. A jade vase held two phoenix tail feathers and two peacock feathers, each over two feet long. A crystal vase held a tree with pink flowers, whose name was unknown, but it was also about two feet tall. The hanging branches covered the table, providing ample shade. The leaves were sparse, and the blossoms were dense, still in bud, resembling butterflies with folded wings after touching water, and the flower buds resembled butterfly antennae.
At the banquet, only eight dishes were served, but they were exceptionally sumptuous and exquisite. Once seated, Yu De instructed a young servant to beat the drum and urge the flower-themed drinking game. As the drum sounded, the flowers in the crystal vase began to tremble and were about to bloom. When the drum stopped, accompanied by a deep drumbeat, the butterfly-like flower buds instantly withered and transformed into actual butterflies, landing on Yintu Nan’s clothes. Yu De stood up with a smile, poured a large cup of wine, Yintu Nan drank it all, and the butterflies flew away.
After a while, the drum sounded again, and both butterflies landed on Yu De’s hat. Yu De chuckled and said, “I’ve doomed myself with this trick.” He then drank two more cups. After three rounds of the drum, flower petals fell in abundance, covering their sleeves and collars. The young servant who beat the drum approached with a smile and counted the points for each of them. The result was that Yintu Nan had to drink nine cups, and Yu De had to drink four cups. Yintu Nan was already slightly intoxicated, unable to finish all his drinks, and he left the table. From then on, he was even more convinced that Yu De was an extraordinary person.
However, Yu De was not fond of socializing. He often lived in seclusion, with no interactions with the people around him for events like weddings, funerals, celebrations, or condolences. Yintu Nan, on the other hand, enthusiastically shared his experiences with everyone he met. As a result, when people heard about such extraordinary events, they eagerly sought to befriend Yu De, and distinguished guests and nobility frequently visited his home.
Yu De became increasingly impatient with this attention, and suddenly, he bid farewell to Yintu Nan and left. After Yu De’s departure, Yintu Nan entered Yu De’s house and found that the courtyard was impeccably clean, with not a speck of dust in sight. Candle wax was neatly stacked under the blue stone steps, and scattered pieces of cloth and torn threads near the windows still bore traces of finger imprints. Only a small white stone basin remained behind the house, capable of holding about a stone’s worth of grain.
Yintu Nan took the stone basin home, filled it with water, and began raising goldfish in it. After a year, the water in the basin remained as clear as when he first poured it in. Later, due to a servant’s carelessness in moving the stones, the stone basin was accidentally shattered. Surprisingly, the water remained cohesive and did not spill. At first glance, it seemed as if the basin was intact, but upon touching it, it felt empty and soft, without any stone basin structure.
When one dipped their hand into the water, it would overflow as the hand extended and gather back when the hand was withdrawn. Even in winter, the water did not freeze. One night, the water suddenly crystallized into ice, but the fish continued to swim inside. Yintu Nan was afraid that others would find out, so he kept it in a secret chamber and only allowed close family members like his son and son-in-law to see it.
Over time, word of the extraordinary water basin spread, and many people clamored to see it, crowding the entrance to his house. On the night of the Winter Solstice, the crystal water suddenly turned back into clear water, leaving the floor damp, and the fish disappeared. It turned out that some fragments of the broken basin still remained. A Taoist priest came to see it, and Yintu Nan showed him the remaining pieces. The Taoist said, “This is an object used by the Dragon Palace to store water.”
Yintu Nan then described the strange phenomenon of the broken basin not spilling water. The Taoist urgently requested to obtain some of the remaining pieces. Yintu Nan asked him what purpose they served, and the Taoist replied, “These fragments, when mixed with medicine, can grant longevity.” Yintu Nan gave the Taoist a piece, and the Taoist gratefully thanked him and left.
《余德》
武昌尹图南，有别第，尝为一秀才税居，半年来，亦未尝过问。一日，遇诸其门，年最少，而容仪裘马，翩翩甚都。趋与语，即又蕴藉可爱。异之。归语妻，妻遣婢托遗问以窥其室。室有丽姝，美艳逾于仙人，一切花石服玩，俱非耳目所经。尹不测其何人，诣门投谒，适值他出。翼日，即来答拜。展其刺呼，始知余姓德名。语次，细审官阀，言殊隐约。固诘之，则曰：“欲相还往，仆不敢自绝。应知非寇窃逋逃者，何须逼知来历？”尹谢之。命酒款宴，言笑甚欢。向暮，有两昆仑捉马挑灯，迎导以去。
明日，折简报主人。尹至其家，见屋壁俱用明光纸裱，洁如镜。金狻猊爇异香。一碧玉瓶，插凤尾孔雀羽各二，各长二尺馀。一水晶瓶，浸粉花一树，不知何名，亦高二尺许，垂枝覆几外，叶疏花密，含苞未吐，花状似湿蝶敛翼，蒂即如须。筵间不过八簋，而丰美异常。既，命童子击鼓催花为令。鼓声既动，则瓶中花颤颤欲拆，俄而蝶翅渐张。既而鼓歇，渊然一声，蒂须顿落，即为一蝶，飞落尹衣。余笑起，飞一巨觥，酒方引满，蝶亦飏去。顷之，鼓又作，两蝶飞集余冠。余笑云：“作法自毙矣。”亦引二觥。三鼓既终，花乱堕，翩翻而下，惹袖沾衿。鼓僮笑来指数，尹得九筹，余四筹。尹已薄醉，不能尽筹，强引三爵，离席亡去。由是益奇之。
然其为人寡交与，每阖门居，不与国人通吊庆。尹逢人辄宣播，闻其异者，争交欢余，门外冠盖常相望。余颇不耐，忽辞主人去。去后，尹入其家，空庭洒扫无纤尘，烛泪堆掷青阶下，窗间零帛断线，指印宛然。惟舍后遗一小白石缸，可受石许。尹携归，贮水养朱鱼。经年，水清如初贮。后为佣保移石，误碎之，水蓄并不倾泻。视之，缸宛在，扪之虚耎。手入其中，则水随手泄，出其手，则复合。冬月亦不冰。一夜，忽结为晶，鱼游如故。尹畏人知，常置密室，非子婿不以示也。久之渐播，索玩者纷错于门。腊夜，忽解为水，阴湿满地，鱼亦渺然。其旧缸残石犹存。忽有道士踵门求之，尹出以示，道士曰：“此龙宫蓄水器也。”尹述其破而不泄之异，道士曰：“此缸之魂也。”殷殷然乞得少许。问其何用，曰：“以屑合药，可得永寿。”予一片，欢谢而去。