Explore the strange tale of a resident in Changshan County who encountered a short visitor with mysterious intentions, leading to suspicions of fox involvement near an ancient tomb.
In Changshan County, there was a resident who often had a short visitor come to visit whenever he had free time, and they would chat endlessly as soon as the visitor arrived. Since they were complete strangers, the resident often harbored suspicions. One day, the short visitor said, “In three to five days, I’ll be moving, and then we’ll be neighbors.” After four or five days, the visitor said, “Now we are already from the same village, and we can talk anytime.” The resident asked, “Where did you move your home to?” The visitor didn’t provide specific details, just pointed north with his hand. From then on, this visitor came almost every day, sometimes borrowing tools from others. Some people hesitated to lend him, but soon, the tools inexplicably disappeared. Everyone suspected that the short visitor was a fox.
At that time, there was an ancient tomb to the north of the village, already deep underground, and no one knew how deep it was. People speculated that the fox family was there. So, the villagers gathered around the ancient tomb in the north, holding knives, spears, and wooden sticks. Some people lay on the ground and listened carefully, but there was no sound for a long time. When it was almost midnight, people heard voices from the hole, as if dozens or hundreds of people were whispering. The villagers held their breath and didn’t move. Suddenly, they saw a large group of small beings, a little over a foot tall, continuously crawling out of the hole. There were so many of them that it was impossible to count them all. The villagers shouted and began to strike the small beings. Each strike produced sparks, and the small beings disappeared in an instant. They left behind only a small hairpin, about the size of a walnut shell, made of gauze and wrapped with gold thread. It emitted a strange and foul smell that was difficult to describe in words.
《小髻》
长山居民某，暇居，辄有短客来，久与扳谈。素不识其生平，颇注疑念。客曰：“三数日，将便徙居，与君比邻矣。”过四五日，又曰：“今已同里，旦晚可以承教。”问：“乔居何所？”亦不详告，但以手北指。自是，日辄一来，时向人假器具，或吝不与，则自失之。群疑其狐。村北有古冢，陷不可测，意必居此。共操兵杖往。伏听之，久无少异。一更向尽，闻穴中戢戢然，似数十百人作耳语。众寂不动。俄而尺许小人，连遱而出，至不可数。众噪起，并击之。杖杖皆火，瞬息四散。惟遗一小髻，如胡桃壳然，纱饰而金线。嗅之，骚臭不可言。