Zhang, a gentleman from Hangzhou, said: When my father, Mr. Xingzi(星子先生), served as the educational commissioner in Jiangxi, there was a maidservant who was originally dull but suddenly became clever, surprising the family.
One day, this maid closed the door to take a bath and didn’t come out for a long time. Calls to her went unanswered. Peeking inside, no one was there. Breaking in, they found the bathwater untouched. All the windows were tightly shut, and everything inside was normal, without a speck of dust disturbed. However, there was a small hole in the floor, just big enough for a mouse to pass through. Digging open the floor to investigate, they discovered a hole about a yard deep, and the young maid was sleeping inside, entranced and unresponsive. After pouring some ginger juice, she finally woke up after a long time.
The young maid explained that about a month ago, she had encountered a young woman who treated her kindly and taught her many things. The sudden change from foolishness to cleverness was all thanks to this woman’s teachings.
The maid said, ‘She told me, ‘I have grievances, and I want your master to help me seek justice.’ I agreed but dared not speak to my master. After a few days, the woman came to reproach me for breaking my promise. I told her I was afraid of my master, so I couldn’t do it. The woman said, ‘What you said makes sense. I don’t blame you. I have a beautiful garden; why don’t you come with me for a stroll?’ She then took me to a place with a small red door and a few narrow rooms. I said, ‘There’s nothing to see here; I want to go back.’ The woman said, ‘Let’s sit here for a moment and rest our feet.’ Suddenly, we heard a commotion outside, and the woman hastily left. Only then did I realize that you all came looking for me.’
The family pulled the maid out of the deep hole, and the ghost’s whereabouts remained unknown.
When the young maid reached the age of sixteen or seventeen, the Zhang family married her off. She has been living well, now in her fifties.
Translated from《小婢入穴》in 《子不語》:
張又言：其尊人星子先生督學江西，有小婢甚蠢，忽然伶俐，家人異之。
一日閉門洗浴，久而不出，呼之不應，窺之無人。撬門而入，則浴盆之水尚溫也，四面窗關，纖塵不動，但地板上有小洞，僅容一鼠出入者。啟板尋之，中有穴深丈許，婢臥其中，癡迷不醒。灌以薑汁，良久方蘇，云：「一月之前，遇一少年婦人，待之甚厚，教之甚勤，其忽變蠢為黠者，皆此婦所教也。語我云：『我有冤，要你主人申雪。』我許之，而不敢上言。隔數日，婦來責我失約，我對以畏主人，故不敢。婦云：『你所說亦有理，我不怪你。我有絕好花園，何不同我往游？』遂拉至一處，有小小紅門，狹室數間。我云：『並無可遊，我要回去。』婦人云：『我與你且去小坐片時，養養足力。』忽聞外邊喧嚷聲，婦人驚避而走，方知你們來尋我。」遂拉之出穴，鬼亦杳然。
婢年十六七，隨即嫁人，至今安然無恙，年已五十餘矣。