Time: 2013-03-05 12:48 Source: "Story Club" Author: Straw Hat\During the day, he was a clay doll; at night, he would turn back into human form. However, the even more magical part came later...\Midnight Doll\During the Tang Dynasty, on Yanzi Street, there lived a clay figure craftsman named Fang Menglong, who was past the age of thirty and still unmarried. Next door lived a small-time rogue named Ma San, who was lazy and fond of eating, and often got involved in petty theft.\One night, Ma San had drunk several pots of wine and only staggered home around midnight. After entering, he was about to change clothes when he suddenly heard the crying of a baby from the next room. Ma San found it very strange – what baby could there be at this late hour?\The next morning, Ma San couldn't help but ask Fang Menglong: “Brother Fang, why was there the crying of a baby in your room last night?” Fang Menglong shook his head and said: “Brother Ma, I am a single man; where would a baby come from? If such words get out, the authorities might come after me.”\Ma San slyly nodded: “Perhaps I heard it wrong last night because I was drunk!” That night, Ma San extinguished his oil lamp early, then pressed his ear to the wall to eavesdrop. After midnight, the crying of a baby came from next door again. Ma San rushed out of his house and beat on Fang Menglong's shop door with all his might: “Brother Fang, if you don't open the door, I will report this to the authorities!”\Fang Menglong was frightened and hurriedly opened the door. Indeed, he was holding a newborn baby in his arms, plump and fair, waving its little hands and crying loudly. Ma San was stunned. Fang Menglong blushed and said: “Brother Ma, please come in and talk!” Ma San, full of doubt, entered.\It turned out that Fang Menglong was the only heir of three generations, and he had always dreamed of having a baby. But his family was poor, and no matchmaker would come to arrange a marriage. A month ago, Fang Menglong dug up some clay from Guanyin Mountain. That night, he had a strange dream: In the dream, a newborn baby kept calling him 'father.' When he woke, Fang Menglong was filled with excitement and used the newly dug clay to form the baby from his dream. After finishing, Fang Menglong couldn't bear to let go and held the clay baby as he fell asleep.\After midnight, Fang Menglong was suddenly awakened by the crying of a baby. When he opened his eyes, the clay baby in his arms had actually come to life, now bare-bottomed, lying on the edge of the bed eagerly waiting to be fed. Fang Menglong pinched his thigh – this was no dream, it was really a blessing from the Bodhisattva.Fang Menglong was overjoyed, kissing the baby over and over, and held him while sleeping.\ Who would have thought, after dawn, the baby had turned back into a clay figure, and Fang Menglong couldn't help but weep bitterly. However, at midnight the clay figure again transformed into the baby. Fang Menglong suddenly realized that the baby was half human, half clay. During the day, he was a clay doll; at midnight, he turned back into human form. From then on, Fang Menglong looked forward to the arrival of midnight every day. Even though he was only a midnight baby, Fang Menglong loved him dearly.\ After hearing this, Ma San was so shocked that his eyes widened. He looked at the baby again and again, and then he believed it. Fang Menglong timidly said: "Brother Ma, you must keep this secret for me!" Ma San patted his chest: "Of course, Brother Fang, congratulations on having a precious child, I hardly need to say more!"\ After returning to his room, Ma San began to hatch a devious plan: since the magical clay could turn into a living person, why not keep it for himself? Early the next morning, while Fang Menglong went to fetch wine, Ma San stole the clay baby away. Then, he rode south, fleeing in panic.\ At sunset, Ma San arrived at a bustling market. At the corner of an alley, he found an old man who sculpted clay figures. Seeing the old man's good craftsmanship, Ma San took out a silver ingot and handed him the clay baby, saying: "Make me the most beautiful woman!"\ The old man nodded, skillfully kneading the clay baby. In the time it took for three incense sticks to burn, a breathtakingly beautiful woman appeared in the old man's hands. Seeing this, Ma San was overjoyed, wrapped up the clay beauty, and led his horse away. In fact, he had already made detailed plans to spend the night with the beauty. After a while, when he grew tired of her, he could have the old man reshape another one. In this way, he would be happier than an emperor.\ Bringing the Dead to Life\ Ma San walked around the market, then hurriedly checked into an inn. In his room, Ma San set up a table with food and wine, serving himself and drinking alone. Unconsciously, he had finished two pots of wine and then slumped over the table, falling into a deep sleep.\ When he woke up, it was past midnight. In the dim light, Ma San saw a peerless beauty sitting at the bedside, her appearance and dress exactly like the clay beauty. Ma San's heart raced, and emboldened by the alcohol, he wanted to embrace the woman.\ At that moment, with a "thud," the door was suddenly kicked open. Ma San instinctively turned his head and saw two constables and a maid standing at the doorway.The maid looked flustered, and the two constables shouted in unison: "You unruly commoner! How dare you forcibly snatch a civilian woman in broad daylight? What crime deserves this?" Ma San was both shocked and frightened, and was hauled back to the county office by the two constables.
The maid, still in a panic, hurried to report to the county magistrate: "My lord, I saw a woman who looks very much like the young lady! This woman also has a rose-colored birthmark on her arm, exactly like Miss's!"
The county magistrate was greatly alarmed and quickly got up to change clothes. He entered the back hall and saw his wife clutching the woman, crying bitterly. However, the woman's eyes were vacant, as if she had lost her soul. No matter how the wife questioned her, she remained unresponsive. The wife choked back tears and said, "My lord, I know Rong'er is not dead. Look, she has finally returned!" The county magistrate looked at the woman over and over, unable to hold back his tears: "She really looks so alike! Could it be that there really is a way to bring the dead back to life?"
It turned out that the county magistrate's daughter, Rong'er, unfortunately fell into a river and drowned at the age of sixteen, leaving the magistrate and his wife heartbroken. On that day, the maid Xiao Cui happened to see Ma San at the market, proudly holding a clay figure. Upon closer inspection, Xiao Cui realized that the clay figure was actually the young lady. So Xiao Cui secretly followed Ma San and saw him buy red silk and incense candles. She tracked him to the inn and then returned to the county office to inform the two constables. Sure enough, they caught Ma San red-handed…
That night, the county magistrate's wife insisted on sharing the bed with the woman. The magistrate had no choice but to agree. Of course, he was not deluded. Three years ago, he had personally witnessed his daughter being enclosed in the coffin and buried. This woman must be someone else's daughter. She was dazed and could not speak, so he decided to wait until the next day to interrogate Ma San, when everything would become clear.
Early the next morning, Xiao Cui came in a panic to report: "My lord, something strange has happened—the woman… has turned into a clay figure!"
The magistrate hurried to see and found his wife holding the clay figure, crying inconsolably. The magistrate ordered that Ma San be interrogated immediately. Before the court, Ma San concealed nothing and confessed everything. Upon hearing this, the magistrate was both amazed and curious and ordered people to capture the old man who made the clay figures. The old man also did not dare lie.
It turned out that three years ago, the old man had a chance encounter with Rong'er at the market. At that time, the old man was struck by her beauty and had since memorized her appearance.Yesterday, Ma San wanted the most beautiful woman, so the old man casually sculpted a figure resembling Rong'er. Unexpectedly, the clay beauty actually came to life.\ The county magistrate, upon hearing this, was both surprised and delighted. Unfortunately, during the day, Rong'er was still a cold clay figure. For the current solution, the only option was to capture Fang Menglong; perhaps then there would be a way to remedy the situation. So, he ordered that Fang Menglong be brought in for questioning.\ By a twist of fate\ As it happened, Fang Menglong, that day, happily returned carrying a gourd of wine. When he arrived at his room, he found the clay doll had vanished. He looked for Ma San, but found no trace of him. Fang Menglong thought that the clay doll must have been stolen by Ma San. With that thought, he couldn't help but burst into tears and drank himself into a stupor. Only when two constables came to arrest him did he awaken from his drunken stupor.\ In the courtroom, the county magistrate recounted the whole story. After hearing it, Fang Menglong was furious: "Ma San, how could you do this to me? Poor my little doll…" The county magistrate advised: "Fang Menglong, the matter has reached this point; we can only deliberate with patience!"\ Fang Menglong pleaded: "Your honor, please return the clay figure to this humble man, so that he may be reunited with his son!" The county magistrate naturally refused: "You…aren't you making things difficult for me? Now that your doll is gone, how can I hand over my young daughter?"\ Fang Menglong gave a bitter smile: "If that's the case, I have nothing more to say. This sacred land was never mine; now that it pleases Your Honor, that too can be considered a good deed!" Seeing that Fang Menglong had no clever plan, the magistrate had no choice but to release the three of them.\ The more Ma San thought about it, the angrier he became. Originally, he had hoped the clay figure would allow him to have three palaces and six courtyards. Who knew he would lose both his lady and suffer a defeat? Feeling unjust, that night Ma San secretly sneaked into the county office and stole the clay beauty. But just as Ma San escaped from the county office, he was discovered by two night patrol constables. In panic, Ma San ran to a dilapidated temple. Seeing the pursuers coming, fearing being caught red-handed, he casually threw the clay beauty onto a pile of straw and escaped through a broken window.\ Meanwhile, Fang Menglong, after leaving the county office, was utterly disheartened. He entered a tavern, ordered several pots of wine, and drank until midnight. Drunk to the point of staggering, Fang Menglong walked forward unsteadily. Unconsciously, he even entered that old temple and collapsed onto a pile of dry straw, falling asleep. Little did he know, just before he entered the temple, Ma San had secretly thrown the clay beauty onto the pile of straw.Around the fourth watch of the night, Fang Menglong woke up groggily from his dream. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to see a half-naked stranger woman lying beside him. It turned out that after midnight, the Mud Beauty had returned to human form.
At that moment, the county magistrate suddenly led his officers in and broke down the door. Seeing the situation, the magistrate was so angry that his beard crooked: “Fang Menglong, how dare you flirt with the county magistrate's daughter…” Fang Menglong was taken back to the county office. At the same time, the other two officers captured Ma San and brought him in as well. Both knelt in the court hall, neither uttering a sound.
The magistrate slammed the desk: “Filial villain, you forcibly took a woman. What crime should you face?” Ma San remained calm: “May I ask, my lord, which woman's daughter did this commoner abduct?”
The magistrate was momentarily speechless: “This…” Ma San laughed loudly: “To my knowledge, three years ago, the magistrate's daughter had already passed away. That woman was half-mud, half-human, taken by you, my lord. And yet you still blame me?” The magistrate had no response.
At this time, Xiao Cui leaned by the door curtain and secretly gestured to the magistrate. The magistrate understood and hurried into the back hall. It turned out that his wife, having heard of the matter, had already devised a perfect solution. She said, “Husband, since it has come to this, why not go with the flow and marry Rong'er to Fang Menglong?” The magistrate shook his head: “No!”
His wife became angry: “I think it works. Fenglong may be a craftsman, but he has delicate features and a prosperous look. Now, Rong'er cannot bear the daylight and has had her honor tarnished. If she doesn't marry Fang Menglong, who else could she possibly marry?” The magistrate had no choice but to nod.
Back at the court hall, the magistrate slammed the desk: “Tomorrow night, Fang Menglong is ordered to marry my young daughter, Rong'er!” Fang Menglong was alarmed: “My lord, I…”
The magistrate was furious: “What? You have tarnished my daughter's honor and still dare not marry her?” Fang Menglong was too scared to speak.
At this time, Ma San timidly asked: “My lord, what about me?” The magistrate smiled: “Since you helped deliver the daughter, you are specially appointed as the matchmaker!” Ma San stiffened in anger, sitting frozen on the ground.
The next night, the magistrate's residence was decorated with bright lanterns and the sound of drums and gongs filled the air, as Fang Menglong and Rong'er were wed. Strangely, after the wedding night, Rong'er never returned to being the Mud Beauty, and her memory was also fully restored.
A year later, Rong'er gave birth to a plump, healthy baby.When Menglong was holding the doll in his arms, he suddenly felt that the doll seemed familiar. It turned out that it was the clay doll he had made back then...
