Scholar Fang Dong is quite famous in Chang’an city, but he is very frivolous and does not follow proper etiquette. Every time I encounter a woman playing in the suburbs, I rudely follow her behind. On the day before Qingming Festival, he happened to visit the outskirts of the city and saw a small carriage with vermilion curtains and embroidered curtains around it. Several maidservants rode horses and followed behind the carriage. One of the maidservants, riding a small horse, was extremely beautiful in appearance.
Fang Dong leaned forward slightly and stole a glance. He saw that the curtains of the car were pulled open, and there was a fifteen or sixteen year old girl sitting inside. Her makeup was very beautiful, which he had never seen before in his life. Fang Dong’s eyes were hazy and his mind was confused. He followed the car in front and behind, reluctant to leave, and walked several miles like this. Suddenly, the girl in the car called the maid to the side of the car and said, “Put down the curtain for me. Where did this arrogant scholar come from? He came to sneak a peek frequently.” The maid put down the curtain and turned around angrily to look at Fang Dong, saying, “This is the bride of Qilang from Furong City, returning to her mother’s home. She is not a rural woman who let the scholar sneak a peek.” After saying that, she grabbed a handful of soil from the driveway and headed towards Fang Dongyang.
Fang Dong squinted his eyes and couldn’t open them. Just now, he wiped his eyes with his hand, and the girl’s carriage and horse had already left. He returned home in fear and confusion, always feeling uncomfortable in his eyes. Please open your eyelids and see a thin film growing on your eyeball. After a night, the situation worsened and tears flowed uncontrollably. The white film gradually grew larger, and after a few days, it became as thick as a copper coin. On the eyeball on the right, there is a thick, spiral like film of opacities that has been treated with various medications, but none of them have been effective. At this moment, Fang Dong felt extremely regretful and remorseful for his improper actions.
He heard that the Buddhist scripture “Bright Light Sutra” could eliminate disasters, so he held a scroll in his hand and asked someone else to recite it. At first, I felt very irritable while reading, but over time, I gradually got used to it. There was nothing else to do in the morning and evening, just sitting cross legged, twisting beads and reciting sutras. He continued like this for a year, without any messy thoughts. Suddenly, he heard the voice of a small fly in his left eye, saying, “It’s as black as paint, it’s really unbearable.” His right eye responded, “We can go out and play together for a while, and let out this deep breath.” Fang Dong gradually felt something wriggling and itching in his nostrils, as if something had crawled out of them. After a while, it returned and entered the eye socket through the nostrils. They said, “It’s been a long time since I last saw the pavilion in the garden. That pearl orchid is about to die
Fang Dong had a great love for orchids throughout his life. He planted many orchids in the garden and used to water them himself frequently. However, since he lost his sight, he hasn’t paid much attention to them for a long time. Suddenly hearing these words, he hurriedly asked his wife, “How did the orchid get so dry that it almost died?” His wife asked Fang Dong how he knew, and Fang Dong told his wife the truth. My wife looked into the garden and sure enough, the orchid had withered. My wife was surprised and quietly hid in the room to see what was going on. She saw a small person coming out of Fang Dong’s nose, not as big as a bean, wandering around and walking towards the door. As she walked further and further away, she couldn’t see clearly anymore. After a while, the two little people came back with their arms crossed and flew onto Fang Dong’s face, like bees and ants returning to their nests. It went on like this for two or three days.
Fang Dong heard the little person in his left eye say again, “This tunnel is winding and inconvenient to come and go. It’s better to open another door by yourself.” The little person in his right eye said, “The walls of my tunnel are too thick, it’s not easy to open the door.” The person on his left said, “I’ll give it a try. If we can open it, we can just live together.” Fang Dong then felt a slight pain in his left eye socket, like a scratch.
After a while, I opened my eyes and suddenly saw the tables, chairs, and other objects in the room very clearly. Fang Dong happily told his wife. My wife carefully examined and found a small hole in the layer of sebum in her left eye, revealing a shiny black eyeball that was only half the size of a pepper. After one night, the layer of film had completely disappeared.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that two pupils were overlapping. And the thick film on the right eye remained the same, only then did I realize that the two pupils were living together in the same eye socket. Although Fang Dong is blind in one eye, he can see things more clearly than before with two eyes. Since then, he has been more restrained in his behavior, and his fellow villagers have praised his good character. Yishi said: There was a scholar in the village who went out with two friends and saw a young woman riding a donkey in front of him on the way. She jokingly said, ‘There’s a beauty!’ Turning around, she looked at her two friends and said, ‘Chase her!’ The three of them then followed with a smile. When I caught up, it was his daughter-in-law. Feeling ashamed and discouraged, I stopped talking.
My friend pretended not to know and made very obscene comments. The scholar was embarrassed and hesitant, stuttering, “This is my eldest son’s wife!” Then they both chuckled and stopped. Thin and light people often bring shame upon themselves, it’s really ridiculous! As for losing sight in both eyes, it is a painful retribution for ghosts and gods. Lord of Furong City, I don’t know where the deity is. Isn’t it a bodhisattva appearing? The little pupils in the eyes should be like splitting open a small door, making a mistake. Even if ghosts and gods are vicious, they still allow others to reform themselves!
