By Lu Chunxiang

Animal Love

By Lu Chunxiang

A Beloved Couple of Ducks There is an interesting storyof“Shen’s ducks”toldinGu Qiyuan’sKezuozhuiyu, a 17th century(Ming Dynasty)collection of historical notes.

ShenZhiwen,a friendoftheauthor, raisedacoupleof ducks.One day,when Shen decided to kill the male duck for food,he confined the duck in an upturned bamboo crate.In a while,the female duck came and kept walking around the crate,and she just could not be driven away or coaxed to eat. Shen managed to kill the male duck, and then put the corpse into a pot of boiling water to defeather it.Suddenly the female duck wailed,and by plunging into the pot ended her own life.

Shen and his family were astounded,and their nature of sympathy was awakened.They buried the beloved couple in a bamboo garden behind their house,and swore not to eat any duck in the rest of their lives.

This story is different from the prototype oftraditionalanimal stories in China which generallyhighlights karma or favor requiting.It’s not telling us an animal-centered fairy tale,but a truth that intimacy,if not love,is cherished by animals as well.

The female duck’s deduction corresponds to that of many a human in love.It is brief,but universal.

Weasel Parents Rescuing Their Kids

Sun Guangxian,an official and writer living in the Five Dynasties Period (10th century),wroteBeimengsuoyan, a collection of short stories,when he workedforthegovernmentofJingzhou city.He was,as appraised,a serious writer who would not record any story in his collection before he verified it.

In Volume XII(“The Wisdom of Weasels”)ofBeimengsuoyan,we can see how the smart and brave weasel parents saved their kids.

In the eastern suburbs of the imperial capital,there was Premier Zhang’s manoruponahill.Afamilyof weasels lived happily in the manor, too.One day,when the weasel parents went out looking for food,a hungry serpent raided their den and swallowed the four baby weasels in it.

The weasel parents might feel something ominous and came back earlier than usual.They were very sad to find the intruder with his obviously bulging belly,but soon calmed down.The parents made by great effort a soil mound to seal the entrance of their den,yet leaving a small hole in the size of the serpent’s head.

Then the weasel parents hid themselves nearby and waited patiently.In a long while,the serpent put his head out of the hole,and then attempted to move outside bit by bit.When the serpent managed to make half of his body out of the den,the weasel couple suddenly attacked,biting the intruder into two parts.The valiant parents then got into the serpent’s belly,and went out with holding the kids in their mouths.

It was so lucky that the weasel babies were all alive!The parents immediately took the four kids to a safe place,andthenspreadthekids’wounds with chewed herbal leaves. The little guys all made it and recuperated soon.Well,and they lived happily ever after…

The love of parents is an instinct of animals,includingthosewhocall themselves human.With this instinct, sometimes a wonder of incredible wisdom and power will be shown.(From Xihu,Vol.3,2015.Tranlation:Wang Xiaoke.Illustration:Imao Keinen)