In Qinghe District in Guangping Prefecture of Beizhi there was a very rich man. The surname of this rich man was Pan and he was called Pan Big Door. The wealth of this family was enormous and they were keeping a lot of bondservants and maids, they sure had a lot of servants. Since his family was so wealthy, people called him Pan Big Door. About ten years earlier he had bought a small servant girl from somewhere else. He had bought her at the age of five. When she was bought into his household, the only thing they were caring about was to bind her feet carefully, because formerly the women in the feudal society of China had better get their feet bound. Her feet were bound into extremely small size. How small were they? They measured less than three inches.
In the feudal society of former times such small feet only three inches long were called ‘golden lotuses’. Therefore they gave her the name Jinlian: Golden Lotus, and because in the feudal society of former times the servants had to adopt the clan name of their master, she also got the surname Pan and was called Pan Jinlian.
When Pan Jinlian reached the age of about twenty, she became of extraordinary beauty. She was just like a flower and a piece of jade. Every now and then when she had nothing else to do she would go to the study of Old Master Pan to serve him tea and prepare hot napkins for him. Who would have suspected that as time went by, little by little, the old man was growing evil intentions: at first he was joking with her and making her laugh, and soon he proceeded to patting her and fondling her. Who would have imagined that someone reported this to Her Ladyship behind his back? Who was Her Ladyship? Her Ladyship was the wife of Old Master Pan. Can you imagine how furious and angry Her Ladyship was when she heard about this? My goodness! She was as angry as a scabby monkey! She immediately ordered somebody to fetch Pan Jinlian and bring her in, and then she said to her:
"My girl!"
"Yes, madam!"
"I have heard that the old itchy-bone is not quite proper towards you, that he is nasty to you. Let me tell you: You don’t dare to yield to him! If you do yield to his wishes, I’ll crush you completely!"
"I see!"
That conversation might have been the end of it. Who would have imagined that afterwards it was still the same, things were like before.
Again someone told Her Ladyship about the situation, and you can imagine that when Her Ladyship heard this she became even more furious, even more angry! She said to herself: ‘You little cunning slave-girl, you certainly do not listen to me, so what am I to do?’ She gave it another thought and then she got it: ‘The best thing to do is to marry her off. I shall push her right into living hell! The man I’ll find for her shall be three parts inhuman and four parts devilish, a complete monster. In this way she will never have a chance to turn her fate for the better.’
Accordingly, Her Ladyship ordered somebody to go and get hold of an old matchmaker in the neighborhood and bring her in. When the old matchmaker had arrived, Her Ladyship told her about her own plans of getting Jinlian married. If you were Her Ladyship, you would probably tell the matchmaker what kind of husband you had in mind for Jinlian, wouldn’t you? But she didn’t say a word about it, and the matchmaker didn’t ask either. Why did the old matchmaker not ask? The matchmaker said to herself: ‘I guess that business men would make suitable husbands’. Why? Because business men are beyond high class and low class. So well so far! On this very day she gathered seven or eight persons in the neighborhood, all of them young fellows and all of them very handsome. She brought them with her to the Pan mansion so that Her Ladyship might have a look.
Her Ladyship took her seat in the hall and was sitting behind a pair of curtains. On both sides maidservants and slave girls were lined up. At this point the matchmaker selected among the seven or eight youngsters that she had brought along the most handsome boy. What met the eye was a young man of delicate features, white teeth and red lips, and dressed in his very best. Next, one could see this young fellow step forward and take up his position below the curtains. When he had taken up his position, he looked up in the direction of Her Ladyship, and smiling all over his face he clasped his hands in salutation:
"Your Ladyship! May I pay my respects to Your Ladyship!"
When he had paid his respects, one could see him retreat one step and take up a standing position with his toes pointing outwards. He folded his left hand into a fist and put it on his hip, the thumb of his right hand was pointing straight upwards, the tip of his nose was bright as gold and he kept himself so straight that his breast stuck out. How come? This young fellow was as happy as can be, and no wonder! Why was he so happy? He said to himself: ‘I am the most handsome of all the young people that have come here today! Pan Jinlian will surely be mine, no doubt about it!’ So he was happy, standing there with his breast protruding like that and his thumb pointing straight upwards.
Her Ladyship was sitting above him, behind the curtains, observing this young man an extra time. Her Ladyship lifted her brows. Why? He was no use. Why was he no use? He was much too handsome. If she married Pan Jinlian to him, it would make the girl very satisfied, it would make her happy. Would that work, perhaps? ‘I want to marry her off to an unbearably ugly man. This one is no use!’ He was no use, but Her Ladyship didn’t want to embarrass herself by addressing him. What does that mean? She just gave a wink to her chambermaid right beside her, indicating to her what she had in mind. As soon as her chambermaid had taken the hint, she knew what to do. Then one could see the chambermaid step forwards and raise her hand to lift the curtain, looking down at the old matchmaker below:
"Dear granny!"
"Yes, madam!"
"Her Ladyship would like to tell you, that she finds this gentleman really not bad-looking, but his breast is a little bit too protruding. She’s afraid it might be an ill omen for the future."
"Oh, my!"
That young fellow was furious. How come? Just by sticking out his breast, he had lost a wife!
Then it was time for the next one to be introduced. [...]