The Hat That Flew Through the Sky and the Hoe That Dug for Silver

Long ago, in a village, there lived an old woman with her son. He was her only child, and his name was Zhang Cai. The poor family was barely scraping by—they would eat in the morning and go hungry by evening. One day, when there wasn’t even a grain of rice left in the house, Zhang Cai said to his mother:

"Even the waters of the Yellow River can run clear. I refuse to believe that a poor man will never see happiness."

After saying this, the young man set off to the mountains to gather firewood. He reached the mountains, chopped a bundle of firewood, and soon felt overcome by hunger and exhaustion. He lay down on the ground and fell into a deep, sweet sleep. In his dream, he saw an old man with a white beard and a walking staff.

The old man said:

"Poverty has worn you and your mother down. Come, Zhang Cai, to me, beyond the southern mountain. I will give you money."

When the young man woke up, he thought, "Can dreams really be trusted?" He turned over and fell asleep again. But the old man appeared in his dream once more. Three times the young man fell asleep, and three times the old man appeared to him in his dreams. Finally, Zhang Cai decided, "I’ll go there and see for myself whether to believe in dreams or not."

So the young man set off on his journey. He followed the path the old man had shown him in his dream. He passed one mountain, then another, climbed a third, and conquered a fourth. Finally, he reached the Southern Mountain. It was tall and steep, and it took him an entire day to climb it. When he grew hungry, he ate wild fruits and roots. By the time he reached the summit, the sun had already set behind the mountains. He looked down and—oh!—there were so many houses below, all of them new! Overjoyed, the young man raced down the mountain. As he approached the village, he saw a white-bearded old man coming toward him—the very same man he had seen in his dream.

The old man said:

"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Come inside quickly."

Zhang Cai followed the old man through the gates, and inside, he saw such beauty that it was beyond description: fresh grass, young trees. The old man led him to a guest hall, ordered the household to bring wine and snacks, and Zhang Cai ate his fill. The old man then led him to sleep. The bedding was new, the blanket soft and warm. Zhang Cai fell asleep and didn’t wake until the next morning. When he prepared to leave, the old man didn’t stop him. Instead, he gave the young man a straw hat and a small hoe, then escorted him out. As soon as they stepped through the gates, the courtyard, the houses, and the entire village vanished. Zhang Cai took the gifts and began searching for the path that had led him there. He returned to the spot where he had gathered firewood, intending to chop more to sell in the village. He took the hoe, swung it, and struck the ground. To his amazement, where the hoe struck, silver gleamed. He stuffed as much silver as he could under his robe and even into his jacket, then joyfully returned home. When he saw his old mother, he opened his robe and said:

"Look, Mother, how much silver I’ve brought!"

As he spoke, he began laying out the shiny white silver. But his mother grew angry and said:

"Tell me the truth, son. Where did you get this silver—did you steal it or find it on the road? We may be poor, but we must be honest."

Hearing this, Zhang Cai quickly pulled the hoe from his belt and said:

"Do you see this hoe? It’s priceless! When you dig with it, silver appears from the ground!"

The young man told his mother everything from beginning to end, as they say, from root to tip. The old woman was overjoyed. From that day on, they lived happily. Each day was better than the last. Both mother and son had kind hearts, and they shared their silver with their neighbors, who didn’t know how to thank them enough.

In that village lived a landlord nicknamed Sheng Lai-ji—Take-Much-Give-Back. One day, he heard about the magical hoe and the silver. His eyes lit up with greed, and his heart raced. He decided to trick Zhang Cai into giving him the hoe, plotting something wicked.

One day, Zhang Cai set off to the market to buy some goods, taking a cart with him. As he walked, he suddenly saw a girl on the road. She had a round face and arched eyebrows. She looked at Zhang Cai and said:

"I’m exhausted. Please, give me a ride!"

The young man agreed. The girl climbed into the cart and chattered nonstop. When she saw sweat on Zhang Cai’s forehead, she tossed him her handkerchief. When they reached the market, they said their goodbyes. The girl gave him a long, lingering look and a smile.

When Zhang Cai returned home, he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl. One day, as he passed the landlord’s gates, he heard the gate creak, and the same girl stepped out. Zhang Cai realized she was the landlord’s daughter and remembered his mother’s words: "If you get involved with a landlord, he’ll skin you alive, even after death!" His feelings for the girl vanished in an instant, and he hurried away. But the girl closed the gate, still smiling, and followed him, saying:

"I’m not a tiger or a wolf. Don’t run from me!"

She approached him, smiled, and said:

"Ever since we met, not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you. If you want, let’s become husband and wife."

Zhang Cai looked at her—she seemed even more beautiful now—and asked innocently:

"Do you love me?"

The girl laughed and said:

"From the moment I saw you on the road, I loved you. Why else would I have given you my handkerchief?"

She kept persuading him, and the young man’s head began to spin. Sensing she had won his heart, the girl said:

"I see you’re not wealthy. Wait here for me. I’ll quickly gather some things and bring some silver so we won’t have to worry about money."

Hearing this, Zhang Cai believed she truly loved him and replied:

"I won’t deceive you. I have a magical hoe. When you dig with it, silver appears from the ground."

The girl shook her head and said:

"Such hoes don’t exist."

Zhang Cai laughed, pulled the hoe from his belt, and handed it to her:

"If you don’t believe me, take a look!"

But before the girl could take the hoe, the gate creaked open, and the landlord himself burst out. He shoved his daughter back inside, glared at Zhang Cai, and shouted:

"You scoundrel! You tried to steal my daughter!"

He slammed the gate shut and bolted it.

Zhang Cai was left without his hoe. Sad and resentful, he set off to the Southern Mountain to find the white-bearded old man. He walked and walked, growing tired. He sat down under a tree by the road to rest, closed his eyes, and dozed off. Once again, he saw the white-bearded old man in his dream.

The old man said:

"Don’t be sad, Zhang Cai. Remember, I gave you a hat? That hat can pierce the sky and take you wherever you wish. It will also hide you from people’s eyes."

The young man returned home, took the invisible hat, and was overjoyed. He raised it above his head and said:

"Hat, hat, take me to the tower in the landlord’s backyard."
The young man spoke thus, put on his hat, and felt himself lifted up, carried into the sky. Meanwhile, the landowner's daughter was sitting by the window at that very moment, admiring the trees and flowers. Suddenly, she heard something hit the floor. It was Zhang Cai, who had landed right in front of her, saying:

"Give me back my hoe!"

The girl heard someone speaking but couldn't see who it was.

Frightened, she asked:

"Are you an evil spirit or a shapeshifter?"

"I am neither an evil spirit nor a shapeshifter. I am Zhang Cai."

Hearing that it was Zhang Cai, the girl clutched her head, began to cry, and said:

"Finally, you've come! I've been sitting by the window all day, thinking of you."

Seeing the girl crying and grieving, the young man felt pity for her and said:

"Close your eyes, and let's run away from here!"

Zhang Cai placed the girl on his back, and the wind began to howl and whistle. Before the girl could even comprehend what was happening, they had already landed on the ground. She opened her eyes and saw water churning all around. Zhang Cai hadn't told the hat where to fly, so it had carried them to an island in the middle of the sea. There were no houses or huts here, only mountains. Zhang Cai took off his hat, stood before the girl, and asked:

"Where did you hide my hoe?"

The girl replied sweetly and gently:

"I hid your hoe in a safe place. But I couldn't meet with you. Since that day, my father hasn't taken his eyes off me, keeping watch. Today, no one will stop us from becoming husband and wife. Now, tell me the truth—how did the wind bring us here?"

Zhang Cai looked at the girl and asked:

"Do you truly love me? Are you not deceiving me?"

"I'm not deceiving you. If I were, I would have screamed when you entered my house."

The young man believed her and told her everything in order, even letting her look at the hat. After listening to him, the girl twirled the hat in her hands, said nothing, and complained of hunger. Zhang Cai looked around and said:

"Don't worry. Do you see how many apple trees are on that mountain? Be patient for a little while, and I'll pick some apples."

Having said this, the young man ran toward the mountain.

The girl waited until Zhang Cai had gone far enough, then put on the hat and shouted:

"Hat, hat, take me home quickly!"

As soon as she said this, she was lifted into the sky.

The hat carried her straight back home. Meanwhile, the young man gathered some apples and returned. He looked around—the girl and the hat were gone. He realized he had been deceived. It was already getting dark. Fierce beasts began to howl and roar on the mountains. Terrified, Zhang Cai climbed a tall tree. Soon, the moon rose. Sitting in the tree, Zhang Cai saw a monkey and a fox passing by, talking.

The monkey said:

"Brother Fox! Did you see? We came across two trees on our way: one peach, the other plum. Know this: whoever eats the peaches will become a monster, like you and me, but whoever eats the plums will turn into a handsome, stately person."

Zhang Cai heard every word from beginning to end.

Finally, dawn broke, and the wolves, tigers, and leopards all hid away. Zhang Cai climbed down from the tree and headed toward the mountain. Suddenly, he smelled peaches—so delicious! He sniffed the air and said:

"How delicious it smells! How sweet it smells!"

The young man followed the scent and soon found a tree laden with peaches, rosy and juicy, each the size of a fist. Remembering the monkey's words, he immediately understood what kind of tree it was. He broke off a branch with two peaches and continued on his way. Suddenly, he caught the scent of plums. He found the plum tree, its fruit blue and shiny. He immediately understood what kind of tree it was. Reaching out, he picked a plum, thinking, "Let me test if the monkey told the truth or not." He wiped the peach, took a bite—the juice was overwhelming! After three bites, the peach was gone. He wiped his mouth with his hand and noticed hair growing on his hand. He looked at his other hand—it was also hairy. He touched his cheeks—they were covered in fur. Disgusted, he quickly ate the plum. He looked at his hand—the hair was gone. But what about his face? He rushed to the sea, looked into the clear water—and saw someone else! He was incredibly handsome!

The night passed, and Zhang Cai hid in the tree again. Suddenly, he saw a white-bearded old man approaching him, saying:

"Do you want to go home? Close your eyes and grab the hem of my robe, but hold on tight!"

Zhang Cai closed his eyes and grabbed the hem of the robe. The wind howled and whistled. In the blink of an eye, the young man was home. He wanted to thank the old man, but before he could even react, the old man vanished. His mother was sitting on the doorstep, crying bitterly.

Zhang Cai approached his mother and called out:

"Mom!"

The next day, Zhang Cai went to the landowner's garden. He jumped over the wall, parted the branches, and saw the landowner's daughter admiring flowers with her maid. He placed the branch with peaches among the other branches and quietly left. The girl was playing when suddenly she caught a wonderful scent.

She asked her maid:

"Where is this delicious smell coming from?"

The maid went to look and found a peach. Astonished, she picked it up and brought it to her mistress. The girl looked at it in wonder. Where could a ripe peach come from in spring? The peach was fragrant and fresh. Her mouth watered. She didn't wipe it but took a bite—delicious! She ate the whole peach. Instantly, hair grew on her face and body, her mouth stretched forward, and her eyes bulged out. The maid, terrified, screamed:

"A shapeshifter, a shapeshifter!"

Hearing the scream, the landowner and his wife rushed out, only to find their daughter gone. What a disaster! They collapsed to the ground and died on the spot.

Hearing of this, Zhang Cai ran to the landowner's house, opened the cabinets and painted chests, and took back the hoe that dug silver and the hat that flew through the sky.

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The Hat That Flew Through the Sky and the Hoe That Dug for Silver

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