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SUNG HOK-P'ANG
Pooi To stayed with Lau about 30 days, and then returned to Lei. One day, just at daybreak Pooi To asked his host to make him a new coat, and said that he wanted it by noon. Lei started off at once to make it, but when noon came it was not finished, so Pooi To said "I want to go out for a while, but I will return this evening." Even came but Pooi To did not come back. Lei noticed a very sweet smell filling the house, and wondering where the fragrance came from, he went out and traced it to a stone cave. There he found Pooi To lying dead. His old torn coat was beneath him, but round his head and feet a lot of water-lilies were growing. Much grieved Lei left the cave, and the next morning he came back with a coffin. He found the water-lilies all dead, but Pooi To still there, so he buried him and went home sadly. Several days later a traveller from the North visited Lei and mentioned that he had seen Pooi To walking with his rice basket towards a place called P'aang Sheng (). Lei was astonished and could not believe it, an argument follow- ed, and to prove he was right Lei took the traveller to where Pooi To had been buried. With much effort Lei dug up the coffin, and opened it. All that was inside was a pair of old shoes.
When Pooi To arrived at Paang Sheng a very poor scholar named Wong Yan (k) entertained him in his house. Wong was ashamed of his poverty and being only able to give his guest corn to eat, but Pooi To said "This is the best food in the world". After staying with him about six months Pooi To said to Wong one day, "I have need of thirty-six rice baskets. Get them at once for me". Wong was much distressed and answered "I have only got ten and I am so poor I cannot afford to buy more, what can I do?" Pooi To comforted him, and said “There is no need to buy, look about your house". Wong did what he was told, and in all sorts of corners rice baskets appeared, until he found to his amazement that he had collected thirty-six in his yard. Most of them were dirty and broken, but Pooi To told him to go round and count them again carefully, after which they all appeared quite new. Then Pooi To wrapped each basket up separately and when that was done, he told Wong to open them again. Each basket was full of coins. Wong did not keep all the money himself, but gave generously to others in need.
Pooi To stayed with Wong for a year, and then quite suddenly he said one day "I must go". Wong hastened to cook a farewell meal, but, even before it was ready Pooi To had disappeared as mysteriously as he had come.
About a month later Pooi To appeared in a place called Ng Kwan (B) a prefecture in the East of China. Pooi To walked by the sea shore and met an old fisherman, and begged a fish from him. The fisherman refused, but after Pooi To had continued to worry him for some time, he picked up a very stale and putrifying fish, and threw it to him roughly. Pooi To took the fish, and held it up admiringly. Then he tossed it back into the sea, and the fish swam away. Pooi To went on to another fisherman, who had a net. He again begged to be given a fish, but he was told to go away. So Pooi To picked up two small stones and threw them into the net, and instantly two buffaloes appeared in the net, fighting with
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
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