"What kind of ghost stories are you talking about? I've heard countless ones," Xiang Xiaotong asked. "Which kind do you mean?"
"My mom told me one when I was little. She said that after people died, their thoughts could become different from when they were alive—savage, extreme, and evil." Song He said, "For example, an old man might dote on his grandson while alive, but after dying, if his grandson kowtowed too few times, the old man might resent him enough to visit him in a dream and frighten him into falling ill."
"Oh! You mean that kind? Have you read Yuan Mei's Zi Bu Yu?" Xiang Xiaotong asked.
"No."
"Zi Bu Yu has a short story about two scholars from the same hometown in Nanchang, one old and one young, who were studying away from home together. One night, the old man suddenly died, and his soul came to bid farewell to the young man. He looked sorrowful and asked the young man to deliver a message to his family and arrange various matters after his death."
"At first, the young man was terrified. But the old man's soul was polite and sincere, just as he had been while alive, so the young man gradually relaxed. He even asked the old man to sit down and chat a little longer."
"Once the old man got started, he talked about all the regrets he'd had throughout his life and burst into tears. After a while, he said, 'I have to go,' and stood up. The young man couldn't help shedding tears as well."
"But after the old man stood up, he suddenly stopped moving. His face twisted, his eyes bulged, and his expression became ferocious, revealing the appearance of a vengeful ghost. Then he suddenly lunged at the young man!"