Luo Liangfeng of Yangzhou said of himself that he could see ghosts. Every day at sunset the roads were full of them, and in the houses of the rich and great there were more than anywhere.
They are, on the whole, a few feet shorter than a man, their faces and eyes not clearly distinguishable — one sees only a few strips of black vapour, walking sideways, standing at a slant, whispering and chattering.
They like warmth and good spirits; where men are prosperous they gather and settle, like people following water and grass. Yangzi Yun said: “In the house of the exalted, the ghosts peer down into the hall.” There is a great deal in that.
When ghosts meet a wall or a window-board they pass straight through it, and do not seem to find it an obstacle. They have no dealings with men and do no harm whatever. It is when you see their faces that they are a ghost taking revenge or working mischief.
In poor, hard-pressed, scattered households ghosts come and go very rarely, because the place is cold and the qi is spent — ghosts cannot stomach such bleakness either.
The proverb says, “So poor that ghosts will not call.” It is true.
