Zhou Tianyi, a scholar from Huaishang nearing fifty, had only one son, Kechang, who was deeply spoiled by his parents. By the time Zhou Kechang reached thirteen or fourteen, he possessed a handsome appearance and distinguished bearing, yet he utterly despised studying, frequently skipping lessons and refusing to return home until late into the night. One dusk, Zhou Kechang had once again vanished without a trace. His parents searched everywhere for over ten days with no success. Realizing their son was likely doomed, they wept uncontrollably, consumed by grief.

A year spun by, and then suddenly, the "Zhou Kechang" reappeared, claiming, "Your son was abducted by a wicked Daoist but fortunately escaped death. Once, when the Daoist was away, I knocked out the guard and seized the opportunity to flee." Zhou Tianyi noted the youth’s refined demeanor, so different from the flighty, impulsive boy of a year prior, and felt a stirring of suspicion. However, the joy of having his son back far outweighed his doubts, so he did not press for details at that moment.

After returning home, "Zhou Kechang's" writing talent soared, his intellect magnified tenfold. Within a year, he passed the Xiucai examination, gaining renown throughout the region. Noble families vied to form connections with him, sending portraits of their daughters, all of which "Zhou Kechang" uniformly refused. His parents, seeing his disinclination toward marriage, grew secretly anxious. Hearing that Miss Zhao was exceptionally beautiful and her father a Jinshi, they took it upon themselves to force the union.

After their wedding, the young couple shared a harmonious relationship, filled with cheerful banter. Yet, "Zhou Kechang" maintained strict propriety, always sleeping alone, utterly unwilling to violate his wife. Another year slipped by, and "Zhou Kechang" calmly participated in the Autumn Imperial Examination, successfully securing the title of Juren.

His son’s achievements brought Zhou Tianyi immense satisfaction. But as he aged, his only desire now was to soon hold a grandson. When he raised the matter with his son, "Zhou Kechang" merely smiled faintly, offering no commitment. Seeing this, his mother grew impatient, nagging him incessantly day in and day out, urging him both directly and subtly. "Zhou Kechang" sighed, "The cuckoo nesting in another's nest—my heart has never been at peace, and I have long intended to leave. It is only the profound care you two have shown me that makes this bond so hard to sever. I shall tell you the truth: at that time, I was not human, but a ghost. Humans and spirits are separate, which is why I dared not trespass against your wife. Our fate together has reached its end; I must depart now. Be assured, your true son is not dead, and you shall meet again." With those words, he vanished.

The next day, the real Zhou Kechang rode in on his horse, explaining, "Your son was sold by villains to a wealthy merchant and made his adopted son. Later, when my adoptive father had a late-life son, he gave me much silver and instructed me to return home and reunite with my parents."

Upon his return, Zhou Kechang was as slow-witted as before, still disinclined to study. Yet, having inherited the Juren status from the ghost and gained a beautiful wife, it could truly be said that the simpleton enjoyed the fortune of fools.