The Qiao maiden of Pingyuan County was uncomely, with a flattened nose and a limp, and at twenty-five or twenty-six, remained unmarried. In the county town lived a scholar named Mu, in his forties, who was poor and, having lost his wife early, lived in solitude. Thus, he took the Qiao maiden as his wife. Three years later, they had a son. Not long after, Scholar Mu died of illness, plunging the household into even deeper poverty. The Qiao maiden struggled to raise the child alone, and in desperation, sought help from her maternal home. Her mother remained unmoved and refused to assist. The Qiao maiden returned home dejected, resolving from that day forward to rely only on herself, spinning yarn and weaving cloth to sustain their livelihood.

Coincidentally, a scholar named Meng, also widowed and living alone, possessed an infant son named Wutou, just past his first year, who lacked a mother's milk and care. Eager to remarry, he sought a match several times, but none pleased him. By chance, he heard of the Qiao maiden's virtuous character and came to propose marriage. The Qiao maiden declined, saying, "I know that marrying you, Sir, would bring ease in food and clothing, and I confess my heart was tempted. But my appearance is poor; the only thing I am confident in is my upright conduct. To marry you now would be to forfeit my chastity—a woman serving two husbands. I cannot do this."

Hearing this, Scholar Meng admired the Qiao maiden all the more. He asked a matchmaker to prepare handsome gifts and approach the Qiao family to propose marriage. Madam Qiao was delighted and personally persuaded her daughter to remarry. The Qiao maiden would not yield, and her mother could not force her. However, greedy for the betrothal gifts, she plotted to marry off her younger daughter to Scholar Meng. Meng desired only the Qiao maiden and flatly refused.

Soon after, Scholar Meng fell gravely ill and passed away. The Qiao maiden went to the Meng residence to offer condolences. As Meng had no kin, after his death, local ruffians flocked to plunder his property and secretly plotted to divide his land. Even the household servants harbored ill intentions, seizing the opportunity to steal valuables, and each scattered like birds and beasts. Only one old woman remained loyal, staying in the mourning hall to care for Scholar Meng’s young son.

Upon learning the truth, the Qiao maiden was indignant. Hearing that Scholar Lin was a good friend of the late Scholar Meng, she visited him, requesting his aid, and said, "Husband and friend are the great bonds between people. I, this humble woman, am ugly and scorned by the world, yet only Scholar Meng truly knew me. Though I rejected him before, in my heart I already considered him a true confidant. Now that Meng is gone, leaving his young son unattended, I cannot stand idly by. Yet caring for the child is manageable; resisting the ruffians is beyond my power. You, Sir, as Meng’s friend, witnessing his property being seized and his young son humiliated, how can you stand aloof? I implore you to draft a petition to seek justice for the deceased. I will be eternally grateful. As for raising the orphan, I shall bear the burden entirely, without shirking." Scholar Lin replied, "Very well." Seeing he agreed, the Qiao maiden took her leave.

Scholar Lin, having received the Qiao maiden's request, was just preparing to write the summons when the ruffians, hearing the news, became enraged. They brandished knives and stormed the scholar’s door, threatening to settle accounts with him, vowing vengeance unto death. Scholar Lin was greatly frightened and dared not open his gate. The Qiao maiden waited at home for word, but after several days with no progress, she sent someone to inquire, only to learn that not an inch of Meng's property remained; it had all been divided up by the ruffians.

The Qiao maiden, filled with towering anger, went alone to the magistrate's office to file a complaint. The county magistrate asked, "What is your relationship with Scholar Meng?" The Qiao maiden replied, "Your Honor rules this county. Handling cases requires only adherence to justice; why must you inquire into my background? If I speak falsely, you may punish me as you see fit; if my words are true, you ought to uphold righteousness and apprehend the main culprits." The magistrate, displeased by her brazen manner, ordered her expulsion.

With her grievance unresolved, the Qiao maiden wept bitterly. A certain wealthy gentleman heard of her plight, felt pity, and stepped in to file the complaint on her behalf. The magistrate ordered a thorough investigation, detained the ruffians, and commanded them to return the seized property and assets. After many twists and turns, justice was finally served.

After this affair, some urged the Qiao maiden to remain at the Meng residence to raise the orphan. She refused, closed the gates of the Meng house, and took Wutou back to her own home with the old woman to care for him. Whatever Wutou needed daily, she procured from the Meng estate, maintaining her own strict integrity and refusing to benefit from it in the slightest. She diligently raised her own son, content with poverty, just as before.

Years later, Wutou grew older, and the Qiao maiden hired a tutor to instruct him in his studies. As for her own son, she directed him toward farming. The old woman advised her, "Why not let both boys study together?" The Qiao maiden replied, "The expense for Wutou’s education comes from the funds his father left behind; I cannot accept the convenience of using another man's money to educate my own child."

Another few years passed. During this time, the Qiao maiden managed Wutou’s estate, saving several hundred shi of grain. She arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of a respectable family, renovated the residence, furnished it anew, and returned the couple to their home, thereby parting ways.

Wutou sincerely begged her to return with them, pleading earnestly. The Qiao maiden could not refuse and nodded in agreement. Yet, every day, she continued to spin yarn, refusing to spend a single coin of Wutou’s money. Wutou and his wife, unwilling to see her toil, snatched the spinning wheel away. The Qiao maiden said, "If my mother and son lived off you for free, how could I find peace in my heart?" She rose early and slept late, managing Wutou's affairs, and made her own son inspect the crops and help with the work.

The Qiao maiden managed the household strictly; any small mistake by Wutou or his wife would draw a sharp reprimand. Soon after, Wutou passed the Xiucai examination. The Qiao maiden tried to take her leave again, but Wutou would not permit it. He paid to arrange the wedding for the Qiao maiden’s son. Seeing her son settled, the Qiao maiden felt she could no longer remain selfishly at the Meng residence and ordered her own son to return home first. Wutou, aware of this, knew he could not keep her, so he purchased a hundred mu of excellent fields nearby and gifted them to the Qiao maiden.

Before long, the Qiao maiden fell ill and requested to return to her own home, but Wutou would not heed her. Several days later, the Qiao maiden’s illness worsened, and knowing her end was near, she said, "After I die, you must bury me in the Mu family graveyard." Wutou offered a perfunctory assent, but secretly made other arrangements.

Not long after, the Qiao maiden died. Wutou had long regarded her as his own mother and wished to have her interred alongside his father. However, fearing the Qiao maiden’s son would object, he secretly sent him a significant sum of silver. The son accepted the money, happy to grant the favor easily, and voiced no opposition.

On the day of the funeral, the coffin was exceedingly heavy; even with thirty stout men working in unison, they could not move it. At that moment, the Qiao maiden’s son suddenly collapsed, blood flowing from his seven orifices, muttering incoherently, "Unfilial son, how could I sell off my own mother?" Wutou realized this was the spirit of the Qiao maiden, displeased that he planned to rebury her elsewhere. He immediately knelt down, offered prayers, and repented his fault. Once the prayers concluded, the Qiao maiden’s son instantly recovered. Wutou dared not delay further, and respectfully had the Qiao maiden interred in the Mu family graveyard, to rest beside Scholar Mu.