……内北和寧門，實有肆其間，號曰“鬻野味”，直廉而肉豐，市人所樂趨。其物則市之猫犬類也，夜罥犬負而趨，猶幸不遇人；若猫則皆晝攫。都人居淺隘，猫或嬉敖于外，一見不復可遁，每得之，即持浸戶外防虞缸桶中，貓身濕輒舐，非甚乾不已，以故無鳴號者。有見而遂之，則必問以毛色，自袖出其尾，皆非是。傳聞其手中乃有十數尾，視其非者而出之，都人習尚不窮姦，雖知其盜，以為它人家貓，則亦不問也。夜則皆入於和寧之肆，無遺育焉。
[...] At the Hening Gate in the north of the inner [city], there is a shop called “Wild Game Seller” that is popular among market-goers for low prices and ample meat supply. Their goods are cats, dogs and the like. At night, [thieves] catch dogs with a rope and carry them away quickly – the best part of it [is that they] will not bump into anyone. Cats, on the other hand, are all caught during the daytime. As houses in the capital are limited in space, cats sometimes play outside. Once [a thief] spots that a cat has no way to escape, [he] would get it and immediately dip it in the water pot placed outdoors for firefighting. With its body getting wet, the cat will lick itself until it is completely dry, which is why no cry will be heard. If a witness confronts the thief, the thief will ask what colour the cat is and then reveal from his cuff a tail that never matches [the colour named by the witness]. They say that [such a] thief actually has a dozen cats at hand and will pick the wrong cat to show [to the witness]. People in the capital tend to be careful not to pursue a transgression too far. Even when they know the person is a thief, they will stop asking once they believe it is someone else’s cat. At night, the thief will give all [he has caught] to the shop at the Hening [Gate] without keeping a single one.
* From Yue Ke 岳珂 (1183-1243), Ting shi 桯史 [1] (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981), 12.137-8; for a quick reference, see here.
[1] The interpretation of the title, which has a direct impact on its pronunciation, has been a disputed issue. When interpreted as “Histories [Recorded on] a Bedside Table”, the title spells Ting shi. When interpreted as “Histories [Recorded on] a Column”, it spells Ying shi. See the bibliographical notes appended to the Zhonghua shuju edition, 181ff.
Hanging scroll by Shen Zhenlin 沈振麟 (fl. 19th century)
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