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Three son-in-laws

There was once a Chang family, three daughters were all very beautiful and filial, but unfortunately all their husbands had little ailments. The eldest son-in-law had leprosy body, the second had scalp disease, and the third had red eyes disease. Though the affected places were different, they were all itchy scratchy.

Three son-in-laws met together, it was quite a spectacular scene. They just couldn’t keep themselves still, especially during the feast, they couldn’t sit still and eat a proper meal, scratching, rubbing or wiggling, until their father was so disgusted and totally lost appetite.

Another Chinese New Year festival, according to the customs, their daughters and son-in-laws came to pay visit on the Second Day in the First Moon. They were drinking, eating, merry-making, everything went well except that their father couldn’t tolerate their never stopping scratch, so he warned them that nobody would scratch at the dinner, or else they had to leave, and never allowed to enter his door. Three son-in-laws promised they would have good table manner.

They went into the dinner hall, which had the large door and windows opening to the garden and over garden were a green hill covered all kinds of woods and vagitations. They sat at the Eight-Immortal tables, all kinds of delicacies were put on the table. After several urging and declining that were according to the ancient propriety rules, they started to eat, and soon they began to wiggle, gradually they seemed couldn’t bear any longer, but they had promised their father not to scratch. At last, the eldest son-in-law had an idea. He lifted up his head and watched out of the windows, exclaiming: “Look, there is a deer over there!”

They all looked out of the window, but nobody saw any deer. They asked simultaneously, “Where?”

“It’s over the hill, behind the big pine tree! See, the deer with beautiful spots all over her body,” he started to rub his body, arms and legs,  “and on his arms and legs too!”

Immediately the second son-in-law took the hint, and said, “Oh, yeah, I see. Let’s catch it. I will hit his head like this,” he patted his head several times, fiercely hard, you can see dust and dandruff dropping off on the table and flying into the dishes.

The third son-in-law was a bit slow, but at that time he knew what was going on, and said, “If I catch him, I will scoop out his eyes like this!” He rubbed his eyes with both point fingers.

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