Wu, Jianren 1866-1910 creator text utu 2009 monographic zh 1 online resource : multiple file formats "瞎騙奇聞" by Jianren Wu is a fictional novel written in the late 19th century. The book delves into themes of superstition and the obsession with fortune-telling, examining the lives of characters who rely on the guidance of soothsayers. The story focuses on Zhao Zechang, a wealthy landowner, who desperately longs for a child and becomes entangled in the often ridiculous and destructive world of fortune-telling. The opening of the novel introduces Zhao Zechang, a prosperous landowner in Shandong Province, who has been unable to father a child despite having been married for over thirty years. Desperate for offspring, he becomes increasingly invested in fortune-telling, seeking out a renowned soothsayer named Zhou to learn about his future. Zhou predicts that Zhao will have a son soon, prompting Zhao and his wife, Qiannai, to embrace this prophecy. In a comical twist, they concoct a scheme to bring in an adopted child to satisfy Zhao's yearning for a son, leading to further complications and engaging interactions that lay the groundwork for the novel’s exploration of human folly and superstition. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2009-01-11 Produced by Fang-Hsuan Hsu Original publication data not identified Chinese fiction -- Qing dynasty, 1644-1912 PL Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27768 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27768 UtSlPG 260607 20260610133632.0 27768