The story opens with a description of an old shoemaker in the town of Dashiqiao, in the province of Zhejiang. The shoemaker adopts a child named sanzi and takes him out every day to repair shoes. One day, when the child is out repairing shoes, the shoemaker is startled by the child's state and sends him back to the road. When they return to the market, they find that the coach that was supposed to take them there has already left, and they are late for the market. When the coach comes by, it rolls the child down the road, and he is carried away by the demon rabbit.