One fun-loving villager said to himself, "Good enough! If that's how it is, I'll go have a look."
He waited for nightfall, then went to the shrine. He circled around behind it and watched. Sure enough, a large crowd of little people were making music by singing, clapping their hands and shouting in time, just like a bon dance. This fellow loved to dance, so in no time he had his hand towel tied around his forehead and was out there dancing along with the little people.
As they were dancing, the fellow asked one of the little people, "Just what is it you are transformed from?"
"We're actually transformed mushrooms. And what is it you are transformed from?"
"In real life, I'm a human being," the fellow answered.
The little man went on, "In that case, what is it you hate the most?"
"Big gold coins, little gold coins, any kind of money-- I hate it all. Is there anything you don't like?
"For me, it's eggplant brine-- that's what I dread the most."
They danced a little longer, when suddenly the ghosts yelled, "All right, hit him! Hit him!" And they all started throwing gold coins at the fellow.
He carefully cried out, "No, don't! I'm afraid! I'm afraid! I'm afraid!" And he fled back to his home.
Then the fellow quickly made up lots of eggplant brine, and carried it back to where the little ghosts were dancing.
"All right, hit them! Hit them!" he yelled, and started sprinkling the eggplant brine on the heads of the little people. The ghosts scattered, and had all disappeared in no time.
The fellow gathered up the large and small gold coins that were laying all around, and took them back home.
The next morning the fellow went back behind the shrine to take a look. The mushrooms growing on the tree stumps there were all drooping and withered.
After that, no more ghosts appeared in the shrine grove. The fellow had lots of gold coins, and became very rich.