During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a poor peasant family somewhere in the south of the Yangtze River, with only a husband and wife and a ten-year-old son. They barely make ends meet on one-third of an acre of land, and their lives are very difficult. The son's name is Xiao Ming, he is a smart and sensible child, he has helped his parents with farm work since he was a child, and he is not afraid of hardship.
One day, on his way home from school, Xiao Ming passed by a river. He saw that the water was crystal clear, and the riverbed shimmered with gold. Curious, he walked over and saw that it was a piece of gold, weighing ten taels. He was overjoyed, thinking that this was a pie from the sky, and taking it home would solve many problems. He hurriedly picked up the gold, hid it in his clothes, and walked briskly home.
Just as he was about to get home, an old beggar suddenly jumped out of the side of the road and blocked his way. The old beggar was dressed in tattered clothes, his face was covered with dirt, and he was on crutches in his hand. He said to Xiao Ming: "Little friend, you are so lucky today, you have picked up a piece of gold." But you know what?This piece of gold is no ordinary gold, it has a secret. If you want to know the secret, let me pat you on the forehead. ”
Xiao Ming listened to the old beggar's words and wondered in his heart. He didn't know what the secret of the gold was, and he didn't know why the old beggar slapped him on the forehead. He thought that the old beggar might be trying to trick him into giving him the gold. He thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa, I don't know what you're talking about. I picked up this piece of gold by the river, and I'm going to take it home to show my parents. If you want money, I can give you something to eat. ”
The old beggar shook his head and said, "Little friend, don't misunderstand me. I don't want your gold, nor do I want your food. I just wanted to tell you a fact. This piece of gold fell from the sky, and it was given to you by the gods. But it also has a condition, which is that you must do good deeds with it, otherwise it will bring you disaster. If you ask me to pat you on the forehead, I can tell you the condition and help you unlock the secret. ”
Xiao Ming listened to the old beggar's words, and his heart became even more puzzled. He did not believe that this piece of gold was given to him by the gods, nor did he believe that it would bring disaster to him. He thought the old beggar might be a god or a madman. He said, "Grandpa, I don't believe what you say. I picked up this piece of gold myself, and no one gave it to me. I don't need you to tell me any conditions or secrets. Please get out of the way, don't waste my time. ”
The old beggar sighed and said, "Little friend, you are too young and too ignorant. If you don't believe what I say, that's it. But you have to remember that this piece of gold is not yours, it is immortal. If you don't do good deeds without it, it will turn into a stone, and it will cause you endless trouble. You'd better return it to the river, or donate it to the temple, or give it to the poor. Don't covet it, don't stay around. Otherwise you'll regret it. ”
After saying these words, the old beggar suddenly stretched out his hand and slapped Xiao Ming's forehead hard. Xiao Ming felt dizzy, and as soon as his eyes were dark, he couldn't see anything. When he recovered, he found that the old beggar was gone. He touched his forehead and saw a copper coin on it. He was surprised to pick it up and look at it, and found that this copper coin was engraved with four words: "Heaven rewards hard work". He didn't understand what this meant, and he didn't know that this copper coin came from **.
He put the copper coin in his pocket and continued to walk home. He was still thinking about the old beggar's words, and he thought it was strange. He thought, "Is there really any secret to this piece of gold?".Will it really bring disaster to me?Should I listen to the old beggar and give it back to the river, or donate it to the temple, or give it to the poor?”
The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he became, and finally decided to take it home to his parents first. "I found this gold," he thought, "and I have the right to decide what to do with it." My parents have worked hard all their lives, and they should enjoy it. I can use this gold to buy them some good food and clothes to make them comfortable. As for the old beggar's condition and secrets, I will leave it alone for the time being. ”
In this way, Xiao Ming returned home with gold. He took out the gold and showed it to his parents, who were stunned. They asked Xiao Ming where the gold came from, and Xiao Ming told them about the gold he picked up by the river and the old beggar.
When the parents heard Xiao Ming's words, they all felt very strange. They didn't know if there was any secret about the gold, or whether what the old beggar said was true or false. They thought for a moment and said, "Son, this piece of gold is indeed what you have found, but we cannot use it as we please." Let's consider where it came from and what it receals. If it is really given to you by the gods, then we should be grateful to the gods and use it to do good deeds. If it really has any conditions or secrets, then we should abide by the conditions and unlock the secrets. If we neglect these things for the sake of enjoyment, then we may be punished by the gods or calamity on earth. ”
Xiao Ming listened to his parents' words and was a little unconvinced. He felt that his parents were too pedantic and too worried. He felt that this gold was his wealth, his opportunity, and his destiny. He wanted to use this gold to change the lives of himself and his family, so that they could live a prosperous and happy life. He doesn't believe in any gods, and he is not afraid of any calamity. He said, "Daddy, don't worry. I picked up this piece of gold, and I have the right to decide what to do with it. I'm not going to spend it, and I'm not going to waste it. I will use it to do something meaningful, such as buying you some clothes, buying myself some books, giving gifts to my neighbors, and repairing some facilities in the village. This will not only make us live a little better, but also benefit the people around us. Isn't that just doing good?”
After listening to Xiao Ming's words, his parents were a little shaken in their hearts. They also want to live a better life, and they also want their son to have more opportunities to study and Xi, and they also want the village to have more room for development. They thought, "Maybe my son is right, this piece of gold can indeed be used to do something meaningful." Perhaps the old beggar is talking nonsense, and this piece of gold has no secrets, and it will not bring any disaster. ”
In this way, his parents were persuaded by Xiao Ming and agreed to his idea of using gold. Xiao Ming happily put the gold in a wooden box, locked the door, and prepared to go to the town the next day to exchange money.
Early the next morning, Xiao Ming took Jin Zi and his father to the town. They came to a silver trumpet and showed the gold to the boss. The boss was taken aback when he saw it and said, "Oh, that's a big piece of gold!"You guys got it from?”
Neither Xiao Ming nor his father wanted to tell the truth, for fear that others would find out and rob them of their gold. They made up a lie and said, "We dug it up in the mountains." We planted some medicinal herbs in the mountains, and one day while digging in the soil, we found this piece of gold. ”
The boss listened to them and was a little suspicious. He thought they might have been stolen or stolen. He thought, "These two people look poor and miserable, how can they dig such a big piece of gold in the mountains?"If that's the case, why didn't you take it out sooner and exchange it for money?Why wait until now?”
The boss decided to test them to see if they were lying. He took out a small scale, weighed the gold, and said, "This piece of gold weighs ten taels."At the market price, I will give you two thousand taels of silver. ”
Xiao Ming and his father were shocked when they heard the boss's words. They didn't expect this piece of gold to be worth so much money. They were all happy in their hearts and felt that they had made a fortune. But they didn't dare to show it, for fear that the boss would regret it or reduce the price. They pretended to be calm and said, "All right, then two thousand taels of silver." ”
Seeing their reaction, the boss was even more sure of his guess. He felt that they must have lied, otherwise they wouldn't have agreed so easily. He thought: "These two people must not understand the value of gold, and they do not know the market **." This piece of gold is worth at least three thousand taels of silver, and if I give them two thousand taels of silver, I will already earn a thousand taels of silver. If I lower the price a little more, I might be able to make even more. ”
The boss changed his tone and said, "However, you also know that the gold is very unstable now, sometimes high and sometimes low. And the quality of your piece of gold is not very good, there are some impurities and imperfections. I'll give you two thousand taels of silver, which is already very generous. If you look for another silver number, you may not even be able to exchange it for a thousand taels of silver. ”
Xiao Ming and his father listened to the boss's words and were a little dissatisfied. They feel that the boss is deliberately driving down the price and wants to take advantage of them. They thought, "This piece of gold is so pure and perfect, how can there be impurities and imperfections?"What the boss said was unstable and was also lying to us. We can't let him get his way, we have to stick to the original price. ”
They said to the boss, "No, we can't lower the price anymore." The two thousand taels of silver you just mentioned is our bottom line. If you don't want to pay that price, we'll go to another silver number for money. ”
The boss listened to them and felt a little annoyed. He felt that they were too uninteresting and greedy. He thought, "These two people really don't know what to do, I've already given them a good price, and they're going to bargain with me." I think they want to play with me and want me to withdraw money. I can't let them get away with it, I want them to know I'm good. ”
The boss sneered and said, "Well, since you say so, then I'll tell you a fact." This piece of gold of yours is not gold at all, but a piece of brass!Do you think I can't see it?Do you think I'm going to be cheated by you?Do you think you can take a piece of brass and exchange it for money?”
Xiao Ming and his father were stunned when they heard the boss's words. They can't believe their ears and they can't believe their eyes. They looked at the gold in their hands and saw that it had really turned into a piece of brass!It loses its golden luster and weight, becoming dull and light. They feel like they're having a nightmare and everything is unreal.
Seeing their expressions, the boss confirmed his guess even more. He thought they must have stolen or stolen brass, and somehow turned it into gold. He thought, "These two people are so cunning that they dare to use such means to deceive me." I can't let them go unpunished, I'm going to make them pay. ”
The boss shouted, "Catch them!."Grab these two**!They took a piece of brass in exchange for money!They want to scam me out of my money!Come on!”
The boss's shout attracted the people around him, and they all gathered around, looked at the brass in Xiao Ming and his father's hands, and began to discuss. Some people said: "These two people are so shameless, they dare to use brass to pass off as gold, and want to cheat money." Some people said, "These two people must have done something bad to be punished like this." Some people said: "These two people should be arrested and sent to the government so that they can be punished by the law." ”
Xiao Ming and his father were surrounded by everyone and could not escape. They feel very scared and helpless and don't know what to do. They wanted to justify themselves, but no one believed them. They wanted to beg the boss for forgiveness, but the boss was so angry that he wouldn't let them go. They could only watch as the men of the Silver Trumpet dragged them out and prepared to send them to the official mansion.
At this moment, a familiar figure suddenly walked out of the crowd. It was the old beggar who patted Xiao Ming's forehead on the road yesterday. He wears a white robe, a high hat on his head, and a cane in his hand. His countenance and demeanor changed, and he was no longer the beggar with a dirty face, but a majestic and kind old man.
The old beggar walked up to Xiao Ming and his father and said to them, "Little friend, do you remember me?"I'm the old beggar who met you on the road yesterday. I'm not a beggar, I'm a fairy. I'm here to test you. ”
Xiao Ming and his father were speechless in surprise when they heard the old beggar's words. They couldn't believe that the person in front of them was the beggar from yesterday, and they couldn't believe that he was actually an immortal. They thought, "What's going on with all this?".What is the secret of this gold?Why does this god want to test us?”
The old beggar looked at their expressions and said with a smile, "I know you have a lot of questions in your hearts, so I'll tell you now." Indeed, I have given you this gold, because I have taken a fancy to your cleverness and diligence. But I have also set a condition for you, which is that you must use it for good, otherwise it will turn into a stone and bring you calamity. I slapped you on the forehead yesterday to tell you this condition and help you unlock the secret. ”
But you didn't listen to me, you didn't give the gold back to the river, or to the temple, or to the poor. You covet the value of gold and want to use it to change your life and that of your family. You ignore the origin and consequences of gold, and ignore the gifts and trials of the gods. So today you have suffered such retribution, the gold has turned to brass, and you have been in trouble. ”
I could have left you alone and let you suffer the consequences. But I see that your parents still have a conscience, and they urge you to do good deeds with gold, and they consider the origin and consequences of gold. So I decided to give you a chance to make a new choice. Do you want to keep this brass, or do you want to get this piece of gold back?”
Xiao Ming and his father listened to the old beggar's words and felt remorseful. They thought, "It turns out that all this is arranged by the gods, it turns out that this piece of gold really has a secret, it turns out that we really did something wrong." We should listen to the old beggar, we should do good deeds with gold, we should be grateful to the gods, and we should obey the conditions. We shouldn't be greedy for pleasure, we shouldn't ignore these things. ”
They said to the old beggar, "O gods, we know that we are wrong. We don't want this brass anymore, we want this gold back. We are willing to use it for good deeds, and we are willing to give it back to the river, or donate it to the temple, or give it to the poor. Please forgive us for our ignorance and greed, and please give us a chance to mend our ways. ”
The old beggar listened to them, nodded, and said, "Well, since you sincerely repent, I will give you a chance." You put this brass on the ground and step on it hard. ”
Xiao Ming and his father did as the old beggar said. They put the brass on the ground and stomped on it hard. Suddenly, they heard a crisp sound, like the sound of metal clashing. They looked down and saw that the brass had turned back to gold!It regains its golden luster and weight, becoming sparkling.
Xiao Ming and his father were very surprised and grateful when they saw this miracle. They looked up at the old beggar and wanted to thank him. But they found that the old beggar was gone. He only left one sentence: "God rewards hard work, and good deeds are rewarded." ”
When Xiao Ming and his father heard this, they had an epiphany in their hearts. They understood the meaning of the old beggar, and they understood their lesson. They decided to change their attitudes and behaviors from now on, to do good deeds with gold, and to study Xi and work diligently. They believe that as long as they do this, they will definitely be blessed by the gods and respected by the world.