(Clearwisdom.net) This is a story about Wei Hanchen, who is from a village in Linchengpu Village, Niutuo Township, Gu-an County, Hebei Province.
When he was young, Wei Hanchen married a virtuous girl. According to local custom, his mother gave the girl a pair of gold-filled bracelets. It was the most expensive type of gift on a first meeting. Of course, the girl was very pleased and always wore them. After their marriage, they lived a happy life. One day Wei's wife was fixing food for their livestock. Her bracelets always rubbed against the pot rim. For fear of damaging her favorite bracelets, she took them off and put them on the kitchen table. She then returned to her busy cooking. Just then, their next door neighbor, Ms. Hui, came to visit her. They chatted for a while, then Ms. Hui left. Done with her cooking, the wife washed her hands and went back to pick up her bracelets, but they were not there.
She searched her surroundings again and again, but couldn't find them. She was very sad and cried. Seeing her crying on his return home, Wei Hanchen asked her what was wrong. He comforted her, saying, "I'll buy you a new pair later on." Afterwards, they led their lives as usual.
Several years later, Ms. Hui died.
In 1979, the day before the production team was dismissed, Wei Hanchen was feeding the animals at the production site when a little horse suddenly ran into the village. It seemed it was a weanling. For the entire afternoon, everyone tried to capture it but had no luck. Exhausted, everyone returned home to rest.
Strangely enough, in the evening, the little horse wandered into the feeding shed. Wei Hanchen was preparing fodder for the livestock. The little horse unhurriedly entered the feeding shed, passed other animals, and stopped by the notch. Wei Hanchen picked up a rope close by and the little horse remained still, as if it was waiting to be tied up. Late that night, Wei Hanchen brought it home.
About three weeks after the production team was dismissed, Wei Hanchen sold the little horse at a fair. The next day, he had a dream in which Ms. Hui appeared. She told him how she had stolen the bracelets. She said that, since she had owed him from her previous life, in this life she turned into a horse to re-pay the debt. Now the debt was settled. After she finished speaking, Ms. Hui left. Wei Hanchen hastily called after her, but he woke up.
Wei Hanchen then counted the money he had earned from selling the little horse. It was just enough to buy a pair of gold-filled bracelets.
For a long time, Wei Hanchen could not forget this experience, and he recounted it to everyone he met. "If one commits a bad deed, one might reincarnate into an ox or a horse to pay off the debt in the next life. But by doing good deeds, one reaps rewards instead." There are so many stories like this.
September 8, 2009
Category: Traditional Culture
