There is a well-known story from the Qi Dynasty about how a dog repays a merchant for saving its life. During the Qi Dynasty in China, there was a wealthy businessman named Jia Sheng. He successfully completed a lucrative fur trade in Wuhu City, a beautiful lake port in Anhui Province, and then hired a boat to take him home.
In a good mood, Jia Sheng stood at the bow humming and enjoying the scenery on both sides of the river. Suddenly, he saw a butcher just about to kill a black dog that was chained up on the shore. The dog was crying pitifully. The sight moved Jia Sheng and he immediately ordered the boat to stop so he could go ashore to negotiate with the butcher. Eventually, he paid a high price for the dog and took the dog aboard.
Unfortunately, the boatman actually was a bandit. Seeing Jia Sheng’s generosity in buying the dog, he figured out that the businessman was rich. Soon, the boat reached the middle of the river with no other boats nearby. The boatman shouted: “The boat is going to capsize!” Upon hearing it, Jia Sheng quickly lay on the deck. Subsequently, the bandit jumped over and stepped on Jason’s body, pulled out a knife from his pocket, pointed the knife at Jia Sheng’s neck, and said: “Give me your money!”
The boatman was actually a bandit. (Image via pixabay / CC0 1.0)
Jia Sheng was terrified and gave up all of his money. Thinking that he would be killed, he begged the bandit to let him die with his body remaining whole. After having got the money, the bandit wrapped Jia Sheng in a blanket and threw him into the river. The water then carried Jia Sheng downstream.
Upon seeing Jia Sheng being threatened by the bandit, the black dog barked fiercely at him. The moment Jia Sheng was thrown into the river, the dog jumped in too, and making every effort to catch the blanket with Jia Sheng inside, he grabbed it in his mouth and floated in the water for miles. The dog and Jia Sheng were finally stranded in a shallow area.
The dog put down the blanket and ran ashore for help. He grabbed the trouser leg of a passerby and pulled the man toward the river. Some curious people followed the dog back to the blanket. When they untied it, they found Jia Sheng inside, barely alive. After a while, Jia Sheng revived and struggled to eat some food. By then, the dog was out of sight.
The black dog swam out to rescue the businessman. (Image: via pixabay / CC0 1.0)
Jia Sheng was so anxious about the disappearance of the dog that he took another boat to return to Wuhu City to look for him. When he arrived at the port, the streets were crowded with bustling people and the water was packed with boats. Jia Sheng had difficulty seeing through the crowds. Suddenly, the black dog rushed from a distance, grabbed his pants, barked incessantly, then turned around and ran away. Jia Sheng rushed to follow him. The dog then jumped into a boat and bit a person’s leg. When Jia Sheng got to the boat, he found that the person was the bandit.
Jia Sheng and several other people captured the criminal and took him to the authorities. When they checked the boat, they found and returned to Jia Sheng all of his belongings. The bandit got the punishment he deserved.
People admired the amazing dog and spread his glorious story.
Translated by Jean Chen
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