Belief is the most powerful mind-molding emotion there is. It is so powerful that it can transform lives. The following story illustrates the transformational power of belief and how it turned one unique girl’s life upside down.
Once upon a time, two brothers, Ah-Mian and Ah-Quan, had reached marriageable age. However, they found no girl they liked in their village, so they went outside together to find the right girl.
Two bothers meet an unattractive girl
One day, they came to a village and met an unattractive girl. Ah-Mian thought the girl was exactly what he wanted in his heart. He told his brother Ah-Quan: “That girl is the one I’m looking for; I want to stay here.” When Ah-Quan saw the girl’s appearance, he said to his brother: “You like such an unattractive one? Go find a better-looking girl somewhere else!”
But Ah-Mian smiled, shaking his head, and replied: “I like her; find one for yourself.” The older brother sent his brother off and asked the locals about the girl’s name, Ah-Xiu, who had never been proposed to because of her appearance.
The village’s unwritten rule of a proposal
The village had an unwritten rule about a proposal: A man who wants to marry a woman must use cattle as an engagement gift. One cow was for the kind of unattractive girl no one else would marry; two for a barely passable girl, three or four for the average girl, and six for a lovely girl. The maximum was nine for a beautiful girl and had never been given.
Ah-Mian drives nine cows to propose
So Ah-Mian woke up early and slept late daily to work for people. At the end of the year, he finally saved enough money to buy nine cows and drove the herd to propose marriage. When Ah-Mian knocked on Ah-Xiu’s door, her father came out, holding the door frame, and asked in surprise: “Young man, what do you want?”
Ah-Mian said: “Uncle, I have fallen in love with your daughter and drove the cattle to propose.” The old man said: “You do not need to drive so many cows to propose. My daughter is just an unattractive girl; at most, three or four cows will do. It is not right for you to send so many cows. If I accept them, the neighbors will laugh at me.”
Ah-Mian said: “No. I think your daughter is the most beautiful and best girl in the world, and I think she is worth nine cows. Please take them.” The old man kept excusing himself, but he finally had to accept the nine cows. After the marriage, Ah-Mian always treated Ah-Xiu as the most beautiful woman.
Ah-Quan’s surprise
Five years passed, and his younger brother, Ah-Quan, who still hadn’t found a girl he liked, returned to that village to visit his brother. Approaching the village, Ah-Quan saw a beautiful girl washing clothes by the lake. Her long hair hung down like a waterfall, her face like a delicate rose, and her movements were graceful.
Ah-Quan was stunned. Was this not the girl he had been looking for? How come he didn’t find her before? Just when he intended to go forward and talk to the girl, a 3 or 4-year-old boy came from the side of the road, hugging the girl’s legs and calling her mommy. Ah-Quan heard it and felt sad, but he approached her to ask about Ah-Mian’s address.
Ah-Xiu’s transformation
After hearing this, the beautiful girl smiled and said in a crispy voice: “Come with me!” After seeing his brother Ah-Mian, they were pleased and talked endlessly, and finally, Ah-Quan asked his brother: “How come I haven’t seen my sister-in-law?”
Ah-Mian said: “You have already met her, haven’t you? The one who brought you here just now is your sister-in-law!” Ah-Quan did not believe it and said: “How is it possible? I had seen her before, but she was a very unattractive girl! How come she became so beautiful after a few years?” His brother smiled and said: “I don’t know the answer; ask your sister-in-law!”
Ah-Xiu’s belief
Ah-Xiu smiled: “Before I met Ah-Mian, all people, including my parents and myself, thought I was an unattractive girl that no one would marry, and I was only worth a cow at most. But Ah-Mian thought I was worth nine cows and married me with nine cows. So I believed that I was worth nine cows, and I have been holding myself to the standard of nine cows to repay your brother’s kindness to me, and over the past five years, I have slowly become what you see now.”
The power of belief
After hearing this, A-Quan was overwhelmed and enlightened. Life is a process of continuous self-improvement, and you will become what you believe yourself to be. So is love. Be sure to believe that your lover is a person of nine cows, and love them likewise, and you will get a lover of nine cows. Affirmation and praise can inspire endless potential in people.
The key to meeting a nine-cow person is whether you are willing to treat people around you as if they were nine-cow people. Everyone can become a piece of gold. Only the angle of light and the number of polished surfaces decide how much is reflected and becomes visible. If you think you are a genius, and do things according to the standards of genius, then you are a genius.
If you think you are beautiful, you will become the most beautiful person. If you believe you will succeed and put in the effort, you will achieve! The critical point that decides whether human beings will follow is not the external conditions, but the inner belief. As long as the idea is there, the heart’s fire will always exist, and one will finally reach the goal one set!
The power of belief is an essential factor in achieving success. It is not the external conditions determining whether a person will succeed, but rather their inner confidence. People can reach their goals when they believe in themselves and set high standards. This is what happened to Ah-Xiu. When Ah-Mian believed in her and treated her like she was worth nine cows, she transformed into the beautiful woman that Ah-Quan saw.
The power of belief is not only necessary in achieving success, but also in relationships. When two people believe in each other and treat each other as worth nine cows, they can create a solid and lasting relationship. This is what Ah-Mian and Ah-Xiu did. They made a stable and lasting relationship by believing in each other and treating each other respectfully.
The power of belief is essential in achieving success and creating solid relationships. People can reach their goals when they believe in themselves and set high standards. When two people believe in each other and treat each other as worth nine cows, they can create a solid and lasting relationship. This is what Ah-Mian and Ah-Xiu did; it is a lesson we can all learn from.
Translation by Audrey Wang
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