During the Qing Dynasty, an older man surnamed Yin in Jixi County, Anhui Province, had a close relationship with Mr. Liu. Before Mr. Liu died, he entrusted his son to Mr. Yin. After growing up, Mr. Liu’s son had an unsettled mind, wandered outside all day, had a bad character, and spent his days drinking, gambling, and engaging in immoral behavior.
No sign of repentance
Mr. Yin spoke to him about his father’s last words, earnestly advising him to take the right path; tears flowed freely from his eyes. However, Mr. Liu’s son never showed any signs of repentance. He was addicted to gambling, and his bets kept getting more significant. Whenever he lost a bet, he would sell his land to pay off his debts. Mr. Yin used his own money to repurchase the land. He also managed all the crops produced on Mr. Liu’s land properly.
Later, with the money earned from Mr. Liu’s fields, Mr. Yin bought all the land, gold, jade items, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques that Mr. Liu’s son had sold. Within a few years, all the valuable land and assets of the Liu family were in Mr. Yin’s hands.
All his family’s property belonged to Mr. Yin
As time went by, Mr. Liu’s son sold everything in the house, and eventually, even the house he lived in was sold, until finally, all the property belonged to the Yin family. Mr. Liu’s son could not make a living, had no place to stay, and no way to support himself. He began to take turns staying with relatives. Due to his improper behavior and lack of self-reliance, he was often looked down upon by his relatives and subjected to the humiliation of only being able to eat leftovers.
Subsequently, Mr. Liu’s son moved from one temple to another for lodging. Still, after a while, even the monks and Taoists found it hard to accommodate him. Unable to support himself, Mr. Liu’s son begged on the streets. At night, he slept on the ground with other beggars.
One day, Mr. Yin summoned Mr. Liu’s son to his house, where he bathed, dressed, and provided him with food and drink. Mr. Yin said: “Do you remember the words I told you before?” Mr. Liu’s son was overwhelmed with sorrow, weeping and blaming himself. Mr. Yin said: “The wealth you lost cannot be regained. For now, strive to study hard, and there may still be hope for success.”
Turning his life around
Mr. Yin took Mr. Liu’s son into his own home, and from then on, Mr. Liu’s son applied himself to his studies. After one year, he passed the county-level imperial examination and was listed as a successful candidate.
Mr. Yin saw his transformation and returned all the land and properties he had previously bought from the Liu family to him, saying: “I saw that you were deeply immersed in destructive habits and that no words could awaken you. Unless you hit rock bottom, you won’t know how to change. Therefore, I arranged for you to go bankrupt, hoping that you could find a new life and return from the brink of death.”
Mr. Yin continued: “I arranged for certain individuals to drink and gamble with you; these individuals also bought your land and properties, all under my instruction. Now that this plan has succeeded and you have embarked on a new path, your future will be bright if you continue to work hard. I am old and will die soon. I will go to meet your deceased father, and now I will have no regrets meeting him in the afterlife.”
Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu’s son was deeply moved. When the villagers in the neighborhood listened to the story, they all highly praised Mr. Yin’s noble and far-sighted actions, which were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
A journey of redemption
In the face of challenges, and with great wisdom and unwavering resolve, Mr. Yin orchestrated a journey of redemption for Mr. Liu’s son, leading him from darkness to the promise of a bright future. Mr. Yin’s actions remind us that kindness and compassion can ignite renewal and inspire hope, even in the bleakest circumstances.
Translated by Joseph Wu and edited by Tatiana Denning
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