A young man excelled in math and had great literary talent. He was also honest. He understood the ways of business well and thus accumulated some wealth. Unfortunately, later on, his fortune took a terrible turn. He lost all his properties and wealth, ended up homeless without even a coin, and had to wander the streets.
Guided by a dream and a coin
One night, while he slept on the floor of a fortune god temple, he suddenly heard a voice whispering: “Young man, your calamity has ended. Take the property that belongs to you beneath the third stone slab in the main hall.”
The young man was startled awake and could not go to sleep again. As dawn broke, he went to the main hall to search, but after looking around, he found nothing except a single copper coin.
Sitting on the ground in disappointment, he thought: “Maybe I was dreaming? How could I believe it? I am so unlucky; how could I suddenly have good fortune? Alas! I should stop daydreaming. But having this one coin is not bad; at least I can buy something to fill my stomach.”
He took the coin and bought himself a small bowl of noodle soup. Just as he finished eating, he noticed a small bag tucked away in the corner of the noodle stall. Thinking a customer might have left it behind and noticing that the stall owner seemed unaware, he quietly took the bag to see what was inside.
After walking a short distance, he opened the bag and discovered it was filled with cash and important documents. With his business experience, he understood the papers’ importance, so he decided to wait nearby, hoping the owner would return to claim it.
Sure enough, not long after, a man who looked like a merchant hurried over to the noodle stall, anxiously asking if anyone had seen his bag. The stall owner insisted he hadn’t noticed anything, leaving the merchant so distressed he didn’t know what to do. The young man approached the merchant and asked: ‘What did you lose?’ The merchant described the bag, and seeing his story matched, the young man returned it.
Kindness brings blessings
The merchant was immensely grateful and rewarded the young man with 1,000 taels of silver. However, the young man firmly declined. Impressed by his honesty, the merchant felt deeply moved and asked about his situation despite his impoverished state. After hearing the young man’s story and learning about his math and writing skills, the merchant offered help.
The merchant took the young man to buy some good clothes, then to a bathhouse for a wash. Once he had changed into his new attire, the merchant introduced him to the owner of a trading company. As a close friend of the owner, the merchant recounted the young man’s honesty and what had just transpired, recommending him for the accountant position. Impressed and surprised by his integrity, the owner promptly hired him.
The trading company, dealing primarily in imported cloth, was large, attracting many business owners to purchase goods. However, the market struggled for an extended period, and business slowed, leaving the company with a significant stockpile of unsold goods. Foreseeing a prolonged downturn, the foreign owner entrusted the company’s affairs to the young man and returned to his home country. Unexpectedly, not long after the owner left, the demand for cloth surged, and the price of cloth skyrocketed. The young man seized this opportunity to sell the inventory, earning a considerable profit.
Years later, the trading company owner returned to China. The young man handed over all the profits, including the principal and interest, to the owner. Seeing his honesty, the owner gave him all the profits and only took back the principal. However, the young man adamantly refused.
Finally, the owner devised a solution: He had a seal carved for the young man and set a new rule — each time a sale of cloth was made, the accountant must stamp it. For every stamp, one coin would be deducted from the profit, and all the money collected from these deductions would go to the young man. As a result, the young man’s income became quite substantial. Within a few years, he became a wealthy man. Later, reflecting on his journey to wealth, he realized it was all thanks to the message in his dream and that a tiny coin.
Many say: “There’s no business without deceit,” or “Good people are taken advantage of, just as good horses are ridden.” In business, dishonesty seems commonplace, and success often appears to require sacrificing the interests of others. But this is not the case. Only honesty can endure, and kindness will bring its rewards. Like the young man in the story, honesty opened doors, and kindness earned him lasting wealth. This is the actual act of wisdom. In our own lives, isn’t it often the same?
Translated by Joseph Wu and edited by Tatiana Denning
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