One afternoon, after a casual meal at home, I sat chatting in the courtyard with an elderly neighbor. As the conversation drifted, he began sharing several fortune-telling stories he had encountered. Strangely, these three stories offered two very different conclusions about destiny. Perhaps by understanding them, we can gain insight into the question: Can people truly alter their fate?
The story of escaping a flood, yet meeting tragedy
The elderly neighbor’s hometown is called Shizihe, and on the main street of this town, once stood an inn owned by the Xu family. Years ago, a couple with a young child came to stay at the inn. Oddly, they didn’t leave after a night or two — instead, they stayed for over a month.
That summer, heavy rainstorms hit. Behind the inn was a shallow pit, only about six inches deep, which quickly filled with rainwater. After the storm passed, the couple let their guard down. Their child wandered off to play and, shockingly, drowned in the pit, face down. Had the child fallen face up, they likely would have survived.
It was only after the tragedy that the couple revealed the truth: a fortune-teller had warned them their child would face danger from water in the near future. They traveled far and wide trying to escape this fate. When they arrived at Shizihe and saw how elevated the land was — particularly the inn, which sat at the highest point on the street — they decided it would be the safest place to avoid any flood disaster.
But fate, it seemed, was inescapable.
The story of the soldier and the spirits
In the same hometown, there was a man nicknamed “Yellow Weasel.” He had once served as a soldier and lived through a fierce battle. In the chaos, both sides lost nearly all their men — only Yellow Weasel survived because he cleverly played dead.
That night, as he lay still, he noticed two figures carrying lanterns walking among the fallen soldiers, inspecting the bodies. He assumed they were enemies and dared not move. When they came to him, one figure remarked: “This one wasn’t meant to die — how has he died already?” The other replied: “He’s pretending. His real death is destined to be in water.” Only then did Yellow Weasel realize these were not soldiers, but ghostly messengers from the underworld.
Oddly, this encounter gave him courage. Knowing he wouldn’t die in battle, he fought bravely from then on.
Later, he left the military. His superiors asked what post he wanted next. Remembering the prediction of a watery death, he requested a position in the mountains as a forest watchman — far from any river or sea. He believed he had finally secured his safety.
But fate intervened again. One year, torrential rains triggered a landslide and flash flood that swept through the mountains, washing away not only his house, but also his life. Despite all precautions, he couldn’t escape what had been foretold.
A kind heart turns fate around
The third story takes place during the early years of Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty. In Anhui Province, there was a merchant named Wang Shan who had reached the age of 40 without having any children.
One day, a well-known fortune-teller, famed for his accuracy, looked at Wang Shan and sighed: “You don’t have any sons, do you?” Wang admitted this was true. The fortune-teller went on: “Not only will you remain childless, but by the tenth lunar month, you will face a great calamity.”
Convinced of the prediction’s accuracy, Wang Shan set off to Suzhou to collect some debts. Unfortunately, it was the rainy season, and the rivers had swollen, making travel by boat impossible. He stayed temporarily at an inn, waiting for the waters to recede.
One clear evening, Wang took a walk by the river and spotted a young woman attempting to drown herself. Without hesitation, he shouted to the nearby fishermen: “Whoever saves her, I’ll pay 20 taels of silver!” Several boats rushed to help, and the woman was pulled safely from the water. Wang kept his word and paid the fishermen.
Curious, he asked the woman why she tried to take her life. Tearfully, she explained that her husband had been away working. She had raised a pig to sell, hoping to pay off their farmland rent. But when she sold the pig, the money she received turned out to be counterfeit. Fearing her husband’s anger and feeling hopeless, she decided to end her life.
Deeply moved, Wang asked how much the pig was worth and gave her double the amount she lost.
Later that evening, as fate would have it, the woman met her husband on the road and tearfully recounted what had happened. He was skeptical, suspecting Wang had ulterior motives, and the couple went to the inn to confront him.
By then, Wang had already gone to bed. The woman knocked on his door. Wang sternly replied: “You are a young woman, and I am a lone traveler. It’s improper for us to meet at night. Come back tomorrow morning with your husband.”
Hearing this, the husband’s suspicions vanished. He called out: “I’m here with my wife.” Wang quickly dressed and stepped outside. Just as he left his room, a loud crash sounded behind him — the back wall of the inn had collapsed from days of heavy rain, crushing the bed where Wang had been lying moments before. Had he not gotten up, he would have perished.
The couple, stunned, thanked him profusely and left. On Wang Shan’s journey home, he ran into the same fortune-teller again. Seeing him, the man was shocked and said: “Your face radiates the marks of great virtue! You must have done something truly benevolent. Not only have you avoided calamity, but you’ll be blessed beyond measure.”
Sure enough, Wang Shan went on to have 11 sons. Two of them passed the imperial examination, and Wang himself lived to the ripe old age of 98.
Kindness plants the seeds that change destiny
These three stories reveal something profound: While fate may seem predetermined, the choices we make — particularly those rooted in goodness — have the power to alter its course.
When disaster looms, running away may not help. As the saying goes: “If it’s a blessing, you can’t avoid it; if it’s a curse, you can’t escape it.” But through acts of compassion and virtue, we quietly turn the gears of fortune, inviting blessings into our lives.
Translated by Eva
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