In a letter to Chen Zhifan, Hu Shi wrote, “I never look forward to recovering the money I lend. Because I know that the money I lend is always ‘a million dollars’ and always has interest on earth.” This is another modern interpretation of money, the meaning of which is to be light on money and righteousness. Whenever there is a big earthquake disaster, many people will take the initiative to donate. Human nature comes with a natural goodness and righteousness. Although the ancient and modern living environment is different, the language expression is also different, but the story left behind, but there are similarities and wonders. In ancient times, there is a story of light wealth and righteousness: people were so moved by the righteous man that they wanted to buy Gold and cast a real-Life statue for him. Which righteous man was it? Let’s take a look at the story of Jusheng!
There was a scholar in Huizhou, and people called him Zhu Sheng. His Parents died when he was twelve or thirteen, so he became an orphan.
One of his fellow villagers went to Jiaxing to do business and opened a store, so he took Zhu Sheng with him, and this fellow villager became Zhu Sheng’s master. Zhu Sheng followed the shopkeeper to learn business, because he was honest and hardworking, and clean, very popular with the shopkeeper. A few years later, he had a successful career, saved a hundred taels of silver, and wanted to go Home to marry, to complete his parents’ early Marriage contract. The shopkeeper agreed, thinking that his hundred taels of silver might not be enough, he financed him another hundred taels, and chose an auspicious day to send him back home.
Strangely enough, he was gone for less than ten days before he came back. The shopkeeper was surprised and asked him, “Why did you come back so soon?” Zhu Sheng said, “I met robbers halfway and they took all the silver. I had to come back empty-handed, so I couldn’t do the wedding, so I’ll wait for another year.” The shopkeeper heard him say so, also very sorry for him.
In fact, when Zhu Sheng returned to his hometown, he stayed in an inn at night, and in the middle of the night he heard the cries of two women coming from next door, the sound was very sad and desolate. He asked the shopkeeper what was going on.
The innkeeper said.
“The mother-in-law had been a widow since she was a child, and had raised her son to adulthood, and had married a virtuous daughter-in-law. But only one year after the marriage, there was a disaster year. The Family was starving and was forced to make ends meet, so the son went to Sichuan to work as a staff member, sending money home to support his mother, and his daughter-in-law did embroidery to earn some income to support the family.
“But recently, due to the war between the Sichuan army and the Chu army, the roads were impassable, so I have not heard from my son for three years. Now, with the war and the year of famine, prices are soaring, and Food, oil and salt are as expensive as pearls, so the family can hardly survive. Yesterday, a matchmaker came to say that a rich man had fallen in love with her daughter-in-law and was willing to pay 300 taels of silver to take her as a concubine. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law couldn’t let each other go, so they cried all night long.”
After Zhu Sheng carefully asked the shopkeeper about the family history of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and the son’s name, age and appearance, he went back to his room. He took out all the money he had and wrote a fake letter in his son’s name, came to the door of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’s house, and said to the mother-in-law, “I went to Sichuan to sell goods, and your son is a good friend. When I returned today, your son asked me to bring you 200 taels of silver and this letter, so please accept it.”
The old man broke into a smile when he heard that she wanted to keep Zhu Sheng sitting down for more details about her son’s situation. Zhu Sheng said, “Your son is doing very well, he is rich and will be coming home soon, so I’m sure the letter has all the details. Because I still have to rush, no Time to go into details!” Zhu Sheng said and said goodbye. He took a detour back to the inn and wrote a letter to his relatives at home, excusing himself that he had been robbed on the road and that the wedding date had to be postponed. He mailed the letter and returned to his store in Jiaxing.
More than a year later, Zhu Sheng saved up some money and set off for home again. This time he stayed at the inn. He asked the shopkeeper how the situation of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was going. The shopkeeper said.
“Last time, after I told you about her family’s situation, a customer came the same day, bringing her son’s letter and 200 taels of silver to her, and left after putting down the money. That granny got the money and immediately cancelled the marriage of the rich family.
“But who would have thought that within a few days, her son suddenly came back and made a fortune of more than 100,000 taels of silver, and now became a big family. That son said that he did not entrust anyone to send money to send letters home. So he thought that maybe the gods had pity on his mother for her bitter chastity and on his daughter-in-law for her virtuous filial piety, so they quietly blessed them.”
Zhu Sheng heart smiled with relief and nodded uncontrollably, he said nothing.
Zhu Sheng home after the completion of the marriage, more than a year at home, and then set off for the store in Jiaxing. Halfway, or in that inn to rest and stay. One day, he happened to wander outside the inn and happened to meet the old lady next door. Zhu Sheng saw her and hurriedly hid in the store.
Not long after, the wife’s son came to the inn neatly dressed, invited Zhu Sheng to his home. When Zhu Sheng did not go, the gentleman smiled and said, “Just now I heard the innkeeper say that you are good at calligraphy. Now, I want to send a letter to a distant place, but I can’t write it myself. My secretary is away on an errand, so I beg you to write a letter for me!” Zhu Sheng had to do as he was told.
After Zhu Sheng wrote the letter, he handed it back to the old woman’s son. A moment later, the old woman led her son and daughter-in-law out of the house, fully dressed, and fell down on their knees in front of Zhu Sheng. The three members of the family bowed to him and thanked him for his great kindness and for preserving the family.
At first, Zhu Sheng did not admit it, but the wife recognized him, and the shopkeeper came out to testify to the identification, Zhu Sheng saw that he could not hide it, so he had to admit: “I just had a moment of compassion, but also because God had mercy on my mother-in-law’s chastity, and my sister-in-law was very filial. It was all done by Heaven through my hand, how dare I take credit from Heaven!” Zhu Sheng and the old lady’s son then became friends and brothers.
When the shopkeeper of Jiaxing heard about this, he was surprised and said, “Originally I thought Zhu Sheng was just a sincere and honest man, but I didn’t think he could still see the righteousness and do such a great good deed without taking it to heart, and he will have great blessings in the future!” So trust him even more.
Before the shopkeeper died, the owner entrusted the whole store to Jusheng because his children were still very young. And he agreed to ten years as the period, when the child grows up, then return the capital to his son. After Zhu Sheng took over the store, the store was very profitable.
After 10 years, Zhu Sheng settled the capital and profit, and got hundreds of thousands of silver. He thought that although he had an agreement before, he would only return the capital to his son, but after all, he was a master and a servant, so he could not let down the owner’s kindness, so he gave half of his entire property to the owner’s son, and both families became very rich. Zhu Sheng’s two sons, the eldest son named Jiaji and the second son named Kuiji, both entered the Hanlin (equivalent to the modern Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Social Sciences) and held prominent official positions.
There is a poem in “Sitting Flower Chi Kok” praising Jusheng, who heard the cries of others and had good thoughts in his heart to support others. His good deeds were so touching that people were willing to buy gold to cast a statue of him!
(The incident is according to “The False Book of Protection” in the second volume of “Sitting Flowers and Zhi Guo”)
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