The following story is from the Qing Dynasty Xu Kunzhiwei's notebook novel collection "Liuya Outer Compilation", which has been slightly added and changed when translated.
In Jining, Shandong, there is an old man zhou who is very rich in his family. Old Master Zhou has several prescriptions on hand, which can be called a universal prescription, no matter what disease the locals have, as long as they use his formula and add some medicine, they will definitely be able to cure the disease and never miss it. It is also by relying on these fangzi that Mr. Zhou has become a rich man.
However, where did Old Master Zhou get these fangs? This has to start many years ago.
When you are a teenager, call Mr. Zhou a young man. Zhou's family lives outside Jining City, close to Chengguo, and his family is very poor. His parents died early, he didn't have the help of his brothers and sisters, and his life was very difficult. However, Zhou Guy has quite a backbone, is also very ambitious, and is a person of integrity.
One day, Zhou Went to the Suburbs to go to the grave, and when he returned, he saw an animal not far away, like a puppy, lying there motionless.
Zhou Guy also thought that a small animal had died and planned to bury it. Looking closer, I found that it was a little fox, the little fox was full of alcohol, it should have drunk a lot of wine, drunk here. The most amazing thing is that in front of the fox's mouth, there has always been a small fireball, one moment into the mouth, the next time spit out.
How can a fox drink and get drunk? How could it have a fireball in its mouth?
Zhou Guy thought about it carefully and suddenly understood: this should be a fox spirit, it must have turned into a person to drink, because it was drunk, so it would appear prototype. As for the fireball, it should be the Neidan it cultivated, indicating that the fox cultivation should be very high, so although he was drunk, he was still swallowing the Neidan, which was cultivating.
Neidan is a good thing, eating it can at least prolong life, ordinary people have no chance to get it. It is said that some Daoists, warlocks, and masters are willing to surrender demons because they want to get the Neidan of animal cultivation.
However, after Zhou Saw it, he did not take the opportunity to take Neidan to eat, but put the fox in his arms, brought it home, put it in a big poppy (a bottle with a small mouth and a large belly), closed the lid, and kept watching in front of him.
After half a day, I only heard a voice from the poppy: Where is this, how is it dark? I went to visit a friend, got drunk, and seemed to be asleep on the grass in a trance, how did I get here?
Zhou Guy said: I just know that you are definitely not a poppy thing! I saw that you were drunk and fell to the ground, worried that someone would mutilate you, so I brought you back and put you in the poppy.
Someone else came from poppy again: Ah, I am really ugly, can I take the lid off? Zhou Boy took the poppy lid, and in the blink of an eye, an old man with a gorgeous white beard appeared in front of him. The old man gave a long slap to the Zhou guy, and then disappeared.
In the evening, Zhou Was sitting on the steps in the courtyard when he heard someone in the house speaking: Thank you for saving your life, I have not forgotten, and now I have come to repay you. I have ten gold treasures to give to my benefactors, and the right is a birthday gift. After saying that, ten gold yuan treasures hung in the air, reflecting the moonlight, which was beautiful.
When Zhou Guy heard this, he hurriedly said: Oh, where did you get these gold yuan treasures? Some people get it, someone must lose it, you take it quickly, this money will tarnish my character. Don't repay the favor, I just can't bear to let you be killed, not to covet your return.
After half a day, no one spoke, and when I looked at Jin Yuanbao, it was gone.
The next night, Mr. Zhou had dinner and came to the courtyard to watch the moon. Only to see that there were two boxes in the yard, Zhou Guy did not know what it was, opened the box to take a look, found that one box is splendid embroidery, one box is tulle, are valuable materials.
Just when Zhou Boy was wondering, a voice came from the roof: Benefactor, I still can't forget your life-saving grace to me, and I must repay you. These two boxes of things, I hope the benefactor will accept them.
Zhou Boy knew that it was a gift from the fox again, and he still refused, saying: Oh, isn't this different and unjust? If someone gets it, someone must lose it, so take it away and don't tarnish my character. I don't want you to repay me, don't do it again.
There was no voice on the roof, the fox was gone, and when Zhou Boy turned his face to look at the courtyard again, the two boxes of clothes were gone.
On the third night, the fox did not come; on the fourth night, the fox still did not come, and a month passed, and the fox did not come. Zhou Boy let go of his heart, thinking that the fox would not come to repay the favor again.
One night, Zhou was getting ready to go to bed when he heard a knock at the door. He got up and opened the door, and was surprised to find that it was the white-bearded old man who had turned into the fox.
The white-bearded old man said, "Benefactor, you are really a man of integrity!" The gold and cotton treasures of the people of the world can be taken and used by the people of the world, and I take them to give to the benefactors, so why not? However, the benefactor said that this is unrighteous, and if someone gets it, someone will lose it. Who can be like a benefactor like a man of integrity in ancient and modern times? Rare, rare.
Zhou Boy modestly refused, only to hear the white-bearded old man say again: However, I am bent on repaying the benefactor's great saving grace. Therefore, I went to Heaven to serve Lao Jun for an hour or so, and Lao Jun saw that I was doing things carefully, so he gave me a few prescriptions. This is not gold and silver, nor is it a commodity, but something that can provide relief to all people, and it is hoped that the benefactor will not refuse.
When Zhou Boy heard this, he was overjoyed and accepted the prescription of the white-bearded old man. After picking it up, the old man was gone.
After getting the prescription, Zhou Guy first took himself to do experiments, and when he got sick, he dispensed the medicine according to the prescription and boiled the medicine to eat, which was really effective. Slowly, he began to use it on others again, just as effectively. Slowly, everyone came to see him, and Zhou Boy never collected more money, but because there were many people looking for him, slowly his life improved.
One year, there was an outbreak of disease in the local area, and Zhou Xiaogang relied on the prescription to save many people, and the locals praised it.