#文章首发挑战赛#
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Li Si in Beijing, who was a kitchen helper in a large restaurant, who went out early and returned late every day, working tiring and hard, but he could only get a meager salary.
Li Si's boss is a very stingy person, he never gives a penny more to the gangs, and he doesn't let them eat the food in the restaurant, only some leftovers. Li Si starved every day, just to save money to buy books for his son. Sometimes, he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it, so he would secretly take some food from the kitchen at night, but he was never greedy, he only took a little bit, and he didn't dare to let the boss find out.
One night, Li Si was so hungry that his stomach growled, and he sneaked into the kitchen while the boss was not paying attention, trying to find something to eat. He saw a plate of braised pork on the stove, and the aroma was so fragrant that it made his mouth water. He couldn't help but reach out and take a piece, and was about to put it in his mouth, when he suddenly found a small statue of the Stove King on the stove, with a bowl of rice and a dish of vegetables next to it.
It turned out that today is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the day of the sacrificial stove, and the boss specially offered a piece of food in order to please the king of the stove. Li Si looked at the statue of the Stove King and thought, "The Lord of the Stove is in charge of the stove fire in the house, he must be also very hard, and he also needs to eat." I don't know if I'll offend my boss by stealing food like this?"
He hesitated for a moment, and felt that he was not doing it right, so he put the meat in his hand back on the plate, then scooped a spoonful of rice from his bowl, put it in the bowl of the statue of the Stove King, and said, "Lord Stove, I am a poor man, I have nothing to eat, I can only give you a little food, don't dislike it." I'm so hungry today, so I stole a little bit of food, don't blame me, and don't tell the boss, okay?" He felt that it was the best meat he had ever tasted, and he ate it with relish and did not feel anything wrong with it.
The next morning, after Li Si got up, he went to the kitchen to clean up and prepare to start the day's work. He walked to the stove and tried to clean up the food that had been served to the stove last night, but found that the rice in the bowl and the meat on the plate were gone, and only some golden things remained. He took a closer look and was startled, it turned out that those things were gold! He couldn't believe his eyes, he touched and bit again, and there was no doubt that it was real gold.
He thought to himself, "What's going on? Could it be that the Lord of the Stove ate my meal last night and exchanged it for gold for me? Does he really love me so much?" He burst into tears with excitement, and gratefully kowtowed to the statue of the King of the Stove three times, and said, "Lord of the Stove, you are really good, you have given me so much wealth, and I have no worries in my life." I will definitely honor you well, and I will treat others well, and I will not forget your kindness. With that, he took the gold into his bosom, hurried home, and told his son about it.
Li Xiaoliu was also very happy when he heard his father's words, he said: "Dad, this is a gift from the Lord of the Stove, we must cherish it and not waste it." We can use this gold to buy some fields, open a small shop, and live a good life. You don't have to work for your boss anymore, you can take a good rest. Li Si nodded, feeling that his son was reasonable, so he did what he wanted. He bought some fields with some gold, and opened a small restaurant with some gold, and became his own boss and hired a few men.
His restaurant business is good because his food is delicious and the prices are fair, not as greedy as his previous boss. He also donated some of his gold to the poor to help them tide over the difficult times. His good deeds were praised by everyone, and he was also blessed by the Lord of the Stove. His days became more and more prosperous, and his son was also admitted to the Jinshi and became an important minister of the imperial court. Li Si finally realized his dream and lived a happy and contented life.
Li Si's son Li Xiaoliu, although he became an important minister of the imperial court, but he did not forget his origin, nor did he forget his father's teachings, he has always maintained a modest, diligent, and upright character, for the country and the people, and won the trust of the emperor and the love of the people. He also often went home to visit his father, chatted with him, and ate to him, making him feel relieved and happy.
One day, Li Xiaoliu returned home and found his father busy in the kitchen, he walked over and asked, "Dad, what are you doing?" Li Si smiled and said: "Today is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, it is the day of the sacrifice stove, I want to cook a delicious meal for the stove prince, thank him for his gift back then, let us have today's happiness." When Li Xiaoliu heard this, he also smiled and said, "Dad, you are really a filial person, you not only honor the Lord of the Stove, but also respect me, I am so grateful to you." As he spoke, he hugged his father with tears in his eyes.
Li Si brought a plate of fragrant dishes to the stove, and said to the statue of the Stove King: "Lord Stove, these are all made by me, you can taste them and see if they are delicious." I know that you have been bless me and my son and let us live a good life, I really appreciate you, you are our benefactor and we will never forget you. ”
After speaking, he kowtowed three more times, and then took two pairs of chopsticks, one pair for the statue of the Stove King, and one pair for himself, and said: "Lord Stove, you are not polite, just eat with me, I also want to chat with you and talk about my heart." Li Xiaoliu looked at his father's appearance, felt very warm, and also took a pair of chopsticks, and said, "Dad, I also accompany you to eat, and I also want to talk to the Lord of the Stove and thank him for his grace." With that, he sat down and enjoyed this special meal with his father.
Just when they were eating happily, they suddenly heard the voice of the Stove King God Statue, saying: "Li Si, Li Xiaoliu, you don't need to thank me, it is your own kindness and filial piety that moved heaven and earth, and you have today's happiness." You guys are the nicest people I've ever met, and I'm excited to meet you guys and to have dinner and chat with you. Don't worry, I'll always be here, watching you, bless you, and make you happy forever. ”
When Li Si and Li Xiaoliu heard this, they opened their mouths wide in surprise, they didn't expect the Lord of the Stove to be able to speak, and he said so kindly, they quickly got up, kowtowed to the statue of the King of the Stove three more times, and said: "Lord of the Stove, you are really good, we are so honored that you can talk to us, you are our family, we will always respect and love you." ”
After speaking, they sat down again and continued to chat with the statue of the Stove King, they talked about their lives, their ideals, their feelings, just like a family, intimate. The Stove King Idol was also very happy, he felt that this was his happiest day, and he also told them his story, his wishes, and his feelings, so that they could understand him better and admire him more. They talked for a long time, until it was dark, and then they reluctantly said goodbye and agreed to meet again next year.
Since then, Li Si and Li Xiaoliu will cook a delicious meal for the Lord of the Stove on the twenty-third day of the lunar month every year, eat with him, chat, and enhance their relationship. The Lord of the Stove has also been blessing them, making their lives better and happier. They became the favorite people of the Stove Lord, and they also became the Stove Lord's best friends. Their story has also spread all over the capital and has become a good story, making people admire them and the prince of the stove. Their story has also been handed down and has become a folk tale