When the cow herd returned at night, he saw his brother and sister-in-law bathing in the tank, and he secretly put a handful of salt in the water
In ancient times, there was a place called Bluestone Village, which was surrounded by mountains and had beautiful scenery. There is a family surnamed Li living in the village, Li Laohan lost his wife in his early years, leaving only two sons, the eldest son Li Zhong is honest and honest, and the second son Li Yi is smart and clever. Due to the poverty of his family, Li Laohan could not continue to work every day, so Li Zhong went out early and returned late every day to herd cattle for the villagers to subsidize the family.
Li Zhong is well-known in the village for his hard work and kindness, and he treats the cattle as if they were his own relatives, taking care of them carefully and never abusing them. Therefore, the cattle he herds are always fat and strong, and they are loved by the villagers. However, Li Zhong's diligence did not bring him the rewards he deserved, but made his wife Zhang dissatisfied.
Zhang was originally a young lady from a wealthy family in a neighboring village, but due to changes in her family, she had no choice but to marry Li Zhong as his wife. She has been pampered since she was a child, accustomed to the life of fine clothes and food, and after marrying Li Zhong, she saw that her family was poor, so she complained. She disliked Li Zhong for being with cows every day, his body was full of cow dung, and she sneered at his honesty and honesty. She fantasizes about returning to her old life every day, but she has no choice but to be cruel to reality.
One day, while wandering around the village, Zhang came across a wandering Taoist priest. This Taoist priest has a childish face and a fairy wind and bones, and he can see at a glance that the Zhang family has a grudge in his heart. He smiled slightly and said to Zhang: "There is a way to regain your former wealth, but you must be sincere in order to succeed." Zhang was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly asked what method was. The Taoist priest took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang: "This is the treasure refined by the poor Tao, you only need to put this jade pendant into the water tank at home, and you can feel the wealth of the past when you bathe every day." ”
If the Zhang family got the treasure, he hurriedly brought the jade pendant home. That night, she took advantage of Li Zhong's outing to herd cattle and secretly put the jade pendant into the water tank. Sure enough, when she bathed, she only felt surrounded by a warm breath, as if she was in a wealthy home in the past. She was overjoyed in her heart, thinking that what the Taoist priest said was true, and since then she has been convinced of the jade pendant.
However, what she didn't know was that this jade pendant was not a magic weapon, but a trap set by the Taoist priest in order to test people's hearts. There is a strange power hidden in this jade pendant, which can make people hallucinate while bathing, and feel what their hearts desire most. And what Zhang's heart desires most is the rich life of the past.
Since then, Zhang can't wait to bathe by the water tank every day, enjoying that moment of wealth and glory. She gradually became arrogant and domineering, and became even more indifferent and ruthless to Li Zhong. She no longer cares about the affairs of the family, but only cares about her own enjoyment and vanity. But Li Zhong didn't know it, and still worked hard every day when he went out early and returned late at night.
In the blink of an eye, Li Laohan died of illness, and only Li Zhong, Zhang and Li Yi were left in the family. In order to support this family, Li Zhong worked harder. However, his efforts did not win Zhang's understanding and support, but in exchange for her scolding and disgust. She thought he made too little money to satisfy her vanity; She thinks he's not smart enough to make a lot of money like other men. She even began to dislike Li Zhong's appearance and figure, feeling that he was not worthy of herself.
One evening, Li Yi returned from herding cattle, and when he passed by the front of his house, he suddenly heard a burst of water in the house. He curiously approached and saw that Zhang was bathing in the water tank, while Li Zhong was wiping her body on the side. This scene made Li Yi feel very shocked and puzzled. He thought to himself, "What is the matter with my brother who works hard every day, but my sister-in-law dislikes him so much, and now she bathes in the vat with him?" ”
Li Yi was full of doubts in his heart, but he did not directly ask Zhang and Li Zhong. He decided to take a sneaky look to see what secrets were behind it. So, he sneaked home quietly, took a handful of salt from the kitchen, and secretly put it in the water tank. He wanted to see if the salt could make Zhang's feet exposed, or if he could reveal the truth behind it.
As night fell, Zhang came to the water tank again to prepare for a bath. As she took off her clothes and entered the water tank, she suddenly felt a tingling pain. She exclaimed in surprise and quickly jumped out of the water tank. I saw that her skin was corroded red by salt water, and the pain was unbearable. She looked angrily at Li Yi and asked him why he had put salt in the water. Li Yi just smiled coldly: "Sister-in-law, don't panic, I just want you to see the truth in this water clearly." ”
Zhang was stunned when he heard this, not knowing what Li Yi meant. She looked down at the water in the tank, and saw that the water reflected pictures of her former rich life. Only then did she suddenly realize that she had been immersed in the illusory wealth brought by the jade pendant, and ignored the true happiness and warmth around her. She felt a strong wave of shame and remorse welling up in her heart, and she couldn't help but weep bitterly.
Seeing this, Li Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to comfort Zhang's and said: "Don't cry, lady, all this is illusory, we should cherish the happiness and warmth in front of us." Although I can't bring you mountains of gold and silver, I will use my hands to support a warm home for you. ”
When Zhang heard Li Zhong's words, a warm current surged in his heart. She recalled the difficult years she spent with Li Zhong, although she was poor, Li Zhong's care and love for her never diminished. She realizes that she has been blinded by vanity and greed, ignoring the most sincere emotions around her. She looked at Li Zhong with teary eyes and said affectionately: "Husband, I was wrong. I was blinded by the illusory riches and forgot the love between us. From now on, I will cherish every day we are together and no longer be confused by external objects. ”
Li Zhong's heart was moved after hearing this, he held Zhang's hand tightly, and the two looked at each other and smiled. Li Yi, who was standing on the side, saw this scene and felt extremely relieved in his heart. He knows that the relationship between his brother and sister-in-law has been rekindled, and this home will be full of warmth and happiness again.
Since then, the Zhang family has changed from the pampering and vanity of the past, and has become industrious and virtuous. She began to care about the affairs of the family, taking care of Li Zhong and Li Yi's daily life. And Li Zhong also felt the change in his wife and worked harder, hoping to create better living conditions for his family.
Li Yi watched the changes in his brother and sister-in-law, and his heart was also full of joy. He understood a truth: true happiness is not external wealth and vanity, but inner satisfaction and the company of family. So, he also decided to let go of the distractions in his heart, work hard to learn skills, and win glory for the family in the future.
Time flies, and a few years have passed in the blink of an eye. With the joint efforts of Li Zhong and Zhang, the life of the family gradually improved. They built new houses, bought back their fields, and their lives became more and more prosperous. And Li Yi also relied on his ingenuity and hard work to open a small shop in the village, and the business was prosperous.
The people of Qingshi Village were very surprised and envious when they saw the changes in the Li family. They came one after another to ask the Li family for experience and secrets to get rich. And the Li family always modestly said: "We don't have any secrets, we just know how to cherish the happiness and warmth in front of us." ”
This story spread in Qingshi Village and became a good story. People learned from this that true happiness is not external wealth and vanity, but inner satisfaction and the company of family. And the story of the Li family has also become a model that inspires people to cherish happiness and work hard.