During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, there was an old man Bi in Longwei Village, Wendeng County, Shandong Province who made a living by fishing. Old Man Bi is not very old, only in his forties. However, his face was sad and wrinkles were prematurely born, so the villagers joked that it was said.
When he was young, Old Man Bi was once a scholar and was quite talented in Wendeng County . However, at a cocktail party, he offended the county's academician for his mistakes and was stripped of his academic name and went home lonely.
As the saying goes, "Blessings come unparalleled, but misfortunes never come alone." Not long after he returned home, his fiancée canceled the engagement with him and married the rich man from the next village.
Old man Bi was so anxious that he couldn't afford to get sick. In order to cure him, his family members exhausted his family's wealth. Later, although Old Man Bi was cured, he fell into the root of the disease and often coughed continuously.
In this way, no girl can look down on him anymore.
From the pride of heaven to a sick old man, Old Man Bi often lamented that life is really impermanent.
On this day, matchmaker Wang came to the door and shouted in a sharp voice as soon as he entered the door: "Old man Bi, your luck is here. Li Hehua from the next village just died, and she wants to find another husband. I think you are very suitable."
Don't dare to say this to others. Matchmaker Wang will definitely praise the woman like a fairy in the sky. However, it would be nice to be a bachelor in his forties who would marry him, but he could still be picky?
Sure enough, Old Man Bi agreed on the spot.
Not long after, Li Hehua came to Bi's house with her luggage. The two of them did not hold a wedding, and drinking Hehuan wine under the witness of the elders in the village was considered a gift.
On the wedding night, Old Man Bi was very excited. He took off Li Hehua's headscarf, looked at Li Hehua's beautiful face, and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely treat you well in the future."
Li Hehua nodded shyly, and then threw herself into Old Man Bi's arms.
Not long after, Li Hehua became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter for Old Man Bi. Old Man Bi was old and burst into tears. He named his daughter "Bi He", which means that his daughter is the crystallization of his love with his wife Li Hehua.
Bi He is very sensible. Whenever her father goes out to sea to fish, she will sit by the beach and wait for her father to come back. Her happiest moment was when Old Man Bi returned with a full load and brought her beautiful shells as gifts.
When she was ten years old, Old Man Bi fell ill.
Old man Bi is old, and his body is not good at all. He often blows on the sea, which is stormy and sucks . This disease has always been bedridden.
Before his death, Old Man Bi said to Bi He: "After I leave, you two are left. You must be kind to your mother." Bi He lay on the bed and cried loudly.
After the death of old man Bi, Bi He seemed to have grown up overnight.
At a young age, she started to help her mother with housework. Li Hehua is a washing lady at the Li Qianzhu's house in the east of the village, worried that Bi He would take her with him at home alone.
Bi He was not idle when his mother was working, but instead ran around to dry clothes for the laundrymen. The ladies praised Bi He for being sensible. When checking out, the Li family housekeeper would give Bi He a copper coin as her salary.
In a blink of an eye, Bi He is fifteen years old.
As the saying goes, there are many women in a family who ask for marriage, and there are endless people who come to ask for marriage. Li Hehua wanted to tell Bi He a good marriage, but Bi He disagreed. She said, "Mom, I promised my father that I should take good care of you."
Li Hehua is also old, and Bi He took over the work she did at Li Qianzhu's house.
One day, Bi He went to Li Caizhu's house to wash clothes on time.
When she was bent down and busy, the young master of the Li family hugged her from behind. Bi He struggled desperately, but Young Master Li hugged him tighter and tighter, and gasped and said, "Bi He, I have liked you for a long time, so you should just leave me."
After saying that, he kissed Bi He.
In desperation, Bi He bit Master Li's hand and then stepped on him hard. Master Li was in pain and reluctantly let go of his hand. Bi He took the opportunity to escape from the Li family and ran all the way home.
As soon as he got home, Bi He locked himself in the room and cried bitterly. Li Hehua didn't know what happened, so she was so anxious that she banged the door hard outside and asked Bi He to open the door.
At this time, two servants of the Li family broke in and started smashing the door as soon as they entered. Li Hehua wanted to step forward to stop him, but was pushed to the ground. One of the servants said: "Your daughter injured my young master. This is a lesson for you. The young master said that if you still want to live off my family, send your daughter to the house to make amends." After saying this, the two of them walked away.
When Bi He saw his mother falling to the ground, he quickly helped her up and told her the whole story. Li Hehua sighed: "Daughter, I will not give you to that beast."
After Bi He heard this, he hugged his mother and cried again.
After losing their job of washing clothes at Li's house, life became difficult for the mother and daughter. When Bihoken endured hardship, she went to the beach to pick up seafood and sell it for money.
Wendeng County is rich in sea cucumbers , so Bi He worked with a group of old fishermen. She was diligent and studious, and soon mastered the fishing skills. By selling seafood, the mother and daughter could make a living.
However, the young master of the Li family was not prepared to let them go.
On the one hand, he still coveted Bi He's beauty, but on the other hand, he couldn't suppress it. After waiting for Bi He to come to the door, he personally took people to Bi He's house.
Master Li said arrogantly: "Your daughter hurt me. You either have to make amends with Bi He or give me ten taels of silver for the decoction and medicine, otherwise this matter will never end."
After saying this, he sat down on the table and looked at Bi He and his daughter jokingly.
Li Hehua said: "Master Li, we can't afford that much money, and I'm not going to give my daughter to you. You have done all those dirty things and you dare to come here. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Master Li frowned: " If you don't eat the toast, you will be fined. , give me a beating!" After saying that, a group of Li family servants surrounded Bi He and her daughter. Li Hehua guarded his daughter tightly behind him.
Suddenly, a voice came: "In broad daylight, you are brave!"
Master Li turned around and saw a man dressed as a scholar walking over, followed by a book boy. Master Li said: "Don't mind your own business and get out of here."
The scholar smiled and asked the boy to take out a banknote and said, "This is twenty taels of silver. Can you let them go?"
Master Li took the banknote and immediately summoned the servants to leave without saying a word.
Bi He stepped forward and thanked him: "Thank you, Master, I will repay you the money."
The scholar said: "No need. May I ask if this is Bi Longshan's home?" Bi Longshan is the name of Old Man Bi. Bi He replied: "It is my father. Who is the young master?"
The scholar said: "I am Liu Feng. This time I respect my father's words and come to visit an old friend."
When Bi old man was young, he had a good friend Liu Wen, Liu Feng's father. The two studied together, and later Bi Laohan was admitted as a scholar, while Liu Wen went to Sichuan because of family matters and never returned.
Liu Wen passed away the year before last, and he specifically asked Liu Feng to come and see his old friend. Liu Feng couldn't help but feel a little sad when he heard Bi He's story about Old Man Bi.
The two had similar backgrounds, and they quickly developed a liking for each other. Under the witness of Li Hehua, Liu Fengming matchmaker married Bi He. This time, unlike the shabby marriage between Old Man Bi and Li Hehua, Liu Feng spent a lot of money to invite all the villagers as guests.
Seeing Liu Feng's generous spending, the villagers in Longwei Village praised Li Hehua for his good fortune. After everyone's persuasion, Liu Feng drank a lot of wine until almost midnight before walking towards the wedding room.
When I thought about being able to have sex with Bi He immediately, Liu Feng couldn't help but speed up.
When he was about to reach the wedding room, he suddenly found a black shadow coming in from the backyard and walking towards his mother-in-law's room. Liu Feng felt suspicious and followed him quietly.
He looked around and saw that the person coming was a bald man. He knocked on his mother-in-law Li Hehua's window three times. After Li Hehua opened the window from inside, the bald man jumped in.
Liu Feng stayed outside the window and did not leave until half an hour later.
The next day, Liu Feng got up early in the morning and went with Bi He to greet Li Hehua. He saw Li Hehua's red face and asked, "Did my mother-in-law sleep well last night?"
Li Hehua said, "Sleep well. Don't be too tired from you and Bi He. Go back early to rest. You don't have to trouble me to greet you in the future. We are not a wealthy family, so we won't promising this."
Liu Feng and Bi He left and returned to the room. He said to Bi He, "You should spend more time with your mother in the future, and she will be lonely alone." Bi He nodded in agreement.
After this day, Bi He often chats with his mother at home and does housework. Li Hehua asked her to do her own business, and Bi He smiled and said, "Now that the family has a husband's care for their livelihood, we don't have to live a hard life like before."
Li Hehua did not force it after hearing this, but sometimes she would ask Bi He to accompany her to Xishan Temple to burn incense.
Xishan Temple is a temple that has become famous in Wendeng County in the past two years. It is rumored that the abbot of the temple was a Taoist monk. He came here from Baiyun Temple in the capital and saw the Buddha's light shining in the West Mountain, so he built a temple in Xishan.
After the locals found out, they went to Xishan Temple to worship Buddha, which is said to be very spiritual.
Li Hehua took Bi He into Xishan Temple. After finishing the incense in the Main Hall, she met with Master Wensheng, the abbot of Xishan Temple under the arrangement of the little novice monk.
Master Wensheng looked at Bi He and praised her for being blessed in this life.
Bi He smiled and thanked her, but she found that Master Wensheng was always staring at her. She couldn't help but ask, "Master, is there anything wrong with asking?"
Master Wensheng said, "Amitabha, don't blame the female donor. I just observed the Dharma. Although you have great blessings in the future, you still need to go through a disaster."
Bi He said nervously, "How should I save it?"
Master Wensheng replied, "Just stick to your original heart. Make the right choice you think, and all reasons have cause and effect." After that, he turned around and went to the back hall.
On the way home, Bi He looked puzzled and asked Li Hehua, "Mother, what does Master Wensheng mean just now?"
Li Hehua smiled and said, "Don't worry, you will know then."
When he returned home, Bi He told her husband Liu Feng again.
Liu Feng is now working in the yamen and is in charge of the judiciary in Wendeng County. After hearing this, Liu Feng laughed and said, "It's just a mystery. Just listen to it."
Then, he said, "Mother is old. After all, we can't stay with her. Have you ever thought about finding a wife for her mother?"
Bi He said, "Where is the reason why the son-in-law takes the initiative to find a wife for her mother-in-law?"
Liu Feng laughed after hearing this.
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. Shortly after a black shadow entered Li Hehua's room, Liu Feng came with a group of people from the yamen, and Bi He followed them with a questioning look on his face.
Liu Feng kicked open the door suddenly, and saw a figure jumping up from the bed, while Li Hehua hid in the quilt and refused to show her head.
The man was unable to escape and was caught by the yamen runners.
Bi He walked closer and saw that he opened his eyes wide. This person was Master Wensheng from Xishan Temple. Bi He felt a little dizzy, and Liu Feng held her aside.
Liu Feng shouted, "Take the prisoner away!"
Li Hehua fell from the bed and knelt on the ground and said, "Bi He, please plead with Liu Feng and don't take people. This person is your biological father."
Bi He almost fainted on the ground when he heard this. She asked dryly: "My father? My father is Bilongshan, how could he be a monk? "
Li Hehua sobbed and told everyone what happened.
It turned out that Monk Wensheng was Li Hehua's ex-husband.
Monk Wensheng was a thief, and his external identity was just an ordinary villager. That year, Wensheng stole the county's tax silver and was tracked and fled westward.
After Wensheng escaped, Li Hehua found that she was pregnant. In order to be able to give birth to a child safely without criticism, she voluntarily married Old Man Bi, who was over 20 years older than her.
Originally, after giving birth to Bi He , She was preparing to leave quietly to find Wen Sheng. However, Old Man Bi was in poor health, and she was afraid that it would be too much of a blow to Old Man Bi. Also because Old Man Bi was really treating her very well, she gradually developed feelings for Old Man Bi.
Later, Wen Sheng secretly came back to see her and asked her to elope with her with her children. Unfortunately, Li Hehua had already fallen in love with Old Man Bi and refused Wen Sheng.
In the following years, Wen Sheng went to Baiyun Temple to become a monk. It was not until he heard that Old Man Bi died that he returned to Wen Deng as the abbot of Xishan Temple. When Li Hehua went to Xishan Temple to burn incense, he recognized Wen Sheng and the two of them continued their relationship.
Li Hehua cried and said, "He has changed his past, so you can spare him. "
Liu Feng was not moved after hearing this, but said lightly to Wen Sheng: "Is Old Man Bi's death related to you? "
Li Hehua's expression changed drastically, and she looked up at Wen Sheng.
Wen Sheng smiled bitterly when he heard this: "I killed him. "
It turned out that Wen Sheng was unwilling to leave Wendeng County. His wife and daughter all followed another life. He gradually hated Old Man Bi in his heart.
He sneaked back secretly, understood Old Man Bi's rules of going to sea, and found the right time to assassinate Old Man Bi. At that time, Old Man Bi also recognized him and did not struggle.
Old Man Bi said: "I am old and can't live long. You can do it, let me go back and say goodbye to my wife and children. They are also your wife and children, and I will keep the secret for you. "
Wen Sheng let Old Man Bi go. After confirming that Old Man Bi died, he did not take Li Hehua and Bi He away because he felt a deep guilt in his heart.
He knew that his sins were serious, so he fled to the capital and hid his name and went into Baiyun Temple to cleanse his sins with Buddhism.
All the truth was revealed, Bi He buried his head in Liu Feng's arms, not knowing how to face this fact.
Before being taken away by the yamen runners, Wen Sheng stopped and said to Bi He: "Can you call me father? "Bi He shook his head firmly and refused. Wen Sheng left with a wry smile.
Later, Wen Sheng was brought to justice. Li Hehua left his home and built a thatched hut at the foot of the West Mountain. He no longer paid attention to worldly affairs and recited scriptures in front of the Buddha.
Liu Feng and Bi He and his wife would visit her at the beginning. However, after being rejected many times, they changed to visiting each other during the holidays. Bi He often went to worship in front of the old man Bi's grave and told her that she is now Life. After experiencing this incident, Liu Feng and Bi He became more loving. They vowed to never be separated and live a very happy life.
Hu Mu said:
Everything has cause and effect.
Cherish the people in front of you and do not regret it.
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