During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, torrential rains fell in Longping County between summer and autumn. The Longpu River experienced a flood rarely seen in history. The raging waves rushed to both banks, destroying houses and flooding crops, leaving many people homeless. The scene was horrific…
The three thatched houses of Qiao Zian's family in Liulin Village face the river in front and the hillside in the back. Due to the long rain and heavy rainfall, a large mudslide occurred on the hillside behind. The strong impact pushed Qiao Zian's thatched house into the rolling river, and the three members of the family were swept away by the flood! The young and strong Qiao Zian struggled in the flood, but fortunately he was able to hold on to a piece of wood to survive. However, his old mother and daughter-in-law He Fengying, who were lying on the thatched roof, drifted away with the water. Qiao Zian cried and screamed, watching the figures of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law disappear from his sight… Qiao Zian drifted in the waves for three days relying on the buoyancy of the wood. At a bend in the mountain, he grabbed a willow branch on the shore to survive. After Qiao Zian climbed ashore, he knelt by the river and looked at the rushing river water, and he couldn't even cry… The grief-stricken Qiao Zian sat on the shore blankly, hungry, and wanted to find a village to ask for something to eat. He stood up slowly and walked on the road alone. Suddenly, he saw a middle-aged man riding a bay horse coming towards him. Just then, a hare jumped out from the roadside. The horse was suddenly frightened, raised its four hooves and threw its owner to the ground and ran away desperately. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared! The middle-aged man got up from the ground and chased the bay horse desperately. Qiao Zian walked over and saw a bulging mattress cover on the ground. Needless to say, it must have been thrown off by the horse when it ran. Qiao Zian looked at the four big words "Longde Commercial Bank" written on the mattress cover. He reached into the mattress cover and tried to take out something edible. However, there was no food inside, but a lot of silver and several thick account books. Qiao Zian understood 80% of it in his heart. The middle-aged man must be the company's outside counter to collect debts. Now the middle-aged man left the mattress cover and chased the horse. If someone picked it up after a long time, where would he find it? How could he explain to the shopkeeper when he returned to the counter after losing the silver and the account book? If the shopkeeper really blamed him and asked him to pay for the loss of the silver, wouldn't that be the end of his life? The more Qiao Zian thought about it, the more worried he was about the man. So, Qiao Zian decided to guard the mattress cover for the man, and no matter how hungry he was, he would wait until the man came back before leaving.
After an unknown amount of time, the middle-aged man came back on his horse. The middle-aged man came to Qiao Zian, got off his horse, and said to Qiao Zian in astonishment, "Brother, you didn't leave?" Qiao Zian, who was sitting next to the mattress cover, said, "I'm so hungry that I've been thinking of going to the village to get some food. But what if you don't come back and the mattress cover is lost?" The middle-aged man knelt down to Qiao Zian and said, "Brother, you are not tempted by money but instead look after me. There are such good people in the world. Such great kindness is beyond repayment. Today is also a fate for you and me. Let's become sworn brothers…" So the two of them made a stove with soil and inserted grass as incense, and swore to the sky to become sworn brothers. The two of them said their names and ages. The middle-aged man's surname was Zhao Zhicheng. He was a clerk in Longde Commercial Bank in Huichang City. Because he was loyal and honest, he was highly valued by the shopkeeper and ran to the outer counter to collect debts for many years. Qiao Zian also told Zhao Zhicheng about his hometown, life experience and experience. Zhao Zhicheng said: "Brother, your whole family has suffered such a disaster and you have no relatives to turn to. Come with me to Huichang City. I will definitely help you find a job in the counter, and we will settle down and start a new career in the future…"
Qiao Zi'an followed Zhao Zhicheng to Huichang City. Zhao Zhicheng told the old shopkeeper about the frightened horse on the road and his encounter with Qiao Zi'an. The old shopkeeper was very moved and felt that a loyal person like Qiao Zi'an was really respectable and admirable. Now that his hometown had suffered a flood and his family was separated, he had no home to return to, so he kept Qiao Zi'an in the shop as a clerk.
Qiao Zian first worked odd jobs in Longde Commercial Bank. He was diligent, got up early and worked late, and was not afraid of hardship or fatigue. He went wherever there was work, boiled water and made tea, cleaned the store, loaded and unloaded goods, and did not need the instructions of the shopkeeper. The old shopkeeper loved this honest and hardworking guy very much. Later, he taught him to use an abacus and keep accounts, and let him stand at the counter to sell goods. Three years passed in a blink of an eye. One day, Zhao Zhicheng went out to do business and saw a group of people gathered on the street. Zhao Zhicheng walked over and saw that it was a young woman with a "grass tag" on her head. Zhao Zhicheng understood in his heart that this woman was selling herself. Although the woman was ragged and had a gaunt face, she looked pretty, so Zhao Zhicheng squeezed into the crowd and asked the woman where she was from, her name, and why she was selling herself. The woman said her name was Li Xiulan, and she lived in the countryside thirty miles away from Huichang City. Because her husband was bedridden for three years due to a chronic disease, she sold all the things that could be sold in the house to treat her husband, but her husband's disease was still not cured. In desperation, she discussed with the old woman and decided to sell herself to pay for her husband's medical treatment… After listening to Li Xiulan's story, Zhao Zhicheng admired this virtuous woman very much. So he suddenly thought of his sworn brother Qiao Zian – Qiao Zian was almost 30 years old and still single, why not buy this woman for him? Zhao Zhicheng took off the "grass label" on Li Xiulan's head and said to the woman: "I have a sworn brother who is about the same age as you, looks energetic, and has a kind heart. He is still single. I want to buy you to be his wife. Come with me, I will send someone to send the money to your home immediately…"
Zhao Zhicheng brought Li Xiulan to the counter and told the old shopkeeper about the matter. The old shopkeeper said that this was a good thing, and immediately ordered the shopkeepers to help Qiao Zian to arrange the wedding, and all expenses would be paid by the counter first. After Qiao Zian met Li Xiulan, he saw this haggard woman crying miserably, with tears streaming down her face. Qiao Zian's heart was like being stabbed by a knife… He said nothing and turned out of the house to find the big shopkeeper and Zhao Zhicheng: "Big shopkeeper, Brother Zhao thanks you for your kindness, but I can't marry this woman no matter what. Now they are in disaster, how can you bear to separate them? The man lost his virtuous wife, and his condition will definitely worsen in grief. Wouldn't that cost him his life? His mother would have no way to live! I want to give her the wages I have earned in the past three years, so that she can go home to treat her husband's illness. Anyway, it's useless for me to save money alone." The old shopkeeper and Zhao Zhicheng were deeply moved when they heard it, and they also felt that what Qiao Zian said made sense. In this way, Qiao Zian gave all the money he earned to Li Xiulan, and asked her to go home and treat her husband's illness. Li Xiulan knelt in front of Qiao Zian and said with tears: "My kind brother, if I can't serve you in this life, I will repay you for your kindness in the next life even if I become a donkey or a horse…"
After returning home, Li Xiulan sought medical treatment everywhere. After many treatments, her husband's illness was finally cured. The whole family was very happy. To thank Qiao Zi'an for saving their lives, the mother and her two children made a special trip to Longde Commercial Bank to visit Qiao Zi'an. Li Xiulan and her husband knelt in front of Qiao Zi'an. Li Xiulan sobbed and said, "Brother, your life-saving grace is hard to repay. Let us recognize you as our godfather…" Qiao Zi'an said, "How can that be? I am about the same age as you and your husband. Let's just let the three of us become brothers and sisters. Anyway, I don't have any brothers or sisters, and now my mother is gone. Screw me . This time, I not only have a younger brother and sister, but also my mother. I will never feel lonely again…" Li Xiulan's family of three were overjoyed when they saw a can of Coke! The benefactor became a "brother". Is there anything closer than this?
After Li Xiulan's husband recovered, the couple worked diligently on the farm, carefully raised sows, chickens and ducks, and lived frugally. Their lives got better day by day.
One winter day, the north wind was howling, and heavy snow was falling. The weather was very cold. Near dusk, two beggars came from nowhere. The old one was over 60 years old, and the young one was about 30 years old. The two were wearing tattered clothes and shivering from the cold. They went from door to door begging. Seeing that it was getting dark, there was no place to stay, so they had to spend the night in a dilapidated temple at the head of the village. Li Xiulan saw that the two women were too pitiful. They could not fill their stomachs by begging for food, and their clothes were thin. Wouldn’t they die of hunger and cold if they stayed overnight in the dilapidated temple with ventilation… So, Li Xiulan discussed with her mother-in-law and husband and asked the two beggars to live in their home. The old woman and her husband were both people who had suffered, and they agreed in unison. Li Xiulan went to the dilapidated temple in the wind and snow and brought the two women home. The old woman asked Li Xiulan to cook for the two beggars so that the two women could eat their fill. After dinner, Li Xiulan and the old woman started chatting with the two beggars. It turned out that the two beggars were a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. Their family had suffered a disaster, and they had lost their husbands. They were homeless and had to beg for a living. Li Xiulan saw that the daughter-in-law was dignified, gentle and kind. At such a young age, she accompanied the old woman to beg everywhere. Her filial piety was really precious. Li Xiulan suddenly thought of her benefactor Qiao Zian. If she introduced this virtuous daughter-in-law to Brother Qiao, Brother Qiao would have a wife and a family, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would have someone to rely on. Wouldn't it be the best of both worlds? Thinking of this, Li Xiulan told the beggars the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law heard the three words "Qiao Zian", they opened their eyes wide in surprise – it turned out that the beggars were Qiao Zian's old mother and his wife He Fengying! The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other, thinking silently in their hearts: Who is this Qiao Zian? He Fengying lowered her head and thought for a while before saying to Li Xiulan, "I am willing to accept your kindness, but she is a clerk in a business, and I am a beggar. Besides, I have to bring my wife and mother with me. I am afraid she will not agree…" Li Xiulan said, "How about this, fuck me to death . Tomorrow I will take you and your mother-in-law to the city and discuss it with Brother Qiao in person."
The next day after breakfast, Li Xiulan's husband saddled his donkey and let He Fengying's old lady ride it. Li Xiulan and He Fengying walked, and the three of them ran to Huichang City. When they met Qiao Zian at Longde Commercial Bank, Qiao Zian's mother saw that the person standing in front of her was indeed her son. He Fengying saw that it was really her husband! The mother and son, the husband and wife, and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried heartbreakingly, their hearts were broken…
Qiao Zian's family survived two lives, and the mother and son, husband and wife were separated for seven years. They met by chance here, and the news spread quickly throughout Huichang City, and everyone was amazed. The old shopkeeper of Longde Commercial Bank personally held a reunion banquet for Qiao Zian's family, and merchants from Huichang City came to congratulate. People said that Qiao Zian's good deeds moved heaven and earth, and it was really a blessing from heaven that good deeds would be rewarded…