Zhejiang. Lucheng Volume - Complete Collection of Chinese Folktales

Author: Jin Wenping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: In the early days of Mahang Seng Street, by the West River in Wenzhou, there lived a young boy of thirteen or fourteen in a dilapidated corner of a temple. His father had passed away, and his mother had married someone else. He spent his days begging along the streets and was called "Beggar Boy." A wandering monk from Tuotousi Temple, who came to collect alms, saw how desperately poor the boy was and took him in as his disciple, giving him the Dharma name Xing Shan. Xing Shan spent his days following his master in chanting scriptures and praying, sweeping the temple gate, chopping firewood, and going out to collect alms on the first and fifteenth days of each month. His life was simple and happy.
One day, a middle-aged donor came to Tuotousi Temple to burn incense. He noticed the monk was quite handsome and seemed familiar. Upon inquiry, he learned that the monk was his own nephew. Xing Shan's uncle had been away for many years, having recently returned to Wenzhou after making a profit in hemp trading. He was angry at his sister for being too heartless to care for her own flesh and blood and wanted to take his nephew back to raise him. Fortunately, Xing Shan was still young and had not yet taken vows, so the old monk happily agreed to let him go.
Xing Shan worked diligently in his uncle's hemp shop. After a few years, he had grown to his late teens. His uncle, seeing his intelligence and integrity, sent him out to buy goods. Xing Shan was not afraid of rain, sun, wind, or snow, often traveling to the mountains in the countryside to collect hemp. Once, while collecting hemp in Longquan, Xing Shan filled an entire small boat. Just as he was about to set sail, he suddenly saw an old man running to the pier, sweating profusely and gasping for breath. He shouted, "Wait! Don't leave yet! Wait!"
Huh! What was the matter with this old man? Xing Shan climbed out of the boat to ask, only to learn the truth. It turned out that the old man was Xu Yuanwai, a local landowner who also did hemp trading. He had a daughter named Qiaoyun, who sometimes spun hemp in her free time. That day, when Xing Shan came to collect hemp, Xu Yuanwai had his servants move out a batch of spun hemp bales. When weighed, they were a few pounds short of a hundred, so he went into his daughter's room to find a few more bales to make up the difference.
That day, Qiaoyun had gone to her grandmother's house to play and had returned the next day to find the bales missing. She started crying, "Wah-wah-wah!" The maid reported the matter to Xu Yuanwai, who then realized that Qiaoyun had hidden her private gold and silver jewelry in those bales. Hearing this, Xu Yuanwai immediately hurried to the city inn to find a hemp buyer. Upon learning that the hemp was about to be shipped, he rushed to the pier.
In fact, Xing Shan didn’t know there was gold and silver jewelry in the bales. After hearing Xu Yuanwai’s story, he quickly found the items and returned them. Xu Yuanwai, impressed by the boy’s honesty and kindness, grew to like him. He wanted to keep Xing Shan at his home for a few days, but Xing Shan refused. After some persuasion, he finally agreed to stay overnight and leave the next morning.
Qiaoyun, upon learning that the hemp buyer had returned her jewelry, was overjoyed. Xu Yuanwai asked about Xing Shan’s name and background. After discussing with his daughter, he came out and said to Xing Shan, "I’d like to give my daughter to you in marriage." Xing Shan quickly replied, "No need, no need!" Xu Yuanwai asked why. Xing Shan said, "I have no roof over my head and no grain to stand on. Your daughter and I will suffer together." Xu Yuanwai smiled and said, "When I choose a son-in-law, I choose the person, not the money. If you agree, you won’t have to worry about food or clothing." After some more talk, Xing Shan bowed to his father-in-law.
Xu Yuanwai’s wife had passed away, leaving only Qiaoyun as his only daughter. She was very fond of Xing Shan and couldn’t wait for them to get married. She decided that Qiaoyun should marry Xing Shan and move to Wenzhou the next day. Xing Shan, unable to refuse his father-in-law’s stubbornness, reluctantly agreed.
The next day, Qiaoyun, dressed beautifully, went aboard the boat with Xing Shan. Xu Yuanwai had his servants carry a load of hemp bags and personally took them to the pier. As he said goodbye, Xu Yuanwai smiled and said to Xing Shan and Qiaoyun, "I have other wedding gifts, but I’m only giving you this load of hemp bags. Inside are a hairpin box, a face basin, and a foot basin—small things. I just hope you’ll be frugal and live happily. May the Ou River flow forever!"
Xing Shan nodded, thanked his father-in-law, and with Qiaoyun, bowed three times to him before setting sail. The journey was smooth, and after three days and three nights, they arrived in Wenzhou. When they opened the two bags, they found gold bracelets and gold anklets inside—the old man’s heartfelt gift!
Xing Shan told his uncle everything that had happened in Longquan. His uncle was delighted and chose a good day to hold a wedding banquet. Xing Shan and Qiaoyun married, and after the wedding, they bought a shop and opened a hemp business. Their business flourished day by day, and people praised Xing Shan for his good character and good fortune.
Because Xing Shan had once been a monk and had become famous in hemp trading, the people of Wenzhou later called this street "Mahang Seng Street."
Narrator: Chen Chungui (67 years old, graduate of elementary school, small businessman in Guanghua Street, Guanghua District)
Recorder: Yang Liu (58 years old, high school graduate, government official in Wenzhou City)
Recording Time and Location: July 1979, Guanghua Street, Lucheng District, P7-9