Chinese Traditional Story: The Returned Wife

Hello everyone, the story I'm going to share today is the Returned Wife. During the Qing Dynasty and the reign of Emperor Shengzhi, the Qing soldiers fought all the way to the south, murdering people in every city they entered. Everyone fled, trying to save themselves. Many families were broken apart. Husbands were separated from their wives and mothers from their children. There was a young man named Wu Sheng. Almost every person in his town had been killed by the Qing soldiers, and they abducted his wife. Because Wu Sheng hid amongst the dead bodies, he survived the slaughter. After the soldiers left, Wu Sheng traveled everywhere searching for his wife but in vain. He was so exhausted that one day he sat down in front of the motel to rest. The owner of the motel noticed the worried-looking young man. After Wu Sheng told him what had happened, the owner felt sorry for him and asked, can you read and write? Wu Sheng said yes. The owner asked, do you not have to count? After Wu Sheng said yes, the owner said, the soldiers are What if you stay here and work for me, and you can also look for your wife? Wu Sheng thought this was a good idea, and so he happily agreed and thanked the motel owner. Wu Sheng worked very diligently, and the business flourished. The owner liked him very much and secretly planned to have One day, just before dawn, a guest hurriedly ate his breakfast and left. Wu Sheng found that he left a big bag on the dining table. When he opened it, to his surprise, there were 50 taels of silver in the bag, shining brightly. He quickly rewrapped it and gave it to the motel owner in case the returned to look for it. Just by the noon time, the guest hurried back, covered in sweat. As soon as he entered, he started to look for the bag. Wu Sheng saw him and asked, sir, what are you looking for? The guest said, a bag of silver. Wu Sheng asked, how much silver was in the bag? And the answered, 50 taels. Wu Sheng asked, why do you need such a large sum of money? The man replied, I have saved money all my life, and now I plan to buy a woman as my wife from the Qing army. By now I've lost it. Wu Sheng said, don't worry, I picked it up. Here it is. Then Wu Sheng handed back the silver to the guest. The guest repeatedly thanked him, and then he quickly left. A few days later, the man returned and happily gave Wu Sheng an invitation to his wedding ceremony. He also said, if it weren't for your honesty, I could not get married, so you're my special guest, you must come. Wu Sheng tried to refuse, but the owner of the motel said, you'd better go, you really are an important guest. So Wu Sheng went to the wedding. There were many people at the celebration. The man's family and all the neighbors were chatting happily and said, look, the man lost such a huge sum of money, but a kind stranger picked it and returned it to him. Now he is able to get married. Everyone smiled and left. Afternoon came, and Wu Sheng took a break from the party and went for a walk along the riverbank. He saw a boat coming. The boat was decorated with many flowers and a beautiful woman dressed in bridal clothes sat in the center. Suddenly, someone called out, look, the bride is coming, the bride is coming. When Wu Sheng looked at the bride, he was stunned and thought, oh, is it my wife who I've been looking for? At that moment, the boat reached the shore. Just as the bride was about to step out of the boat, she suddenly saw Wu Sheng. She cried out and collapsed. Wu Sheng also cried out bitterly and collapsed on the ground. People tried to help the bride get up and step onto the shore, but she kept sobbing. When they asked why she was crying, she said, I saw a man on the riverbank who looked like my husband. The bridegroom asked her what her husband looked like, and he immediately thought of Wu Sheng, and he noticed Wu Sheng lying on the ground sobbing. When people asked him why he was crying, he refused to answer. Finally, he said with tears in his eyes, I saw the bride. Finally, the bridegroom realized what happened. He sincerely told Wu Sheng, now I understand, the bride is your wife. You picked me the silver I lost, and you returned it to me. Now I'm repaying you by giving you back your wife. The gods are giving me a chance to do this kind of thing. Don't cry. To express my gratitude for your high morality, I return your wife to you. Wu Sheng was in a difficult situation. He finally found his wife, but the bridegroom spent 50 taels of silver. That was his lifetime savings. Wu Sheng did not know what to do, so the bridegroom asked the motel owner to make the decision. The owner was deeply moved by both men's kindness. He said, to return the silver is very moral and honest, and to return the wife is also moral. He told the bridegroom, even though today is your wedding day, you lost your wife. A kind man like you should not have this bad fortune. What if you marry my daughter? Let the bride return with her husband. Thus, the wedding was still held, but with a different bride. Everyone was happy and sad. They deeply believed that the gods always take care of kind and honest people. Thank you very much for listening to the story. More touching stories will be ready for you if you just subscribe it. Thank you again.