Chinese Traditional Story: A Virtuous Father and His Benevolent Son

Fan Zhongyan was born in 989 A.D. He lost his father when he was young and was raised by his mother. He became known as a politician, writer, military strategist, and educator in the Northern Song Dynasty. Fan Zhongyan had aspirations to do something grand even when he was a little boy. Once during a trip, he met a fortuneteller and asked: "Please help predict my fate. Can I be the prime minister in the future?" The fortuneteller had never heard of this kind of question, especially from a little boy. In shock he said, “You are still so young, why are you so ambitious?” Feeling embarrassed, Fan told the fortuneteller. "Never mind. How about being a doctor?" The fortuneteller asked: "Why did you choose these two professions in the first place?" Fan replied: "If I cannot be a good prime minister, then I want to be a good doctor.