During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, there lived a woman at the foot of Yunlong Mountain. Her husband fell to the bottom of the river and drowned while fishing many years ago, leaving two children to feed and depend on the woman.
Later, the village was hit by a flash flood, and the woman's house collapsed. Without a man in the family, the house could not be built. Due to her helplessness, the woman had to build a simple thatched hut in the yard to do it.
At this time, it was early autumn, and the wild fruits on the mountain were ripe, so the woman took the children to the mountain to pick the fruits to eat. When the children were naughty, the woman was picking fruit from the tree, and the two children were chasing and playing in the forest. When the woman came down from the tree, the two children had disappeared.
The woman was so flustered that she left the fruit and followed the child's footprints to find it. Soon after, in the depths of a deserted jungle, she heard the child's voice. When she got closer, she found that there was a dilapidated ancient house there.
The children were playing in the house, and the woman breathed a sigh of relief. She walked into the ancient house and found that although the house was in disrepair, the roof was intact. It was a good place to shelter from the wind and rain.
The only shortcoming was that there was a solitary tomb in the corner of the courtyard. Because of age, no one had worshipped it for a long time, and the words on the stone tablet in front of the tomb were long blurred, so it was impossible to identify the owner of the tomb.
But even this kind of house is much better than her own grass shed, and the woman immediately decides to take the children to live here, and the wild fruits and clear springs on the mountain can still feed her stomach.
Later, the woman planted fruits and vegetables in the open space behind the house, and the mother and son were able to support themselves. The woman was a kind-hearted person, and every time she picked wild fruits or vegetables, she would take out a few and offer them in front of the solitary grave. Over time, it became a habit.
As time went by, the woman's two sons gradually grew up, and the woman became an old woman. The grown son became suspicious of his mother's practice of worshipping a strange grave all day long, thinking that it was futile, and said that there was a grave in the yard that was too unlucky, so he wanted to level the lonely grave.
The old woman persuaded each other bitterly and said, "I have been used to worship the solitary grave for so many years. Besides, this is just a freehand effort, and we have nothing to lose. When I see this solitary grave, I think of your father who was buried at the bottom of the river. If you level this grave, won't the owner of the grave have no place to live like your father? Be kind!"
When the sons saw their mother say this, they no longer insisted on their opinions. The mother still puts some offerings in front of the grave every day as before.
That night, not long after the old woman fell asleep, she saw a strange man walking up to her bed. He didn't look like a modern man.
The old woman was very scared and hurriedly asked, "Who are you? What are you doing at my house in the middle of the night?"
When the man saw the old woman kneeling, he bowed and said politely, "Don't be afraid, old man, I won't hurt you. To be honest, I am the owner of the tomb in the courtyard. I have been here for more than 300 years, and my descendants have died, so no one worships, and it has become a barren grave. Unexpectedly, I met your old man, not only did he offer offerings for me every day, but he also stopped my son from leveling my grave.
After the man said these words, he turned into a wisp of smoke and floated out the window. The old woman suddenly woke up only to find that she had just had a dream.
The next morning, the old woman pushed open the door and saw a mountain of copper coins in the yard. She couldn't help but be taken aback and hurriedly called her two sons to see them. The sons were also shocked when they saw them. They carefully observed these copper coins, which seemed to have been buried in the ground for a long time. Although the surface was covered with dust, it became golden with a wipe of their hands.
The old woman suddenly remembered her dream last night, and then she suddenly realized that these copper coins were specially sent by the owner of the tomb to express her gratitude to her!
The old woman told her two sons about this dream, and the sons felt ashamed after hearing it. It seems that good people are still rewarded. With money, the sons repaired the orphan grave, and the family bought a big house at the foot of the mountain, and since then they have lived a rich life. Every time it is Qingming Festival, the two sons always take the time to worship in this old house.