Ji Xiaolan ???? Stories of Cause and Effect #24 Give without Expecting anything in Return 施不望報

紀曉嵐講因果故事 (English subtitles) Ji Xiaolan (紀曉嵐1724-1805) was an influential philosopher, politician, and writer in the Qing Dynasty of China.
Subtitles:
There was a constable in Xian County, his surname was Shi, but I forgot his name. This person is not formal, but he is open-minded and upright in nature, and he despises those who behave in a despicable and dirty way.
One day, he returned from the casino and happened to see a family in the village, a couple, a mother and a child hugging each other and crying.
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He then asked people why. A neighbor of this family said that because his family owed a debt to an influential person, the debtor was pressuring him so hard that he had no choice but to sell his wife to pay off the debt.
The couple always loved each other and had a very good relationship. Besides, the child was not yet weaned, how can they not be saddened by leaving it behind?
Shi went up to the villager and asked, "How much do you owe him?"
The villager replied, "Thirty taels of silver."
Shi asked, "How much did you sell your wife for?"
The villager replied, "I sold her to someone as a concubine for fifty taels."
Shi asked, "Can you redeem her?" The villagers said, "Although the contract of sale has been written,
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the money has not been paid yet. How can I not redeem her?"
Shi immediately gave all the 70 taels of silver he won from the casino to the villager and said to him: “Use these thirty taels to pay off your debts, and use the remaining forty taels to make a living. Then you don't need sell your wife.”
The villager couple were so grateful that they prepared dinner and wine to entertain Shi.
When the dinner was almost finished, the villager found an excuse, picked up his child and went out, signaling his wife with his eyes to accompany Shi to repay him for his financial assistance.
The woman nodded silently, and gradually showed her intimacy when talking to Shi. Shi noticed this and said to the woman in a stern tone:
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“I have spent half my life as a bandit, and the other half as a constable for the government. I am a ruthless executioner, killing people without a blink. However, I will never take advantage of someone's misfortune to insult a decent woman.”
After eating and drinking, he flung his arms and left without looking back.
Half a month later, a fire suddenly broke out at night in the village where Shi lived. It was the time when the autumn harvest was over, and every house was stacked with grain and firewood. Thatched huts, straw, and fences are all flammable. Further, the wind was strong and the fire was spreading rapidly. In a short time, the blazing fire had already approached the Shi family's house.
Shi estimated his family had no way to escape,
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so he, his wife, and son, sat at home, waiting for death with their eyes closed. In a trance, they seemed to hear someone shouting from the rooftop. “An urgent document has arrived from the God of East Mount, exempting Mr. Shi’s family.”
As soon as the word is finished, the back wall of the house collapsed with a loud bang. Seeing an escape route open before him, Shi held his wife with his left hand, and held his son with his right hand, and jumped out. It was as if he had wings on his back, and he flew away from the fire.
After the fire was extinguished, it was found that nine people were burned to death in the village.
The neighbors all put their hands together and chanted the Buddha's name, saying: “Yesterday, we were still laughing at you for being stupid but didn't expect that seventy taels of silver could redeem three lives.”
I think Mr. Shi can be blessed by the god of destiny, the merit of donating money to help the villagers accounts for 40%, and the merit of refusing women seduction accounts for 60%.