Gu Xie Could Endure It No Longer

The fire erupted suddenly. Seeing that things looked grim, Gu Xie knew that if he burned to death here, filial piety would be out of the question. Moreover, he was currently a mortal and could not use Dharmic powers. Waiting for the flames to die down or someone to rescue him was out of the question. To survive, there was only one way. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his posture and leaped down from the top of the granary. His luck was not bad; he merely broke a leg. A day later, Gu Xie lay on his back, utterly despondent. Not a single person in the household looked after him. He did not even have the right to lie in a bed, left to lie on a straw pad and cover himself with a rush mat. "Son, are you all right?" Father Gu asked with apparent concern. Gu Xie thought to himself, *I'm already lying here like this, and you ask if I'm all right? If you hadn't set the fire, would I have almost burned to death?* If this were reality, he would have killed Father Gu several times over. But right now was the trial, and what was being tested was filial piety. He had no choice but to suppress the fury in his heart, forcing a smile. "Father, I'm fine." Father Gu breathed a sigh of relief. "Just as I said, there was no need to have a physician prescribe medicine—what a waste of money. You've been sturdy since childhood; you can heal even without medicine." "Father is right." During mealtime, Gu Xie's stepmother said in a shrill, spiteful voice, "Just when is he going to get better? The family can't afford to keep a useless cripple around." Three months later, Gu Xie finally fully recovered and could go out to the fields to work. Another three months passed. Father Gu approached Gu Xie, saying that other families had wells while theirs did not, so he wanted to dig one. Naturally, this task fell upon Gu Xie's shoulders; Father Gu and Mother Gu could not bear to let Gu Xie's younger brother do any labor. Gu Xie possessed great strength. Huffing and puffing, he swung his shovel, digging a well three to four meters deep in just over half a day. Just as Gu Xie thought to catch his breath, a shovelful of dirt landed right on his head. He looked up, only to find his father and younger brother filling in the hole. "What are you doing? I'm still down here!" His father and younger brother turned a deaf ear, shoveling dirt to fill the hole even faster, intent on burying Gu Xie alive. Gu Xie was furious. They weren't even bothering to pretend anymore! Fortunately, while digging the well, he had carved several small hollows into the shaft wall to serve as a ladder. In a few quick moves, he stepped on the footholds and leaped out of the well, giving Father Gu and his younger brother quite a fright. Covered in dirt from head to toe, Gu Xie barked, "What are you doing?!" Father Gu quickly composed himself. "We didn't know you were down there." Gu Xie glared at Father Gu with venom. Were it not for this trial, he would have buried this entire family in the dirt! Time slipped by. As though he had forgotten the two life-and-death crises and his family's mistreatment, Gu Xie remained dutiful to his parents and affectionate to his younger brother. Regrettably, his father fell gravely ill and ultimately could not be cured. His younger brother married into a family in the city and never contacted the family again. By contrast, Gu Xie appeared exceptionally filial, renowned throughout the village as a paragon of filial piety. Later, word of Gu Xie's filial piety reached the county seat. To commend him, the county magistrate appointed him as a constable. At some point, Mother Gu fell into the vicious habit of gambling. As a constable, Gu Xie saw Mother Gu many times while shutting down gambling dens, yet he secretly let her escape every time. Later, this matter reached the county magistrate's ears, and he dismissed Gu Xie from his post. Gu Xie smoothly married and had a child, living with Mother Gu. Sadly, the good times did not last. Mother Gu gambled away the entire family fortune. It was winter then; Gu Xie's family had no money left, and the food was not enough to feed everyone. His wife talked it over with Gu Xie: "If our son is gone, we can have another, but you have only one mother. Let us bury our son." Gu Xie agreed with his wife's suggestion. One night, the two went out to dig a hole. Before they had dug very deep, the shovel struck something solid. "A jar?" The couple opened the jar and found it gleaming with gold—it was completely filled with gold! The two were overjoyed. With this jar of gold, not only would they not have to bury their son, but their family could become renowned magnates far and wide! His wife knelt on the ground, believing their filial piety had moved Heaven. With this jar of gold, Gu Xie's family soon lived a prosperous life, moving into a grand manor. Mother Gu enjoyed her remaining years in peace before passing away quietly.