The Young Man
by Katie
"Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns."
Once opon a time at the edge of Beijing. There lived a very young wealthy man. Every night he would make his servants prepare a magnificent feast. He would invite wealthy people from all over Beijing and would hang up lanterns all over his abode. When the guests arrived to the party they would be greeted by him at the front door and led to the porch. There they would have that feast while looking at the beautiful vista of the city of Beijing.
If you are wondering how this man got so wealthy it was because he gambled. He would bet on when the sun would rise, or what kind of fish would be in the market the next day. He would bet on anything that might earn him some money.
One day while the servants were lighting the lanterns for another feast, an old beggar came to the house of the young man. She knocked at the Pagoda door. The young man opened the door and this is what he saw. It was an elderly woman. Her eyes were old and her clothes were tarnished and covered with patches from odds and ends. Her hair was thin and you could see the loss of her hair almost immediately.
"You must go you worthless beggar. I am having a party soon and I do not want them thinking my friends are poor!" the man said.
The woman only stared as if she herself felt sorry for him.
" My purpose here is severely important. I am here to warn you! Do not have the party tonight, you take your wealth for granted."
The young man, disgusted with the old hag, shut the door in her face.
"I have had enough. Never come again or I will get the authorities."
It was strange for while he was yelling at the old woman she seemed to have disappeared. The man did not see that though. He was too excited for his guests.
Soon the man was waiting for his guest at the front door. It was 10:00 exactly.
" The guests should be here," the man said, at 10:30. Soon it was 11:00 and no one came. It was 12:00 when he decided to go inside.
" I wonder why they did not come?" the man wondered"
The feast was stale so the man had a dinner of rice and vegetables.
That night the man had a dream about the old woman at the door. She seemed to be saying "Do not , do not." The man was not sure what the dream meant so he just forgot about it.
The next day he got word from one of his servants that his best friend had died. He was astonished. How could this happen the man thought. He went to market.
"Maybe a little gambling will help," he thought to himself. When the man started to gamble his luck was horrible, after a while it only got worse. In two hours he had lost all his money.
He left for home a poor man. When he got home the old woman was at the door.
"What do you want?" he screamed.
"I am the spirit of a dragon" She revealed into a slender dragon. "I have warned you but you did not listen."
"Give me another chance!" the man ordered.
"Very well." Then the woman said in a voice as smooth as ivory. " I must punish you though. I think the most suitable thing for me to do is make you a farmer. Every day you will work in the fields . You will earn an honest pay."
So the man worked on a farm. Even though he was never rich again , and never had parties, he had a happy life as a regular man.