A long time ago, there was a small town. In the town, there was a man named Li Ming. Li Ming's life was full of hardships and setbacks. It seemed that the god of fate had never shown him a single smile.

Li Ming was born into a poor family. His parents were simple farmers who barely made a living by relying on a few acres of thin fields. Since childhood, Li Ming had tasted the hardships of life. Looking at other children wearing beautiful clothes and eating delicious food, his heart was full of envy and helplessness. However, he did not give up hope in life because of this. He studied hard, hoping that one day he could change the fate of his family through his own efforts.

But fate always seemed to like to play tricks on people. Although Li Ming studied hard, he repeatedly failed in the imperial examinations. Every time he saw that his name was not on the list, his heart was filled with despair and pain. He felt that he was a failure and that no matter how hard he tried, he could not change his fate.

Not only that, Li Ming's family also encountered a series of misfortunes. First, his father was accidentally injured while working in the fields and lost his ability to work. The burden of the family fell entirely on Li Ming and his mother. Then, a sudden flood washed away their crops, making their already poor life even worse.

Facing these blows, Li Ming felt very desperate. He felt that his life had no hope at all. Every day, he was immersed in pain and self-blame. He began to abandon himself, lost confidence in life, and even thought about giving up his life.

Just when Li Ming was in despair, one day, he met a mysterious old man on the street of the town. This old man was wearing a Taoist robe, had white hair and a childlike face, and his eyes were deep, as if he could see through people's hearts. Li Ming did not know that this old man was the legendary immortal Lu Dongbin.

After seeing Li Ming's predicament, Lu Dongbin did not directly give him material help. He knew that material help could only solve temporary problems and could not truly change a person's fate. He decided to enlighten Li Ming in some clever ways and let him regain confidence in life.

Lu Dongbin walked up to Li Ming and said with a smile, "Young man, why are you so sad?" Li Ming raised his head and looked at Lu Dongbin, his heart full of doubts. He didn't know who this old man was and why he was talking to him. But out of politeness, he still replied, "Old man, my life is full of hardships and setbacks. I feel that I have no hope at all."

Lu Dongbin nodded and said, "Young man, do you know that life is like a play, with ups and downs, joys and sorrows. The predicament you are experiencing now is only temporary. As long as you maintain an optimistic attitude and actively face life, you will definitely be able to get out of the predicament."

After listening to Lu Dongbin's words, Li Ming didn't feel much. He felt that this old man was just saying some empty truths and had no practical help for his life. Lu Dongbin saw Li Ming's thoughts and decided to use some practical examples to let Li Ming understand the beauty and hope of life.

Lu Dongbin took Li Ming to a field. In the field, the golden wheat waves undulated with the wind, like a golden ocean. Lu Dongbin pointed to the field and said, "Young man, look at this field. Although it has experienced the baptism of wind and rain, it is still full of vitality. Life is the same. No matter how many difficulties and setbacks we encounter, as long as our hearts are full of hope, we will definitely be able to welcome a beautiful future."

Li Ming looked at the field, and his heart was slightly touched. He began to realize that there are not only difficulties and setbacks in life but also many beautiful things. Lu Dongbin took Li Ming to a garden again. In the garden, all kinds of flowers were blooming in competition, colorful and fragrant. Lu Dongbin said, "Young man, look at these flowers. Although their lives are short, they bloom the most beautiful brilliance in a limited time. Life should be the same. We cannot give up our dreams because of difficulties and setbacks. We should be like these flowers and bravely bloom our lives."

Li Ming was deeply moved by Lu Dongbin's words. He began to re-examine his life and found that he was not penniless. He had loving parents, kind friends, and his own dreams and pursuits. He decided not to abandon himself anymore and try to change his life.

Under Lu Dongbin's enlightenment, Li Ming regained confidence in life. He began to actively face life and try to find solutions to problems. While taking care of his injured father, he helped his mother cultivate the fields. Although life was still very hard, his heart was full of hope and motivation.

In order to change the fate of his family, Li Ming decided to take the imperial examination again. He studied hard every day, forgetting to eat and sleep. In the process of learning, he encountered many difficulties and setbacks, but he never gave up. He remembered Lu Dongbin's words and believed that as long as he maintained an optimistic attitude and actively faced life, he would definitely be able to realize his dream.

After unremitting efforts, Li Ming finally achieved excellent results in the imperial examination. He was appointed as an official by the court and changed the fate of himself and his family from then on. Li Ming knew that his success was hard-won. He cherished his current life even more and tried his best to do practical things for the people and became a good official deeply loved by the people.

Many years later, Li Ming had become a respected old man. Whenever he recalled his life experiences, he would be filled with emotion. He knew that if it weren't for Lu Dongbin's enlightenment, he might have given up his life long ago and would not have today's achievements. He decided to tell Lu Dongbin's story to future generations and let more people understand the beauty and hope of life.

From then on, the story of Lu Dongbin enlightening Li Ming spread in the small town. People were moved by Li Ming's story and were also impressed by Lu Dongbin's wisdom and kindness. They knew that no matter how difficult life was, as long as we maintained an optimistic attitude and actively faced life, we would definitely be able to get out of the predicament and welcome a beautiful future.