In a small fishing village by the East China Sea, there lived a fisherman named Chen Afu. He was simple and honest, and had spent his whole life accompanied by the sea, relying on fishing every day to make a living. However, it seemed that fate always liked to play tricks on people. Although Afu went out to sea early and returned late every day and worked hard, the catch he got each time was always meager. His shabby little fishing boat often carried his tired body and the scant fish back to the fishing village slowly at dusk.

In Afu's family, there were elderly parents who needed to be supported and young children waiting to be fed. The pressure of life was like a heavy mountain, weighing him down so much that he could hardly breathe. Looking at the simple houses at home and the expectant eyes of his family members, his heart was full of helplessness and sorrow.

One day, Afu came to the riverside as usual, preparing to row his boat and go out to sea. Just as he was tidying up his fishing gear, he saw a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe standing by the river, holding a wooden basin in his hands, with several colorful koi swimming in it. The Taoist priest looked solemn, chanting incantations in a low voice, and then gently released the koi into the river. After entering the water, the koi wagged their tails merrily, splashing up strings of crystal-clear water droplets, as if thanking the Taoist priest.

Afu couldn't help but be attracted by this scene. There was a glimmer of curiosity and envy in his eyes. The Taoist priest seemed to notice Afu's gaze. He turned his head to look at Afu, saw the sad look on his face, smiled slightly, and walked slowly to Afu's side. With gentle eyes and a soft voice, the Taoist priest said, "Benefactor, you look so sad. Are you troubled by something?" Afu sighed and told the Taoist priest in detail about his difficulties in fishing and his hard life.

After listening, the Taoist priest nodded slightly, looked up at the river, and said slowly, "All things in the world have spirits, and the creatures in the water are no exception. You make a living by fishing every day. Although it's forced by the need to survive, if you can keep kind thoughts in your heart and not overexploit, fortune will come to you in the future." Afu was moved in his heart. Although he didn't quite understand the profound meaning, looking at the Taoist priest's celestial and sincere appearance and eyes, an inexplicable sense of trust rose in his heart.

Since then, Afu began to change his fishing methods. He no longer used fine-meshed nets as before to catch more fish and overfish. He followed the Taoist thoughts of "Tao follows nature" and "harmony between man and nature", only taking what he needed, allowing the small fish and shrimps to grow and reproduce freely in the river. Moreover, every once in a while, Afu would pay out of his own pocket to buy some fish fry and carefully release them into the river. Watching those fish fry swimming merrily in the water, his heart was filled with hope and joy, as if he saw the vitality and fortune in the future.

At first, Afu's changes didn't bring obvious gains. His catch was still not much, and his life was still difficult. But Afu didn't lose heart. He firmly believed in the Taoist priest's words and believed that good thoughts would eventually be rewarded with good results. He still went out to sea early every day and waited patiently for the fish to take the bait. In his spare time, he would also read some Taoist classics borrowed from the Taoist priest, trying to understand more principles of dealing with people and the wisdom of changing his fate from them.

As days passed by, Afu's persistence and kind deeds seemed to gradually move the heavens. On a sunny morning, Afu went out to sea to fish as usual. When he slowly pulled in the fishing net, he felt an unprecedented heaviness. His heart leaped with joy, thinking that he had caught a lot of big fish. When he opened the fishing net with great anticipation, the scene before his eyes shocked him. There were all kinds of precious fish species in the net. There were glittering golden arowanas, brightly colored red snappers, and huge groupers. These fish were jumping around lively in the net, as if they were a pleasant surprise for him.

Afu was so excited that he carefully took these fish back to the fishing village. The fishermen in the village saw Afu's catch and gathered around one after another, with envy and amazement in their eyes. They had never seen Afu catch so many and such precious fish before. Afu took these fish to the market to sell. Due to the excellent quality of the fish, they were quickly snapped up. This time, Afu got a substantial income, which was enough for him to improve his family's life, buy new clothes for his parents, and stationery for his children.

However, this was just the beginning of good luck. Since then, every time Afu went out to sea, it seemed that he was protected by the gods and always returned with a full load. Every time he pulled in his fishing net, it was filled with fat and delicious fish. As a result, his life had undergone earth-shaking changes. He used the money from fishing to repair his house at home and let his family live a comfortable life.

Afu knew deeply that all these changes were due to the guidance of that Taoist priest. It was the kind thoughts advocated by Taoism that had turned him from a poor and down-and-out fisherman into a wealthy man envied by everyone in the village now. His heart was full of gratitude and awe towards Taoism. He often prayed silently in his heart, thanking the gods for their blessings.

Under Afu's influence, other fishermen in the village also began to change their fishing methods. They all followed Afu's example, no longer overfishing but paying attention to the protection of fishery resources. They released fish fry into the river and lived in harmony with the creatures in the water. Gradually, the fishery resources in the whole fishing village became richer and richer, and the lives of the fishermen also became prosperous one after another.

And the story of Afu and the koi spread in the local area. People all said that those koi were the messengers of fortune and the incarnations of kind thoughts in Taoism. They favored Afu, who had kind thoughts in his heart, and brought him wealth and good luck. During festivals, villagers would come to the riverside to release koi, praying for good luck and fortune to come. They believed that as long as they kept kind thoughts in their hearts and followed the way of nature, they would surely receive the protection of the heavens and harvest a happy and fulfilling life.