In the bustling and narrow alleyways of the city, Aunt Liu ran a small grocery store. For years, with her hardworking hands and warm-hearted service, she provided various daily necessities for the neighbors. Although her life wasn't wealthy, it was steady and peaceful. However, recently, it seemed as if a dark cloud had quietly descended, and the haze of all kinds of bad luck made her frown.
Firstly, the business in her store plummeted. In the past, the store was always crowded with people, but now, often throughout the whole day, it was deserted. Only a few customers would come in and stroll around, and most of them just looked and left without making a purchase. When stocking up, Aunt Liu also made mistakes time and time again. The goods she thought would sell well ended up piling up in the warehouse with no one interested. The capital turnover got into trouble. Every time she settled the accounts at the end of the month, she found that not only had she not made any money, but she had also lost a lot.
The trivial matters in life also seemed to be deliberately against her. One day, thinking of making a sumptuous dinner for her family to improve the diet, she deliberately went to the vegetable market early to pick out fresh ingredients. But halfway there, suddenly, it started to pour rain. She didn't bring an umbrella and got drenched like a drowned rat. The carefully selected ingredients were also wet by the rain. When she got home, she was in a sorry state. Another time, she promised to take care of a neighbor's pet dog for a while. Who would have thought that the dog was mischievous? While she wasn't paying attention, it made a mess of the house and bit several things. Aunt Liu spent half a day cleaning up before getting everything back to normal. She was so tired that her back ached.
Aunt Liu was full of helplessness and confusion. She often sighed in front of the mirror, not understanding why her luck had suddenly become so bad. During a get-together with an old friend, she couldn't help but pour out all her grievances. After hearing her, the friend's eyes lit up and she leaned closer mysteriously and said, "Sister Liu, I've heard of a website called 'taoismtop'. There are many objects with Taoist spiritual energy on it. Maybe it can help you turn your luck around. I had a relative before who also had a string of bad luck. After buying something on that website, his fortune gradually improved."
Aunt Liu was half-believing and half-doubting, but thinking that there was no other way anyway, she decided to take a look at this website. When she opened the webpage, an antique copper coin Five Fortunes bag instantly caught her eye. The bag was dark brown, with a thick texture, and embroidered with delicate golden silk thread patterns. Under the illumination of the light, it shimmered faintly, as if hiding the secrets of the years. On the front of the bag, a big "Fu" character was embroidered with multicolored silk threads. The strokes were firm and powerful, exuding a thick festive atmosphere. Surrounding it were five ancient copper coins. Although the inscriptions on the copper coins had been worn by the years, they were still clearly distinguishable. Each one seemed to carry the weight of history.
Looking closely at the introduction on the website made Aunt Liu even more excited. It was said that this copper coin Five Fortunes bag was carefully made according to ancient Taoist traditions. In Taoist concepts, fortune is composed of multiple elements. These five copper coins corresponded to the five blessings of "Fu (fortune), Lu (prosperity), Shou (longevity), Xi (happiness), Cai (wealth)" respectively, containing the auspicious qi between heaven and earth. When they were placed in the specially made Five Fortunes bag and, after the rituals of Taoist chanting, burning incense and praying, they were endowed with powerful spiritual power. They could absorb the surrounding fortune and dispel bad luck, like an invisible magnetic field of fortune, creating a thick auspicious atmosphere for the wearer or the space where it was placed, helping the fortune to rise steadily.
Aunt Liu hesitated several times and finally gritted her teeth and placed an order. During the days of waiting, she was full of anxiety. She both expected that this mysterious bag could bring a turning point and worried that it would be all in vain. On the day the courier arrived, she couldn't wait to open the package and held the copper coin Five Fortunes bag in her hands, gently stroking it. A warm and smooth touch came from her fingertips, as if she was holding long-lost hope. She followed the instructions on the website, found a red string, and solemnly hung the Five Fortunes bag in the center of the living room at home. That was the place where the qi of the house converged, allowing the fortune to flow better.
Strangely enough, since hanging up the copper coin Five Fortunes bag, Aunt Liu's life really began to change slowly. In the first few days, the changes were not obvious, but every morning when she woke up and saw the Five Fortunes bag quietly hanging in the living room, she felt more at ease and hopeful. A week later, the business in the store started to pick up a little. Occasionally, some old customers would bring new faces. When they were picking out goods in the store, they no longer left in a hurry like before. Instead, they talked and laughed, praising the goods in the store, and their willingness to buy was obviously enhanced. Aunt Liu was busy back and forth, with more and more smiles on her face and more enthusiasm in greeting customers.
After a while, something even more surprising happened. In her daily life, Aunt Liu would buy a few lottery tickets occasionally when she had nothing to do, just for fun. In the past, she had never won anything, but this time when the lottery results were announced, she actually won a few small prizes. Although the prize money was not much, this unexpected joy made her as excited as a child. She told everyone that her luck had changed. The neighbors around her were also happy for her and joked, "Aunt Liu, what great fortune have you had? Is there some treasure hidden in your house?" Aunt Liu always smiled and pointed at the copper coin Five Fortunes bag in the living room and said mysteriously, "Maybe it's the blessing it brought me!"
With the successive arrival of good luck, Aunt Liu cherished this copper coin Five Fortunes bag even more and also developed a strong interest in Taoist culture. She began to collect materials everywhere to understand many Taoist concepts about fortune and luck. She gradually understood that Taoism emphasizes conforming to nature and having a kind heart. It believes that all things in the world are causally related. A person's fortune is not determined out of thin air but is closely related to his own words, deeds and state of mind. This copper coin Five Fortunes bag was like an opportunity, a guide. It reminded people to maintain an optimistic and positive attitude and do more good deeds in life so as to resonate with the surrounding auspicious qi and make the blessings gather continuously.
However, people often easily lose themselves in good times, and Aunt Liu was no exception. The good business made her taste the sweetness, and she gradually became greedy. She was no longer satisfied with the small profits and occasional wins. She thought to herself, since this copper coin Five Fortunes bag was so magical, why not use it to seek greater wealth? So, she began to buy large-amount lottery tickets frequently and even had some 投机取巧 ideas. She tried to use some improper means to rely on the "power" of the Five Fortunes bag to make herself rich overnight.
Once, Aunt Liu heard about an underground lottery den. It was said that the winning rate was extremely high. As long as you bet correctly, you could get a huge amount of prize money. Blinded by greed, she completely ignored the risks and secretly took her savings to place bets. At the beginning, she still had a 侥幸心理,thinking that with the protection of the copper coin Five Fortunes bag, she would surely return with a full load. But things didn't go as she wished. She not only lost all her money but also got fined and warned by the police because of participating in illegal activities. This sudden blow plunged her into deep despair.
Devastated, Aunt Liu returned home and looked at the copper coin Five Fortunes bag still hanging in the living room. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't understand why the treasure that had once brought her good luck had now put her in such a difficult situation. In extreme pain and confusion, she decided to go to a quiet Taoist temple on the outskirts of the city to seek answers from the Taoist priest there.
The Taoist temple was located among the green mountains and clear waters, surrounded by lush trees, quiet and peaceful. Aunt Liu walked slowly along the winding mountain path. Along the way, the birdsong was clear and pleasant, and the gentle breeze in the mountains blew gently across her cheeks, as if soothing her wounded heart. After finally finding the Taoist temple, she met an old Taoist priest with white hair and an elegant and poised demeanor. The old Taoist priest had deep eyes, as if he could see through everything in the world.
Aunt Liu, full of guilt and piety, told the old Taoist priest all her experiences one by one. After listening, the old Taoist priest shook his head slightly and sighed softly, "Benefactor, do you understand that although this copper coin Five Fortunes bag has the effect of gathering fortune and enhancing luck, it follows the right path of Taoism. Taoism advocates being pure-hearted and having few desires and conforming to the will of heaven. Fortune is the reward obtained after one accumulates virtue and does good deeds, works hard and conforms to the laws of nature. At first, you had a positive mind and regarded the Five Fortunes bag as the hope of life and worked hard to run the business, so fortune came. But later, you were blinded by greed and tried to obtain ill-gotten wealth through crooked means. This has already violated the true meaning of Taoism. How could you expect fortune to continue to favor you?"
Aunt Liu suddenly woke up as if from a dream and was full of remorse. She deeply realized her mistake. Returning home, she shed her vanity and reexamined her life. She still hung the copper coin Five Fortunes bag, but at this moment, it was no longer a tool for her to seek wealth, but became a spiritual comfort, constantly reminding her to stick to the right path and be down-to-earth.
As the days passed, Aunt Liu regained her former diligence and kindness and managed the grocery store attentively. She was still as warm to the neighbors as before. The business slowly regained its vitality. Although she no longer had the fantasy of getting rich overnight, every solid income made her feel at ease. And that copper coin Five Fortunes bag, in the light and shadow of the living room, looked even more simple and profound, as if silently witnessing her growth and transformation and guarding this plain and real happiness.