There was a Zhong clan in Wuxing, Hebei. It had numerous branches scattered in different places. Most of the clan members lived in rural towns, while in the county town, there were only two brothers. The elder brother lived on the rent from fields and shops, and the younger brother, Zhong Sheng, served as a minor official in the government office. Although Zhong Sheng was in the government office, he was extremely upright and often helped the poor and pitiful. Whenever it was the time of the annual provincial examinations, the Zhong clan members who came to the county town to take the exams would stay at the two brothers' home. Zhong Sheng treated them with great kindness. After the annual examinations one year, Zhong Sheng held a banquet to entertain his clan relatives. Zhong Sheng said, "I have been a minor official for many years. I'm grateful to my elder brother for helping me save some silver. Now that I'm forty years old and still have no children, my longing for my hometown has become even stronger. I want to return to my hometown to take care of our ancestors' property, fulfilling my wish of never forgetting my roots. I'm willing to farm by myself to make a living and get away from the toils of official documents. " Everyone praised his ambition and readily agreed. Soon after, Zhong Sheng's wife became pregnant. He sent his family to the newly - bought estate to settle down first. After finishing all the affairs, Zhong Sheng resigned from his official position, and with his wife and luggage, he set off on his way back. His elder brother highly approved of his decision to retire at the height of his career.

On the way, when passing through a small town, they saw a large crowd gathering, blocking the street so tightly that even vehicles couldn't move forward. Suddenly, an old man with a grizzled beard was seen scolding loudly with an angry face. A young woman was lying on the ground, crying mournfully. Beside her, a couple was trying to persuade the woman to get into the carriage with tears in their eyes, but the woman wept and refused to go with a vow of death. Zhong Sheng carefully observed the couple who were persuading the woman and felt that their faces were familiar. So he stepped forward to inquire. The man turned around, surprised, and said, "Brother Zhong, how have you been! I embezzled public funds during my tenure. Unable to bear the punishment, I had no choice but to sell my daughter to this guest as a concubine to make up for the public funds and avoid the crime. Today we come to pick up my daughter to go through the formalities of her marriage, but she just won't go with him." Zhong Sheng sighed and said, "Even if you're in trouble, you shouldn't sell your daughter to such an old man." The old man said angrily, "Who do you think you are? I spent a large sum of money to buy this woman as a concubine. What does it have to do with you? I've spent more than fifty taels of silver on this girl. If you can pay me back all this money, the girl can be yours. What do you say?" Zhong Sheng smiled and replied, "This is a piece of cake." He immediately opened his luggage, took out the silver, retrieved the original deed of sale and burned it. Then he gave the remaining ten taels of silver to the girl's father, saying, "Brother. Your daughter has grown up. You should choose a good son - in - law for her to get married. These silver taels can be used as her dowry." The girl's father declined, saying, "Brother Zhong, you rescued my daughter from a desperate situation. Your kindness is as deep as the sea. How could we dare to accept your gift again? Besides, you're an honest person. Where do you get the money? How will you live after returning to your hometown?" Zhong Sheng said, "I just pity your plight. I don't expect anything in return. I think my wife will understand." Zhong Sheng's wife nodded with a smile. The girl lay on the ground, kowtowing continuously. Zhong Sheng comforted her, saying, "Silly girl, don't be so sad." Then he bid farewell to everyone, got into the carriage and left.

A few days after returning to his hometown, Zhong Sheng went out by chance. That couple came to Zhong Sheng's house with their daughter. Zhong Sheng's wife asked what was going on. The whole family was deeply grateful to Zhong Sheng. The girl, in particular, respected and adored Zhong Sheng. She thought that since she was ransomed by Zhong Sheng, she was willing to serve him for life, so she was sent here. Zhong Sheng's wife also felt sorry for the girl and wanted to keep her as a concubine. When Zhong Sheng came back and learned of their intention, he was shocked and said, "I'm an old acquaintance of her father. Ransoming her was just an act of righteousness, not out of lust for her beauty. How could I have a clear conscience if I take her as a concubine?" So he asked them to leave, but the girl firmly refused. Zhong Sheng said to his wife, "I'll stay at a relative or friend's place. If this girl doesn't leave, I'll never come back." His wife tried to persuade him several times, gave them some gifts, and told them to take the girl back. The girl reluctantly left, crying all the way. Her mother comforted her, saying, "Zhong Sheng's refusal is not your fault. You should find a good husband so that we can have someone to rely on and live a stable life." Unexpectedly, the girl said, "My body was sold to others. I can't make my own decisions anymore." The girl's father said with a smile, "The silver ear - pendant hanging on your ear was made by me for you." Hearing this, the girl forcefully pulled the ear - pendant on her right ear. The ear - pendant was torn off, and her ear was also torn. Then she threw the ear - pendant in front of her father and said, "Here you are!" At this time, they were walking on a bridge with a swift - flowing river. The girl suddenly jumped into the water. There was no one to help fish her out immediately, and she died. After the girl died, her soul drifted to the underworld. The King of Hell was touched by her firmness and pitied her experience, but also blamed her for her act of suicide, which violated the harmony of heaven and earth. So, he judged that she should enter the cycle of reincarnation and be born as Zhong Sheng's daughter to fulfill her filial piety. When Zhong Sheng was on his way home, he saw a girl walking in front of him from a distance. She looked very much like the ransomed girl. When they were almost at his estate, the girl disappeared in a blink of an eye. As soon as Zhong Sheng entered the door, he heard the cry of a baby from inside. His wife had given birth to a daughter, and Zhong Sheng was very happy. When Zhong Sheng picked up the baby to check, he found a crack on the right earlobe of the child. At first, Zhong Sheng didn't know about the girl tearing off the ear - pendant and drowning herself. The next day, after hearing about it, he secretly wondered, Could this child be the reincarnation of that girl coming to my home? Out of pity for the girl's experience and because she was her parents' only daughter, Zhong Sheng invited her parents to live with him so that they could spend their remaining years in peace. Because Zhong Sheng had accumulated good deeds, the god who monitors the good and evil of the world reported his merits to the upper realm. He was specially bestowed with longevity, health, and prominent descendants to show that good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. Later, indeed, Zhong Sheng had another lovely and lively son. Now he had both a son and a daughter. Zhong Sheng's act of being generous with his wealth not only changed the fate of others but also brought changes to his own family. His story spread in the local area, becoming a model of the principle that good is rewarded and evil is punished, inspiring generations of people to stick to their conscience and inherit virtues.