In the household of Minister Wang of Xincheng, his chief steward — wealthy though untitled — dreamed suddenly of a man charging into his room, declaring: “You owe forty thousand coins. Repay it now!”
When questioned, the intruder gave no answer but marched inward. Upon waking, the steward’s wife gave birth to a son.
Recognizing this as karmic debt from a past life, the steward placed forty thousand coins in a dedicated room. Every expense for the child — clothing, food, medicine — was drawn solely from this fund. By the boy’s third or fourth year, only seven hundred coins remained.
Just then, the wet nurse brought the child near, playfully teasing him. The steward cried out: “Forty thousand is nearly spent — you must depart now!” At these words, the boy’s face contorted violently: his neck snapped, eyes flew open. One touch revealed he had ceased breathing. The steward buried him using the leftover coins. Let this warn all debtors.
Long ago, an old man without sons consulted a monk. The monk said: “You owe no debts; none owe you. How then would you gain a son? A worthy child repays kindness; a wayward child collects debt. Rejoice not at birth, mourn not at death.”
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