Long ago, there was a wealthy household named Cao Laosan in Caojia Village. Cao Laosan only has one son under his knee, named Cao Gui. When Cao Guinian turned fifteen, Cao Laosan arranged his marriage for him. However, when Cao Gui entered the bridal chamber with joy and lifted the bride’s veil, he was surprised to find that the bride was ugly, like a night fork. This sudden sight instantly halved the joy in Cao Gui’s heart.
The bride sensed Cao Gui’s disappointment and understood that she was being looked down upon due to her appearance. She shed tears of sadness and promised Cao Gui, “If the officials find me ugly, I will be willing to be like a cow or a horse for you in the future.” Cao Gui had a kind heart, and seeing the bride cry and make a statement like this, his heart softened. He helped up the bride and gently expressed that he did not dislike her. As long as she could show filial piety to her parents, she would be his good wife.
Although Cao Gui accepted the bride, his parents were very dissatisfied with her. Four days later, they locked the bride in a room, intending to starve her to death in order to find another beautiful wife for their son. Although Cao Gui dared not say much in front of his parents, he felt sad for the bride in his heart. So he secretly hid some food at every meal and handed it to her through the crack in the door at night.
Cao Laosan and his wife discovered that the bride had been locked up for more than ten days without starving, so they began to monitor day and night, trying to find the person who was delivering the food. After dinner one day, Cao Gui brought a steamed bun to the bride’s house and whispered to her to eat while it was hot. The bride cried and responded inside the house, grateful for Cao Gui’s kindness, but worried that he would be punished by his parents for it. She advised Cao Gui not to deliver any more food to avoid being discovered.
The cries of the bride reached Cao Guiniang’s ears, and she felt a little sorry in her heart. So she went to discuss with Cao Laosan: ‘His father and Gui’er don’t even think she’s ugly, why are we so stubborn?’ Cao Laosan sighed and agreed to let her out. That evening, they opened the locked door.
Although the bride was released, Cao Laosan and his wife still treated her coldly, making her do the heaviest work, wear the most tattered clothes, and eat the leftovers. The bride silently endured all of this, still showing filial piety to her in laws. When her husband is not at home during the day, her in laws are unwilling to talk to her, so she can only confide her feelings to the little dog and cat. Only by returning to the room at night can one receive comfort from their husband.
One morning, while the bride was cooking in the haystack of the southern courtyard, she accidentally discovered nine shiny little chickens. She joyfully carried them back into the house and fed them by spreading grass and sprinkling rice on the pig food bowl. From then on, she took good care of these chicks every day and was close to them.
One night, Cao Laosan had a strange dream where nine golden chickens lived in the haystack of the southern courtyard. After waking up, he didn’t take it to heart. However, the next morning, when he saw the bride coming out of the southern courtyard with a smile on her face, he couldn’t help but ask her why she was so happy. The bride happily told him that the nine little chickens in the southern courtyard haystack had grown up and were about to fly.
After hearing this, Cao Laosan suddenly remembered the dream he had a few days ago, so he hurriedly asked the bride to bring the chick home and raise it. Not long after, these nine chicks started laying eggs. Each chicken can lay nine golden eggs a day! Cao Laosan and his wife looked at these golden eggs, laughing uncontrollably. They dare not underestimate the bride anymore, showing her utmost care and love. In less than a year, Cao Laosan became the world’s richest man.
