The Embroidered Shoes

While digging wild vegetables beside a forest path, village girl Erhua spotted an exquisitely crafted pair of embroidered shoes neatly laid out a short distance away. Overcome by greed, she glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then secretly slipped the shoes into her vegetable basket and took them home. Thinking she had gotten a lucky bargain, Erhua headed deeper into the woods hoping to find more “treasures.” Instead, she stumbled upon a graveyard covered in bright red wedding double-happiness characters. The tombstone read “Beloved Son Tiedan’s Resting Place,” with red candles, peanuts, and other wedding offerings laid before it. Terrified, Erhua screamed and fled.