Chapter 13: Those Who Make Beautiful Dreams and Those Who Buy Beautiful Dreams

Those who make beautiful dreams and those who buy beautiful dreams

91 chapters,

Those who make beautiful dreams and those who buy beautiful dreams

Liu Guozong

This dream can indeed be sold; the answer is definitely yes——

Dreams are a manifestation of brain mental activity. As long as one is a person, everyone has dreamed; only the content differs. Some have beautiful dreams, gaining rank and wealth, being taken by a beautiful woman and marrying a lovely wife; some have nightmares, encountering a ghost when going out, their possessions robbed by the 'ghost'; or falling into hell, being burned by ghostly sulfur fire, the pain throughout the body unbearable; still others dream of keeping a concubine, raising a pretty girl, being discovered by their wife, causing a scene at work, ruining their reputation—not to mention, moreover, due to corruption and bribery, the deeds of buying and selling offices are exposed again; just when everyone abandons and relatives leave, as the saying goes, 'When luck runs out, even drinking cold water gets stuck in your teeth, and farting breaks your ankle,' they end up being caught by the police again; being tied up and taken to the execution ground, the executioner's blade already at their neck, they only hear a 'ka' sound, the dream is startled awake, originally it was a cat catching a mouse under the bed.

Some have beautiful dreams and, through effort, can turn them into reality; some have beautiful dreams but do not strive, living all day in a kind of dreamland, that beautiful dream being nothing more than mist before the eyes, ripples in water, nowhere to be found. Like Baoyu in Dream of the Red Chamber, after wandering into the Grand Void Realm, he was bound hand and foot by the 'Tender Cold Spring Dream', all day sighing over sisters, flowers, and moons, neglecting proper duties, ultimately becoming 'the root of family ruin'. This year's record of Qingqing's young man, with good family circumstances, not worrying about food or clothing, not striving, even the most beautiful dream can only be 'spring dreams scattered with the clouds, fallen flowers following the water', becoming a vain dream.

Someone says, even the best dream cannot be sold, cannot be eaten as food, worn as clothing, or used as money. Yet this world holds all wonders—here you have a child who sells beautiful dreams and a child who buys dreams.

This story takes place in Xiao Ribeng——

The sun shone brightly, the wind carried floral fragrance. On the seaside beach, a pair of little boys were strolling. They played until tired and lay down on the beach to fall asleep. One of the little boys had a beautiful dream, dreaming that on a solitary island across the sea lived a wealthy man. In the wealthy man's rear garden there was a patch of camellias, and beneath the root of a white camellia lay a jar of gold.

After waking, the little boy who had dreamed of a jar of gold told the other little boy about it, sighing, 'What a pity, this is just a dream. If there really were a jar of gold, I would have struck it rich.'

The speaker meant nothing, but the listener took it to heart. The little boy who listened to the dream said, 'Do you want to pursue this dream?'

'Dreams are after all dreams; no matter how beautiful, they will not become reality.' The little boy who had the beautiful dream said helplessly.

'If you don't want to pursue this beautiful dream, just sell it to me!' The other little boy said in an inquiring tone.

'All right!' The little boy who had the beautiful dream said offhandedly.

The little boy who bought the dream gained both gold and a beautiful woman, believe it or not——

The little boy who had bought the dream, after enduring countless hardships, finally found that solitary island in the vast ocean. On the island there truly was a wealthy man; the wealthy man's rear garden truly had a patch of camellia trees, and the wealthy man also had a daughter more beautiful than the camellias. Because the camellia trees had long lacked care, they were overgrown with weeds. Thus the little boy voluntarily took on the task of tending the camellia trees. Year after year he weeded and tilled them repeatedly; under his careful attention, the camellia trees grew stronger and more vigorous, the tea leaves became ever more fragrant, and the camellia blossoms ever more splendid; the wealthy man's impression of the little boy also improved, and the wealthy man's daughter's affection for this diligent little boy deepened.

The wealthy man grew old, and on his deathbed he married his daughter to the little boy. Eventually one day, with his wife's help, the little boy dug up that jar of gold beneath the root of a white camellia.

The little boy's beautiful dream became reality.

Thus, the little boy who had once bought the dream returned to his hometown's seaside with his beautiful wife and gold; whereas the little boy who had sold the dream became a penniless wretch, begging along the shore with his bowl.

When a person has a beautiful dream, why not pursue and strive for it?

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