Who is that girl?

"People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  When you figure out which it is, you’ll know exactly what to do."

-  Michelle Ventor

Once upon the time, a thirteen-year-old son of a wealthy mandarin official had a dream in which he met the old Sage and learned that he was destined to wed the girl who worked in the fruit stand across the street. When he awoke, he was quite skeptical, but, curious as he was, he went out to have a look at the girl.

She was six years old, was completely filthy, and had a stream of snot running from her nose. He was horrified and furious! “I am never going to marry this horrible abomination!” In his anger, he threw a rock that hit her eyebrow and sent her crying into the house.

A decade passed, and son of the mandarin official, now 23, took the imperial exams and received his first government job. Since the rulers respected and honored his father, a marriage was arranged for him to the daughter of the Prime Minister.

After they were married, he noticed a scar on her eyebrow, and it developed that she had received it years before when a nasty little boy had suddenly thrown a rock at her. At that time, she worked in her parent’s fruit stand, but the business had failed and both of them had died in a boating accident on the river, from which she had escaped. The prime minister had happened upon her and adopted her.

Her new husband then confessed that he had been that nasty little boy, and he explained about meeting the old Sage in his dream.

As punishment for his attack on her, his new wife playfully condemned him to a lifetime of putting on her eyebrow makeup each day in a way that would cover the scar.

Moral of the story: Never say never...