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Laozi had a servant named Xu Jia. The two of them had been together for more than two hundred years. But during this time, Xu Jia had been unhappy because his master failed to pay him. He was promised a certain amount of money from the beginning, however, that promise had not been honored. 

He silently counted in his mind how much he should have every day before he slept. For more than two hundred years, his wages totaled about 7.2 million dollars.

Laozi did not do well financially during the Zhou Dynasty. Later, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was worse, socially and politically. Laozi was planning to leave the eastern region of China and move to the western.

It was hot in the sun, and going west is naturally more and more desolate. Losing his patience, Xu Jia decided to take the matter to the governor of Hanguan.

Governor Yin Xi was busy waiting for Laozi, known as the old man on a buffalo. He wanted to kneel down to welcome Laozi and to show how much he wanted to learn about the Dao （“The Way” of spirituality）. However, as soon as they arrived, Yin Xi received a complaint from Xu Jia, Laozi’s servant.

Thus, Laozi and Xu Jia had to face each other in a court run by the government. Well, the court agreed that Laozi had to pay his servant, and that it was the right thing to do in ordinary society.

Laozi asked Xu Jia to open his mouth and pull out a Taixuan Qingsheng amulet. But Xu Jia immediately died, and only his skeleton was on the floor.

Laozi sighed because he was poor and could not afford to pay his servant. He gave him a Taixuan Qingsheng amulet and promised to replace it with gold once they reached the west region. Unfortunately, Xu Jia could not wait and wanted his payment fast.  

Yin Xi witnessed all of this firsthand, and was shocked. He had mixed feelings. He thought, ‘How lucky could a person be to spend 200 years with a master like Laozi and I had to spend all my life to seek for a Master.’ Yin Xi knelt down to beg, “Could you let Xu Jia have his life back and I’ll pay for what you owe him?”

After Laozi listened, he threw the Taixuan Qingsheng amulet on the body, and Xu Jia immediately resurrected. Xu Jia felt ashamed, but he thought, ‘I am no fool. If I could not get my wages here, then when we reach the west, where will the gold come from? I would have no place to ask for justice then.’ So, Xu Jia accepted a large sum of money from Yin Xi and planned to buy a house and get himself a wife. When Yin Xi handed Xu Jia more than 2 million dollars, he left happily.

When the case was over, Laozi was ready to leave and head west.

Yin Xi then became Laozi’s disciple and happily replaced Xu Jia. He went on to help Laozi record and spread the 5,000 words of the “Dao De Jing.” Afterward, he turned in his official government seal and followed Laozi on his journey.

When a person reads this story for the first time, they may laugh hard. What a fool Xu Jia is--he had the chance to stay with a great master, but he was thinking about buying a house and getting married! But looking back, it may no longer appear so funny. Observing the people around us, how many of us are not affected by the little gains or losses in our daily lives? We, too, are just like Xu Jia.

Translator: Yi Ming
Editor: Derek Padula


老子的仆人
文/宋凛
老子有一个使唤的佣人，名叫徐甲。主仆俩相处很长时间了，两百多年了。在这两百多年里，徐甲一直过得不怎么舒心，他的主人居然一直没有发给他工钱，一开始就说好的，每天有百钱，然而，一文钱也不曾兑现过。他心里一直在默默心算，每天算了一遍他的工钱，方才睡下。两百多年来，工钱——共计七百二十万钱。
老子在周朝，一直都过得不怎么得意，后来呢，到了春秋战国，已经是礼崩乐坏的景象了。就打算离东土 往西走了。
赤日炎炎，往西走自然是越走越荒凉，徐甲决定，在函关去官府里告老子。
函关太守尹喜，多少个日子前就忙著虔诚等待，这会儿跪倒尘埃里迎接这位骑著牛的老夫子，急切表白自己的向道之心。然而一转眼他就收到了徐甲的诉状。唉，好端端的骑牛老道，一派出尘之气转眼就成了个被告，告状的，还是贴身佣人。西谚有云——仆人眼中无伟人。还真给他们说中了。
就这样，老子和徐甲就对簿公堂了。被告老子，就是欠钱不还嘛。干活要给钱，是人这一层的公理。
老子呢，他让徐甲张开嘴巴，面朝地上，立即，从徐甲口中落出了一个东西，乃是一道太玄真符，徐甲呢，人就没了，地板上骤现一具骷髅，尸身就剩骨架了。
这就是徐甲。
老子叹道，当初家境贫寒，自从雇用你为仆，给不起工钱，就给了这道太玄清生符，也说好了，到了西域，欠的工钱会兑成黄金给你。你怎么就在这最后一道关口，使出这么一招呢？
太守在现场亲眼目睹这一情状，心头震惊，百感交集，朝夕相处二百余载——这是什么样的缘份！现在，一起脱离红尘三界，你居然不肯，唉，面对你这么好福气的大傻瓜，我能说什么呢？要知道我毕生心力都在找师父啊!
尹喜就跪地磕头，请求老子把徐甲的命还给徐甲，至于工钱，我来代付。这样好不好呢？
老子听了，就将那道太玄清生符投掷在骷髅身上，徐甲立即人像俱全地复活了。还是那个徐甲，羞愧自然是羞愧的，然而他心里想的是——当我傻呀 ！在中原都没工钱给我，到了那个鬼西域，就会有黄金了吗？没有的话，我岂不是连打官司的地方都没了。好在，现在这个尹太守要帮忙付这笔巨款了，我得了工钱，自然别无诉求了。
尹喜呢，就凑成两百多万钱，交给了徐甲。徐甲很满意地离开了。张罗著买房子娶亲去了。
老子呢，官司已了，更要出关而去了。
后来的故事，我们都知道了，尹喜对老子行弟子之礼，又苦苦哀求师父说点什么再走——留下点什么给这个世界吧，就透露一点真机给我们吧。
于是，老子就写下了五千字《道德经》。尹喜将经文记诵下来，印刷成文，流传于世。他交付了官印，跟随著老子去了，他接替了徐甲的工作。
第一次在《太平广记》里读到这个故事，我简直要笑得打跌，觉得这位徐甲，真是天下一绝。和大道朝夕共处两百多年，也要维权结工资，盖房子娶娘子。这是一种怎样心属凡尘的深情？然而，笑到后来，我却觉出不好笑来——天下熙熙攘攘，皆为利来，皆为利往。我们又何尝不是那个徐甲呢？

文章链接：英文：http://www.visiontimes.com/2019/05/25/laozis-servant.html
              中文：http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/18/12/24/n10930666.htm