Finish the story wk 44 - The story of Mr. Renhe Ren

A part of the story underneath is given, the idea is to finish the story. If you like to join too, please have a look at @bananafish.

It is said that Mr. Renhe Ren, of Daochu village, in the province of Quan Shijie, in his forty-second year of life, was seized by a great rage because of his long-standing enemy, who was constantly working to hinder and ruin any of his activities and projects.
Faced with the umpteenth abuse, Mr. Renhe Ren felt that his harmony and self-control were going to be lost. He was no longer able to feel the noble sentiments worthy of a superior man.

Then he remembered the words of the wise man. "Sit down along the river bank and wait, sooner or later you will see the corpse of your enemy pass". So, he left the village of Daochu and went down to the river. He found a willow with a wide foliage that bent gently over the water, and sat down in his shadow, determined to wait until the wisdom of the ancestors had brought a solution to his problem.

He awaited for days and nights, meditating. Sun, rain, wind and fog alternated tormenting him, but neither the heat, nor the cold, nor the humidity, nor the insects distracted him from his waiting. Time passed, until one day in late autumn, the stream swollen for the rains brought a corpse to its feet, face down. Mr. Renhe Ren shook himself from his meditation and leaned towards the muddy water, his heart finally calm.

Great was his surprise when he saw (here I continue the story)
it was an old trunk. It looked human, even had a face. The face of his mother. His heart, first filled of joy, now felt empty.
He'd been waiting, meditating for weeks, hardly touched the food his family brought him, how much longer he needed to wait? He felt the rage deep inside him.

As his son brought him food he ignored him. So he did with his daughter, wife and father.
His mother came. She looked at him for a long time. Finally she said:"I wonder what makes one a wise man... envy is a bad thing. Goodbye my son, you will not see me again."
Mr. Renhe Ren did not respond, he'd no longer care about his mother. She did not mean more to him as the trunk that he so dearly hoped for it would be the corpse of his enemy.

He was sitting at his spot under the willow.. staring at the river... waiting...
As his father brought him some food he didn't respond either. The old man knew it was useless to talk any sense into his son's head. He was obsessed by the words of a "wise man" and... his enemy. It was a waste to bring him good food that he wouldn't eat. After his son gave up on his family they had hardly anything themselves. He felt ashamed for the kind of man that had became out of the boy he raised.

As Mr. Renhe Ren's son brought him his food, the young man hardly recognized him. The way his father looked like even scared him. Was he losing his mind? He hurried back home and decided not to waste his time anylonger to a father who didn't care about the good things in life. He for sure no longer looked like the noble and superior man he once knew.

It was clear to everyone... Mr. Renhe Ren was lost to his family, the society and world. Hate became his only friend, the reason he stayed alive. There he was, sitting under the willow with just one thought, one hope, the prove his enemy was dead.
One morning, as he crawled to the riverside, to drink some water, he saw a corpse in it looking at him.
"Finally! There you are", he said, "you look old. I am happy to know you are dead and I did not waste my time waiting here. Now you won't be able to ruin any of my activities or projects any longer. The wise man was right!"
For the first time since long his heart was filled with joy. The rage was gone, he could continue his life in peace and harmony. He could dance and sing for happiness if he didn't feel so weak. He tried to stand up and felt straight into the river. Nobody ever saw him nor his corpse again.

The picture is a pixabay.com pic of my favorite willow.

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