Long ago in a quiet village surrounded by soft mist and rolling green hills lived a young scholar named Wei Gu. He was gentle in nature and devoted to his studies but a quiet loneliness followed him like a shadow. His friends often told him that marriage was a matter of searching yet Wei Gu felt that his path to love would be guided by something far more mysterious.
One evening during a journey through a neighboring town he stopped at an old market square as dusk settled. Lanterns flickered to life one after another casting warm golden circles on the stone paths. Wei Gu rested on a wooden bench and noticed an elderly man seated nearby under the glow of the rising moon. The man had a long white beard that shone faintly like frost and his eyes held a depth that seemed older than time itself. He held a worn book in his hands and beside him sat a small cloth bag.
Curiosity stirred within Wei Gu and he approached respectfully.
Sir he asked softly what brings you out at such an hour.
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The old man closed his book with a gentle smile. I have been waiting he replied. I am Yue Lao the Old Man Under the Moon. In this book I record the destinies of future couples and in this bag I carry the red threads that bind their souls. When two people are tied by the red thread they are destined to meet no matter how far apart they may be.
Wei Gu bowed deeply astonished to meet a celestial being. Elder he asked quietly have you recorded my destiny as well
Yue Lao nodded and opened the ancient book. The pages were filled with delicate ink characters that looked as old as the stars themselves. After searching for a moment he tapped a page. Your fate is written. Your future wife is near very near.
At that moment a woman passed through the square carrying a small child. The woman wore simple clothing and her face showed signs of hardship. The child walked beside her holding tightly to her sleeve. Wei Gu watched them only briefly thinking they had nothing to do with him.
This girl Yue Lao said pointing to the small child is the one destined for you.
Wei Gu stared in disbelief. She is only a toddler he said. And her family is clearly poor. How could our lives ever be joined
Yue Lao chuckled softly. Fate does not depend on wealth or age. The red thread already connects you. It may tangle or stretch across years but it will never break.
From his cloth bag Yue Lao drew out a nearly invisible red thread. It shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. He murmured a blessing tied one end to Wei Gu’s ankle and allowed the other end to drift toward the child where it disappeared into the folds of her clothing.
Before Wei Gu could speak Yue Lao gathered his things stood and slowly faded into the moonlit air as though dissolving into silver mist. The breeze stirred the lanterns and the square grew quiet again.
Years passed. Wei Gu continued his studies and eventually became a respected official. Though he often thought of Yue Lao’s prophecy time moved forward and the memory began to feel like a dream.
One day while traveling through another province he stayed with a kind and welcoming family. Their daughter now grown greeted him with grace and intelligence. Something about her felt familiar although he could not understand why. Her eyes were warm and her presence lingered in his thoughts long after they first spoke.
As they spent more time together they discovered shared interests and a gentle connection began to bloom. Her kindness flowed as naturally as spring water and Wei Gu found himself drawn to her sincerity and quiet strength.
In time he asked her parents about her early life. They told him that many years ago they had lived in great poverty and that their daughter had once walked the marketplace as a small barefoot child beside her mother.
The truth struck Wei Gu like a sudden rush of wind. The memory returned the moonlit square the poor mother and the toddler the prophecy spoken by the Old Man Under the Moon. The young woman before him was the very child Yue Lao had revealed.
In that moment Wei Gu understood everything. The red thread had stretched across years and across uncertainty yet it had never broken. It had pulled them back together just as Yue Lao said it would.
Their families celebrated their marriage with joy. Lanterns glowed softly around them and the full moon cast a gentle silver light upon the wedding. Wei Gu looked upward wondering if Yue Lao was watching from some distant place smiling with quiet satisfaction.
Somewhere beyond the sight of mortals the Old Man Under the Moon closed his ancient book content that another destiny had been fulfilled.
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Moral Lesson
True connections are guided by forces beyond human planning. Destiny unfolds in its own perfect time and those who are meant for one another will always be brought together.
Knowledge Check
- Who is Yue Lao?
Yue Lao is the celestial matchmaker who records fated relationships and ties couples with the red thread of destiny. - What does the red thread symbolize?
It symbolizes an unbreakable destined bond between two people regardless of time distance or circumstance. - Why did Wei Gu doubt the prophecy?
Because the girl Yue Lao pointed out was only a toddler and came from a very poor family. - How does the story express the theme of destiny?
The red thread leads the two characters back to each other years later exactly as Yue Lao foretold. - What cultural tradition does the story relate to?
It connects to the Chinese belief in the Red Thread of Fate a symbol of predestined love. - What lesson does Wei Gu learn?
He learns that love unfolds according to fate not according to appearances or expectations.
Source
Adapted from China Folklore Society – Digital Mythology Index, 2014.
Cultural Origin: Han Chinese folklore.
