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Chapter 17: As You Wish

  Chapter 17: As Expected, the Woman Was Shocked and Rushed to Hug Her Son, But He Pushed Her Away and Jumped Off the Wooden Horse. He Ran to the Door and Stood There, Saying: "You Never Let Me Go Out for a Walk, So I Became Weak and Caught a Cold Easily. Now You're Always Crying and Wearing My Clothes, Which Are All Wet from Your Tears." The Son Took Down a Lantern Hanging by the Door and Shone It on His Clothes. The Woman Rushed Over to Take a Look and Indeed Saw Large Patches of Water Stains on Her Son's Clothes, Which Were Damp and Wet. She Suddenly Felt Heartbroken Again and Started Crying. The Son Said: "Don't Cry Anymore, I'm Doing Well Down Here. There's Just One Wish I Couldn't Fulfill." The Woman Wiped Away Her Tears and Urged Her Son to Tell Her What His Wish Was. The Son Put Down the Lantern, Sat on the Ground, and Looked Up at His Mother, Saying: "My Drum Is Still at Home, Can You Please Send It to Me?" The Woman Was Perplexed by This Request. How Could She Possibly Send a Drum to the Underworld? The Son Saw That His Mother Was Speechless and Knew She Was in Trouble. He Continued: "Just Wrap the Drum in Yellow Paper, Write My Name and Birth and Death Dates on It, Attach a 'Two Realms' Postage Stamp, and Burn It on the 15th Night. I'll Receive It." After Finishing His Words, the Son Ran Out of the Door. The Woman Chased After Him but Only Saw a Bright Moon in the Courtyard, with No One Else Around. When She Woke Up, the Woman Told Her Husband About Her Dream. He Listened and Shook His Head, Saying That Ordinary Postage Stamps Could Be Bought at the Customs Office, But There Was No Such Thing as a 'Two Realms' Postage Stamp, and It Was Impossible to Send Mail Between the Two Realms. However, the Woman Insisted That She Had Eaten Incense Ashes Sent by the Bodhisattva and Had Dreamt of Her Son's Words. Even If It Meant Demolishing the House, She Wanted to Find a Way to Get the 'Two Realms' Postage Stamp and Send Her Son's Beloved Drum to Him. The Husband Had No Choice but to Take His Wife to See Huang Banshan, a Famous Fortune Teller Who Lived in the Mountains. Huang Banshan Was Known for His Accuracy in Predicting Good or Bad Luck. However, He Had a Rule That He Would Only Tell Fortunes at Dusk and Not During the Day, and He Would Only Do It Once a Day. Because of This, Many People Came to Seek His Fortune-Telling Services, and Sometimes They Had to Wait for Several Days and Nights Before Their Turn Came. The Old Couple Brought Their Bedding and Camped Out in Front of Huang Banshan's House for Ten Days and Nights Before It Was Finally Their Turn. As Soon as They Entered the Room, Huang Banshan Took Out a Bottle Without Asking Any Questions and Told Them: "First, Go to the Customs Office to Buy Postage Stamps. After You Get Back, on the 15th Night, Drip a Drop of Cow's Tears onto the Back of the Stamp, Then Pour the Contents of This Bottle onto the Back of the Stamp as Glue, and Attach It to the Thing You Want to Send. Burn It, and the Person Will Receive It." The Couple Saw That Huang Banshan Knew Their Intentions Without Them Saying a Word and Immediately Followed His Instructions with Gratitude. They Returned Home, Bought Postage Stamps, Wrapped the Drum in Yellow Paper, Attached the Stamp, and Burned It According to Huang Banshan's Instructions. That Night, the Woman Dreamt of Her Son Holding the Drum and Laughing as He Sat on the Wooden Horse. From Then On, the Woman No Longer Cried, and Her Son's Clothes Were Dry and Clean.

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