During the Han dynasty in the north of Huayin Mountain, about two thousand years ago,
there lived a family called Yang. They were farmers, and had only one child, who was
so precious to him that they named him Pao meaning Treasure.
Yang Pao was not only clever, kind and quick-witted, but he was also very good looking
with his clear eyebrows and bright eyes. His parent shaved all of his hair off except
for two locks on the top, which they tied into two knots. Everybody agreed that he
was very cute.
Yang Pao loved nature and he spent a lot of time playing in the forests of the Huayin
Mountain.
One day when he was nine years old, he was playing outdoors as usual when all of a
sudden he heard a cry above him. He looked up and saw a hunting owl had just snatched
a titmouse, a little bird, out of the air. The owl was so startled to discover someone
watching it hunt that it dropped the titmouse, which fell to the ground. The titmouse
was so dazed it just lay there without moving.
He loved his little bird. He fed it chrysanthemum petals and tended to its wounds until
it was strong enough to fly. He then took it to the forest and let it go.
"You're free now! Watch out for owls! Goodbye!!"
Not long afterwards, he had a strange dream.
"Sir, I am an envoy of the Heavenly Queen. You have saved my life. I would like to show
my gratitude by presenting these four immaculate jade bracelets to you. I also give you
my blessings that your children and grandchildren be as spotless as pure jade and hold
posts in the top ranks of the government."
Yang Pao did not want to take the gift, but the little boy dressed in brown insisted,
so he finally took the bracelets. As soon as he did he woke up and found that it had
just been a dream.
Yang Pao's sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and great great-grandsons were as spotless
as pure jade. For four generations, his descendants all held posts in the top ranks
of the government.
Ants then came to take it away for food. The titmouse had been hurt by the owl's claws
and the fall to the ground that it couldn't move.
Yang Pao ran over and picked the titmouse up, brushing away the ants. He took the
titmouse home and raised it in a bamboo cage.
A child dressed in brown clothes came to thank him for saving his life. He presented
Pao with four priceless white jade bracelets, saying,
"That sure was a strange dream," he thought, shaking his head.