The Will of the Koi

After retiring, Old Li's most important daily task was feeding the koi at Guanyin Bridge. Those brightly colored creatures were not just fish to him; they were symbols of good fortune in his old age. He firmly believed that as long as he fed them on time every day, they would bring him health, longevity, and even a lottery win.

But recently, the koi had been acting strange. They no longer eagerly fought for food; instead, they floated lazily on the water's surface, as if they had lost their vitality. Old Li's heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong; could it be that the feng shui had gone bad? He hurriedly sought guidance from a "master." The "master" walked around the pond, counted on his fingers, and said, "Old Li, you've encountered a 'Koi Tribulation.' They've taken all your bad luck, and now they've reached the end of their merit and are about to ascend to heaven."

Old Li was confused. What "Koi Tribulation"? All he knew was that these koi were his spiritual sustenance. He pleaded with the master for help, but the master only said, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed. Burn them some paper money to see them off on their final journey."

Old Li sadly looked at the surface of the water. Those once-vibrant lives were now just stiff corpses. Following the master's instructions, he burned a lot of paper money for them, muttering, "Go well, reincarnate into a good life next time, don't be fish again."

The next day, Old Wang, the Guanyin Bridge manager, brought a group of people to empty the fishpond. Over thirty woven bags were filled to the brim with dead koi. Old Li watched from afar, feeling a surge of sorrow in his heart. He remembered the "master's" words. Could it be that his good luck was really coming to an end?

Dejectedly, he returned home and, upon opening the door, noticed a lottery ticket on the coffee table. He had impulsively bought it yesterday. He picked it up casually and his eyes widened, his scalp tingling—he had won the first prize, a staggering five million.

Old Li was stunned. He suddenly understood. It wasn't some "Koi Tribulation" at all. These fish had transferred all of their "bad luck" to him. The so-called "master" was nothing more than a charlatan exploiting people's obsession with good luck. These koi hadn't ascended to heaven; they had given him their lifetime of misfortune in exchange for his lottery win. He felt guilty taking this prize.

Old Li slowly sat on the sofa, tears streaming down his face. He looked at the winning lottery ticket and felt, for the first time, how heavy this good luck truly was. He got up and walked to the window, opening it. The cold wind blew in, making him shiver. He saw a man collecting recyclables pushing a tricycle at the entrance of his building. The tricycle was piled high with woven bags. On the bags, in bold chalk letters, were the words:

"For Sale: High-Quality Organic Fertilizer, Excellent for Growing Flowers"

Old Li chuckled bitterly. It turned out that so-called "good luck" was just an absurd transaction, and he had become the final sucker in this deal. This five million might just be the koi's last mockery of him.