Hvaležni rumeni vrabec

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Hvaležni rumeni vrabec

During the Han dynasty, when Yang Bao of Hongnong was nine years old, he went to the northern slopes of Mount Huayin and saw a yellow bird that had been struck by an owl. It had fallen beneath a tree and was beset by ants. Taking pity on it, Bao carried it home, placed it in a kerchief box, and fed it yellow flowers. After more than a hundred days, its plumage had grown back, and it would fly away in the morning and return at dusk. One night, during the third watch, Bao was still awake reading when a boy dressed in yellow appeared and bowed twice before him. “I am a messenger of the Queen Mother of the West,” he said. “I was sent to Penglai, but through carelessness was struck by an owl. In your kindness, you saved me, and I am deeply grateful for your great virtue.” He then gave Bao four white rings, saying, “May your descendants be pure and unsullied as these rings, and rise to the rank of the Three Excellencies.”