The Magic Orchid

Reward of Diligence

A magic orchid rewards honest labor and brings a jealous sister to repentance.

The magic orchid Malan rewards honest work and punishes greed. The hardworking sister Xiaolan marries the kind Malang; her jealous elder sister Dalan steals the flower and pushes Xiaolan into the river to take her place. But the orchid answers only to the good: it restores Xiaolan to life and exposes the thief, and Dalan repents. Virtue, the story insists, is the only spell that lasts.