Yeh - Shen is a story written by Duan Chengshi about a girl whose mother has recently died so she is forced to live with her cruel step family. They treat Yeh - Shen like a servant rather then a member of their family.

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Everyday Yeh - Shen would go down to the pond and feed a koi fish there even though she had very little food for herself. When her step mother heard of this she disceased herself as Yeh - Shen and killed the fish. Yeh - Shen was devastated when she heard of this. 

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One day soon after a spirit of a man came down from the sky and told her that the bones from the fish that her step mother had killed were magic. He said that if she wished upon them her wish would come true but he warned her not to waste their magic.

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When the day of the Spring Festival came about Yeh - Shen wished terribly that she could go but her step mother would not let her. Once her step family had left though she wished to the fish bones that she could go to the Spring Festival. All of a sudden Yeh - Shen was wearing a beautiful gown and golden silk slippers. The bones warned her not to lose a slipper. 

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When she got to the festival all heads turned and admired her. Scared of getting found out so she ran of yet dropped one of her shoes in the process. The Prince picked up the shoe and put it on display with his guards hiding near by. He announced that he wanted the shoe returned to its owner. Now dressed in rags as she lost the shoe Yeh - Shen ran up to retrieve it when the guards caught her and took her to the Prince. He immediately saw that she was the girl from the festival from her beauty and married her. Yeh - Shen's step family was not allowed to visit her and soon died in their gave from a shower of flying stones.

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