The God of Fortune loved to come down to Earth to bless good people with good fortune and punish bad people.

One night, he turned himself into a poor scholar and knocked on Widow Lin's home. Widow Lin saw the scholar and felt sorry for him. So, she invited him into her home and made him a bowl of noodles. After the scholar had eaten, Widow Lin allowed him to sleep in the same room as her son. Widow Lin saw that the poor scholar's robes were torn and tattered, so, she stayed up the whole night to make a new set of robes for him.

The next morning, the God of Fortune was so touched by Widow Lin's kindness that he told her, "I am the God of Fortune. You are such a kind woman. I must give you a reward. After I leave, the first thing you do will continue until the sun sets." After the God of Fortune left, Widow Lin took a ruler to measure the leftover cloth that was lying on her table. Strangely, as if by magic, the cloth grew longer and longer until the sun set, and Widow Lin's house was filled with enough cloth to feed her for a year.

When Madam Chen came to Widow Lin's house to buy cloth, she learned about the God of Fortune and said jealously, "If the God of Fortune comes to my house, I will not only make a new set of robes for him, I will also make him a pair of shoes." That night, The God of Fortune turned himself into a poor scholar again, and knocked on Madam Chen"s door. Madam Chen asked the maid to bring the poor scholar some rice, and asked another maid to make the scholar a set of new robes and a pair of slippers. Then she said happily to herself, "Wonderful! Tomorrow I shall have a house full of fine silk."

The next morning, The God of Fortune told Madam Chen, "After I leave, the first thing you do will continue until the sun sets." Once the God of Fortune left, Madam Chen rushed back to measure her finest bolt of silk. But she stopped along the way to pour water into her thirsty pigs' trough. Strangely, as if by magic, water flowed from the trough until the sun set. By then, Madam Chen's house was flooded and so was the village. All of the villagers came to scold Madam Chen for being too greedy and for causing the flood.

　　天上的福神常常下凡到人間考查，送給好人幸福，帶給壞人懲罰。

　　這一天晚上，福神假扮成窮書生去敲村裡林寡婦的門，林寡婦看到窮書生，覺得他很可憐，就請他進屋子裡去，煮一碗麵給他吃，還讓他跟兒子一起睡，林寡婦看他穿的衣服很破舊，就熬夜幫他做一件衣服。　　

　　隔天早上，福神收到衣服感激地對林寡婦說：「我是福神，你的心地真好，一定會有好報的，我離開後，你做的第一件事，會繼續到太陽下山為止。」福神走後，寡婦就拿尺去量桌上的布，說也奇怪，布愈量愈長，一直到太陽下山才量完，滿屋子的布，足夠讓林寡婦過一年的生活。

　　這件事被到家裡拿布的陳夫人知道，貪心的陳夫人忌妒地說：「如果福神來我家，我不止做一套衣服，還會做一雙鞋子給他。」這天晚上，福神就假扮成窮書生，去敲陳夫人的門，陳夫人就叫婢女拿飯給他吃，夜晚還叫婢女幫他縫衣服和鞋子，然後她高興地自言自語說：「太好了，明天我就有一屋子的絲綢了。」

　　第二天早上，福神離開前對陳夫人說：「我走了，你做的第一件事，會繼續到日落為止。」陳夫人趕緊進屋要去量絲綢，沒想到一旁的豬群突然大叫，她就順手拿起水來餵豬，想不到桶裡的水流不停，直到太陽下山才停止，房子四周都是水，村裡也都是水，村裡所有人都跑來罵她太貪心，才會得到這種懲罰。