There was a young man who cooked at an inn on a very lonely stretch of road between the ancient lands of China and Mongolia. One day a messenger arrived saying that the Prince was coming this way in a week. This Prince was notoriously ungracious of poor meals, so the cook was fretting mightily. The cook sought the advice from a patron who was a master of I-Ching. The patron told the cook of a farmer with a cow that, despite its poor appearance, would be a magical contribution to the meal.
The young man found the farmer who needed money badly for his daughter's dowry. The cook could have bought the cow cheaply, but sensing the farmer's plight, paid twice what the best of cows would bring. The farmer was so pleased that he gave the cook the best of his red, yellow, and green peppers. The farmer also, with a promise to not tell his wife, gave the cook his top choice tomatoes, carrots, and snap peas from their personal garden. The cook marveled at his luck as he instinctively knew the produce was just perfect for what he had in mind. On the way he came upon a man beset by some thugs.
He leapt to the man's defense but was no match for the thugs. He was getting soundly beaten up himself when the scrawny cow unexpectedly kicked two of the thugs and forcing them to flee. The man that the cook tried to help was ever so thankful. It turns out he was a noodle maker and the cook received some of his finest noodles, some hand-picked mushrooms and half of a pineapple. He said those thugs had wanted his pineapple but he had refused them and they had attacked him for his refusal. The cook hurried home and started preparing his meal for the Prince.
When it came time to kill the cow the cook said, "I can't do this. One good turn deserves another." So he set the cow out to pasture and butchered his best cow instead. The cook used the best of his sauces and the produce acquired on the trip. He did not dare sully the meal by tasting it and waited in angst for the Prince to arrive.
The procession of the Prince arrived, but when the Prince saw the inn he snorted divisively and didn't stop. The cook was disappointed and nearly threw it away. Then he noticed an old man carrying a bamboo walking staff with a blue bell affixed to the end of a blue tassel. The old man looked very weary, hungry and near the end of the journey that is life. The cook thought to himself who better to enjoy this masterpiece of mine.
The cook invited the old man in and seated him. The cook explained that he has prepared a special meal for the Prince but that the Prince didn't stop and he would like for the old man to enjoy it instead. The old man thanked the cook and ate the meal very slowly, savoring each nibble and each bite. Afterwards the old man said that it was a preview of heaven and that it has given him the strength to finish his journey. The cook thanks the old man for his praise. Before leaving the old man pauses at the doorway and blesses the inn.
When the cook returned home he found in place of the scrawny cow, a walking staff with a blue bell affixed to a blue tassel. Every day after that day the old man blessed the inn, both it and the cook enjoyed brisk business and such acclaim that many invented excuses to journey that otherwise very lonely stretch of road.