以德报怨 — “To repay injury with kindness”

In a small county on the border between the Wei and Chu states, a magistrate named Song Jiu was appointed. Villagers from both countries, living near the border, cultivated melons.

That spring, both sides sowed their melon seeds. Unfortunately, the weather was quite dry, and due to a lack of water, the melon seedlings grew slowly. Some Wei villagers, concerned about the potential impact on their harvest, organized themselves to fetch water and irrigate their melon fields every evening. After several days of continuous watering, the melon seedlings in Wei's fields grew noticeably better and taller than those planted by Chu villagers.

Seeing the rapid and healthy growth of Wei villagers' melons, some Chu villagers became very jealous. At night, some would secretly sneak into Wei's melon fields to trample the seedlings. When Wei villagers brought this matter to Magistrate Song, he calmly asked them to sit down and advised, "I think it's best if you don't go and trample their melon fields." The villagers were extremely angry and wouldn't listen, shouting, "Are we afraid of them? Why should we let them bully us like this?"

Song Jiu shook his head and patiently explained, "If you insist on retaliation, at most you'll satisfy your momentary anger. But what then? They won't let it go either. If this continues, both sides will keep damaging each other, and neither will harvest a single melon." The villagers frowned and asked, "Then what should we do?" Song Jiu replied, "Every evening, go and help them water their fields. You will see the results yourselves."

The villagers reluctantly followed Magistrate Song's advice. When Chu villagers discovered that Wei villagers not only didn't hold a grudge but actually helped them water their melons every day, they were overwhelmed with shame.

This incident eventually reached the magistrate of the Chu border county, who reported it to the King of Chu. The King of Chu, who had originally eyed Wei with covetousness, was deeply moved and uneasy upon hearing this. He proactively sought reconciliation with Wei, sent many gifts, and praised Wei for having such good officials and citizens. Seeing that Song Jiu had contributed to the friendly relations between the two states, the King of Wei also ordered generous rewards for Song Jiu and his people.