This story is from Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio.
As a child, Xiliu was intelligent and enjoyed reading biographies of ancient sages. She resolved to emulate these exemplary figures and build a legacy that would be remembered for generations. At nineteen, she married Gao Sheng, a widower with a son named Changfu. A year later, Xiliu gave birth to a son, naming him Changhu.
Gao Sheng died young from illness, leaving Xiliu to raise the boys alone. Noticing Changfu was often truant from his studies, Xiliu punished him by sending him to work as a shepherd. Changfu, unable to bear the hardship, begged to return to school. Xiliu refused. Cold and miserable, he huddled like a beggar until a village elder interceded for him. Xiliu declared, "If Changfu is willing to accept a hundred strokes, I will take him back." Changfu agreed. Seeing his genuine repentance, Xiliu forgave him without punishment and allowed him to resume his studies.
Changhu, however, was slow-witted. Xiliu had him leave school to farm, but he was lazy and neglected his duties. She then set him up in trade, but he squandered all his capital on gambling. Finally, she sent him to Luoyang to sell goods. There, he was jailed for using counterfeit silver in a brothel and suffered greatly in prison. One day, Xiliu summoned Changfu and confessed, "I gave your brother the fake silver on purpose, to teach him a lesson through hardship. Now, go and secure his release." Upon returning home, Changhu knelt before his mother, filled with bitter remorse. He finally reformed his ways.
The villagers came to understand Xiliu's methods. She loved her sons by tempering them through adversity.