The donkey and the horse 驢子和馬
A farmer wanted to bring ten bags of rice to the market and sell them. He put five bags of rice on his horse and five bags of rice on his donkey.
The bags were very heavy, and soon the donkey became tired. "Please," he said to the horse, "could you carry one of my bags for me? They're so heavy, and you are stronger than I am."
"No," said the horse. "I serve the farmer, not you. He gave me five bags to carry, not six! _
You must do your job, and I must do mine."
The farmer, the horse, and the donkey continued walking under the hot sun. The poor donkey became more and more tired. Suddenly, he fell over at the side of the road.
The farmer tried to pull the donkey to his feet, but the donkey was too tired to move. Then the farmer took the donkey's five bags of rice and put them on the horse.
The horse realized he had made a big mistake. "If I had agreed to help the donkey," he cried, "I'd only have to carry one extra bag. Now I must carry all ten!"
The Farmer’s treasure 農夫的寶藏
There once was an old farmer. He was a hardworking man, so every year his harvest was very great.
One day, he became sick. He knew he would die soon. He wanted his two sons to look after the farm. "Long ago," he told them, "I put a great treasure in one of the vineyards."
After the farmer died, the sons began to dig carefully around the vines. Every day, they woke up early and worked until night. "We have to dig everywhere and find the treasure!" they said.
The two sons dug all summer, but they didn't find the treasure. They were tired and sad. They sat down near the fields and talked one day.
"Maybe our father was only dreaming," said the older son. The younger son was looking at the vineyards. The vines were full of big, juicy grapes. Suddenly, he understood. "Brother, this great harvest is our treasure!"
The older brother looked at the vines. "You're right! Our father has taught us a wonderful lesson: Hard work brings great rewards."