STORIES for EVERYONE

Thursday, 21 July 2016

Why Cats Chase Rats : A Chinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of Why Cats Chase Rats .

Thousands of years ago, the Jade Emperor of China organized a race for animals. The first 12 animals to finish were to be given a place in the Chinese Zodiac, and have a year named after them.

The cat and the rat, both late-risers asked the ox to wake them at dawn on the day of the race.

Came the day. The ox tried to wake the cat and the rat, but without success. They would open their eyes, turn to the other side and go back to sleep. The race was about to start. Unwilling to leave them, the ox coaxed them onto his back and started running. The rat woke up just as the ox was crossing the last hurdle, a river. The sly rat knew that he could never beat the cat in the race. He took the chance fate offered him and pushed the cat off the ox’s back. When the ox reached the other side, the rat jumped off and scampered to victory, just ahead of the ox. The tiger came third, but he cheated. He crossed the river by using the backs of the animals swimming across as stepping stones, leaping from one to another.

So the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac begins with the rat. After him comes the ox who is followed by the tiger. After them come the rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, in that order. The cat, it must be noted, has no place in the zodiac. She wasn’t among the first twelve. In fact she was lucky to finish, having almost drowned in the river.

So is it any wonder that cats chase rats? They can never forget the humiliation heaped on their ancestor by a tricky rodent!

The Naming Game : A Chinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of The Naming Game.

The ambassador of Nippon presented a beautiful cat to the Emperor of China. The emperor became fond of the animal and took it with him wherever he went. People kept asking for the cat’s name and were surprised when told that it had none.

Eventually the emperor decided that the cat should have a name. He called his ministers, the seven wisest men in the empire, and commanded them to find a suitable name for his pet within seven days.

At the end of this period they were summoned to the palace again, and asked for their suggestions. The youngest of the group thought he had found the perfect name.

“TIGER!" he announced proudly.

“Good name," said the emperor, after a moment’s reflection. “The tiger is a noble and powerful beast."

“Noble, perhaps," said the second minister, “but it is not as powerful as the dragon. Can a tiger soar into the sky? No, but a dragon can! I think DRAGON would be a more suitable name for the cat."

“Clouds can go higher than dragons," observed a third minister. “A cloud is more powerful than a dragon. Let’s call it CLOUD."

“Let’s not be hasty," advised the fourth wise man. “Clouds may fly high but they are pushed around by winds. Winds are more powerful than clouds. WIND would be the most appropriate name for a great emperor’s pet."

“WIND?" said the emperor, doubtfully. “Isn’t there anything better?"

“There certainly is!" rasped the fifth wise man. “BRICK WALL!"

“BRICK WALL?"

“A brick wall can stop a wind, however powerful," explained the minister. “A brick wall is more powerful than the wind!"

“Oh, I see, “said the emperor. “ Well, BRICK WALL is not a bad name. But isn’t it somewhat long?"

“I have a shorter name," said the sixth minister. “RAT."

“RAT!"

“Yes, Your Majesty, RAT! A rat can eat through a brick wall, which makes it more powerful than the wall, more powerful than the wind, more powerful than…"

“I get your point," interrupted the emperor, “but can you call a cat, RAT?"

“Indeed you can’t!" piped up the seventh wise man. “A cat is a cat is a cat. And if a rat is more powerful than the others the cat is even more so because it is mightier than the rat."

So the royal pet remained nameless in a way because from then on it was simply called CAT. The Naming Game came to the end.

The Generous Student : A Cinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of The Generous Student.

Lin Piao used to absent himself from classes very often and one day the principal of the college made up his mind to expel him. So he sent for the young man.

Lin arrived just as the principal was about to go for lunch.

"Is this the time to come!" said the principal, sternly.

"Forgive me, Sir," said Lin, "but I got to college very late today. You see, I found a lump of gold in our field."

"A lump of gold!" said the principal, his eyes popping out. "Oh, my, what are you going to do with it?"

"I decided to build a palatial house, buy several acres of land and several head of cattle," said the student. "I also decided to give you a small sum for the trouble you have taken in educating me."

The principal was pleased and invited Lin to eat with him. The young man ate ravenously but the principal hardly touched his food. He was wondering how much Lin would give him and if it would be enough to buy that small paddy field he had always wanted.

"I hope you've kept the gold in a safe place," he said, suddenly coming out of his reverie.

"I never got a chance to do that," said Lin. "It disappeared the moment my mother shook me awake."

"What!" screamed the principal. "You mean it was all a dream?!"

The young man nodded.

The principal controlled himself with a great effort of will.

"I'm happy you remembered me in your dream," he said, finally. "I hope you remember me when you really get some gold. Now please leave."

It was only when the young man had left that the principal remembered why he had sent for him.

Struck by Lightning : A Chinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of Struck by Lightning .

A valet was riding behind his master, the aristocratic Chen Yu. Chen Yu turned round and when he saw his valet lagging far behind, yelled at him to ride faster. With great effort, the valet caught up with his master.

"Stay right behind me!" roared Chen Yu.

"My horse is old, master," said the valet. "It cannot keep up with yours."

"That's because you've not fed it!" said Chen Yu, angrily, and gave the lad such a blow on his head that it nearly unhorsed him.

They continued on their journey. Chen Yu's anger soon subsided but the valet smoldered. It was not the first time his master had hit him and he had begun to resent being used as a punching bag.

As he brooded, the sky became overcast and it began to thunder. Chen Yu was afraid of thunder and looked up fearfully at the sky.

When it thundered again, he closed his eyes tightly and hid his face in the horse's mane. His valet noticed his discomfort and a mischievous idea entered his head.

When next it thundered, the valet rode up behind his master and gave him a blow on the back of his head, at the same time shouting: "Lightning!"

Chen Yu thought he had been struck by lightning and slumped onto the back of his horse.

After some time he raised his head again. When again it thundered the valet gave him another blow, shouting as before. This happened again and again. On the tenth occasion, the aristocrat fell from his horse and became unconscious.

The valet dismounted and sat beside him. He felt remorse for what he had done. After all, the man was his master and also, much older than him. When Chen Yu began to stir, the boy quickly lay down and closed his eyes. Chen Yu got up and was pleased to see that his valet too had been knocked unconscious. He began to shake him. The lad opened his eyes and pretended to be dazed.

"What happened, master?" he said.

"Lightning hit you just once and you became unconscious!" laughed Chen Yu. "I was hit ten times before I fell."

When the storm had subsided they resumed their journey. Chen Yu felt that the gods had punished him for his cruelty to his manservant and from then on never hit the valet again.

The Short-Sighted Brothers : A Cinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of The Short-Sighted Brothers .

Three elderly brothers, all very short-sighted, lived in a large house on the outskirts of a city, in China. One day the youngest brother suggested that he should take charge of the finances. “Elder brother’s sight is so bad, he cannot see how much money he’s receiving or giving," he said, “and people take advantage of his disability."

“As if you can see better," sneered the second-youngest brother. “If you’re saying our finances should be handled by the one who has the best sight, then it is I who should be given charge. I can see better than either of you."

“I have my doubts about that," said the eldest brother. “Let’s settle this once and for all. I’ve heard the monastery is putting up a tablet inscribed with a saying, above the main doorway, tonight. Let’s go there tomorrow and test our vision. Whoever can read the inscription with the least strain will get charge of our money. Agreed?"

“Agreed," said his brothers in unison.

“Good! Now go away and let me get a few winks."

As soon as they had gone, the eldest brother sneaked out of the house and went to the monastery where he met a monk.

“I’ve heard you’re putting up an inscription over the doorway," he said. “Can you tell me what the inscription reads?"

“Certainly. It’s a quotation from Confucius. It reads: Be Honest At All Times."

The brother went away chuckling at his cleverness. A little later the second brother arrived there.

“Can you tell me what the inscription you are going to put up over the doorway reads?" he said to the monk.

“Everybody seems to want to know," said the man. "It reads: Be Honest At All Times."

“Is there any decoration around it?"

“The tablet has a flowery border."The second brother went away very pleased with himself. Hardly had he gone when the third brother arrived there. He too enquired about the inscription and on being told what it was, asked if there was any other writing on it."

“Only the donor’s name, Wang Lee, at the bottom," said the monk.

The next morning the three short-sighted brothers made their way to the monastery.

“There’s the inscription," said the oldest when they drew near the entrance. “I can clearly make out the writing. It reads: Be Honest At All Times."

“Your sight is better than I thought," said the second brother. “But definitely not better than mine. Can you see the decoration around the inscription?"

“Decoration? What decoration?"

“There’s a floral decoration all around the tablet," said the brother, triumphantly.

“Very good, very good," applauded the youngest brother. “But can either of you see any other writing on the tablet besides the inscription?"

“Other writing?" intoned the second brother, his face falling. “What other writing is there?"

“The name of the donor, Wang Lee," said the youngest brother, pointing. “Can’t you see it? It’s at that corner."

The monk they had talked to the previous evening came out of the monastery just then and walked towards the short-sighted brothers.

“Oh, you’ve come to see the inscription," he said. “So sorry. We couldn’t put it up yesterday evening. We are going to put it up today."

The short-sighted brothers realised their foolies.

Secret of Casket : A Chinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of Secret of Casket .

On her 75th birthday, Ah-ling distributed her wealth among her four sons and announced that she would spend three months of the year with each son, in turn.

The arrangement worked well for a while and then the old woman found that the welcome she received at each son's house was becoming less and less cordial. Finally she began to feel positively unwanted. Now she saw her sons in their true colors. Money meant everything to them, people came second.

One day, Ah-ling's friend, Jing-mei, came to see her. Jing-mei was distressed to find her friend in such an unhappy state and advised her on what she should do. Afterwards, Jing-mei tearfully embraced her friend, and left.

A few days later, towards sundown, Ah-ling went out without telling anyone where she was going and returned an hour later, her clothes covered in mud.

"Where did you go?" asked her son, and then seeing that she was holding a small ornamental chest, hurried to her, his gaze riveted on the casket.

"What is that?"

"Something that could change all our lives for the better, in different ways," said his mother.

"What does it contain?"

"You'll find out when I'm dead and gone."

The young man lost no time in informing his brothers about the casket. All wanted to know the secret of casket.

"It is obvious she has not given us all her wealth," said the eldest. "She must have kept back some of her more valuable gems. God alone knows how many caskets the wily woman has buried."

They questioned their mother but she refused to tell what the casket contained, or even if there were more caskets hidden elsewhere. Many a time, the brothers tried to open the casket in her absence but it was securely locked and they could never find the key.

But now Ah-ling no longer felt unwanted. Her sons and daughters-in-law fussed over her and went out of their way to make her feel welcome. In fact, now each son tried to persuade her to stay longer than the three months, but she never extended her stay, not wishing to show a preference for any son.

She passed away in her sleep, a few days before her 84th birthday. Her friend, Jing-mei, came for the funeral rites and before departing handed over a key to the dead woman's eldest son in the presence of his brothers.

"This is the key to the casket," she said and left.

All were eager to know the secret of casket.

The sons and their wives hurried to the old woman's chamber in great excitement. This was the day they had been waiting for, for weeks and months and years. They bolted the door from the inside and huddled around the casket. With trembling hands, the oldest brother fitted the key into the lock and turned it.

It opened with a click. The man flicked open the lid and then they all stared with disbelief at the contents: ordinary pebbles.

"The gems might be below," said the oldest brother and frantically overturned the contents. All they found was a note from their mother. It read:

"Great disappointment awaits all those whose lives centre around money. It is a sad thing when an old woman has to resort to trickery to get her sons to look after her. It shows lack of character not only in her sons but in the mother too. You at least have time to change yourselves and my last message to you is: try to do so". That was the secret of casket.

Moment of Madness : A Chinese Story

Let us enjoy reading this Chinese Story of Moment of Madness .

There lived a man in the state of Qi who loved gold above everything else. Nothing else could excite him as much as the sight of gold.

One day while passing a jeweler’s shop he saw a man handling a bar of gold. He rushed in, grabbed the gold and ran.

But he was soon caught.

"Why did you steal the gold in front of so many people?" asked the judge.

"Your worship," said the man, "when I saw the gold I became blind to everything else. I did not see the people around."