Loading ...long ago in rural china there was a farmer with an exceptional stallion. the neighboring farmers would often compliment him saying “you have the most beautiful horse i have ever seen,” or “your horse is the best horse there ever was.”
the farmer would reply, “yes, he is a good horse.”
one night, the horse jumped the fence and ran away. the neighbors came by, lamenting, “your wonderful horse is gone. this is terrible! a disaster!”
“yes,” the farmer said, “he is gone.”
two days later, the horse came back with three wild mares he had gathered together, and they all jumped back over the fence into the farmer’s field.
the neighbors gathered at the fence, laughing and cheering. “the horse came back!,” they said, “this is wonderful, hooray!”
“yes,” said the farmer, “he came back, and now i have four horses.”
a few days later, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the new mares to use as a saddle horse. the mare threw the son and he broke his leg.
the neighbors again gathered at the fence, weeping and wailing. “your son is crippled,” they cried. “this is terrible!”
“yes, his leg is broken,” replied the farmer, “it will take a long time to heal.”
the next week the emperor’s army came through the village and took all the able bodied young men to be soldiers.
