They say that in the old days they did not know how to count the years of animals. This was taught to people by Yu-di himself, the Jade Lord. That’s why he once called all the animals and birds to his Heavenly Palace. In those days, the cat and the mouse were in great friendship and lived together, like sisters. They were glad that they had received an invitation to the Heavenly Palace, and they agreed to go together.
Everyone knows that cats love to sleep. Our cat also knew this weakness, and therefore decided to come to an agreement with the mouse ahead of time.
“You know, sister mouse, how much I love to sleep,” she began politely. “Please wake me up tomorrow, when it’s time to go to the palace.”
The mouse hit itself in the chest with its paw and promised:
- I will definitely wake you up! Sleep, don't worry about anything!
- Thank you! - said the cat, brushed her whiskers and, without worrying about anything, fell asleep.
The next morning the mouse got up just before dawn. She didn't even think about waking the cat. She ate and went alone to the Heavenly Palace.
Now let's talk about the dragon who lived in the abyss. He also received an invitation to the palace.
“Whoever will be chosen, but I will certainly be chosen,” the dragon decided. And rightly so. He really did look warlike: the armor on his body sparkled, his mustache stuck out straight under his nose. He had only one drawback - his head was bare, nothing grew on it. “If only I could get horns, then no one could compare with me in beauty!” The dragon thought so and decided to borrow the horns from someone for a week.
As soon as he stuck his head out of the water, lo and behold, there was a rooster on the shore. He stuck out his chest and walked around so important. In those days, roosters had huge horns. The dragon was delighted, swam to the shore and said to the rooster:
- Uncle rooster, and uncle rooster, lend me your horns, tomorrow I will go with them to the Heavenly Palace.
- Ay-ya! Brother dragon! - answered the rooster. - Excuse me, but I will also go to the Heavenly Palace tomorrow.
“Uncle Rooster, such big horns don’t suit you at all, your head is too small, you’d better give them to me.” Look at this! They're just right for me!
It so happened that at this time a centipede crawled out of the crevice. And centipedes love to poke their noses into other people's affairs. The centipede heard the dragon's words and said:
- Uncle is a rooster, and uncle is a rooster! Lend your brother dragon some horns, just for once. And if you are afraid, I am ready to vouch for him. Well, will you borrow it?
The rooster agreed. After all, the centipede vouched for the dragon. And he, the rooster, is good-looking even without horns.
The next day all the animals and birds came to the Heavenly Palace. A great number of them gathered. The Jade Lord came out to them and said:
- From now on we will count the years by animals and birds. And for what reasons - you name it yourself.
And the animals named the ox, the horse, the ram, the dog, the pig, the hare, the tiger, the dragon, the snake, the monkey, the rooster and the mouse.
Nobody knows why the animals chose them then. Why a rooster and not a duck? Tiger, not lion?
So, only twelve animals were chosen. They chose to choose. How to put them in order? This is where the controversy and gossip began.
“The biggest ox among you, let him be the first,” said the Jade Lord.
Everyone agreed, even the tiger. But then suddenly the little mouse raised her paw and said:
- Am I not bigger than an ox? Why then, when they see me, everyone shouts: “Ay-ya! What a huge mouse!”? But no one ever said: “Ay-ya! What a huge ox!” It turns out that people think that I am bigger than an ox!
The Jade Lord was surprised:
- Are you telling the truth? I don't believe it!
Then the monkey and the horse shouted in one voice that the mouse was simply lying. However, the mouse answered as if nothing had happened:
- Don’t believe me? Let's check it out!
The rooster, ram, dog and hare agreed.
“Let’s check,” said the Jade Lord.
The animals went to people.
So what would you think? Everything happened exactly as the mouse said.
When an ox passed by people, everyone vied with each other to praise him: “How good, how fat!” But no one said: “How huge!” Meanwhile, the cunning mouse climbed onto the ox’s back and stood on its hind legs. People saw her and shouted:
- Ay-ya! What a huge mouse!
The Jade Lord heard this with his own ears, frowned and said:
- Okay! Since people think that a mouse is bigger than an ox, let the ox give it first place. And let him be second.
That's what they decided on. That is why, to this day, they count from the year of the mouse, and only then comes the year of the ox.
The mouse returned home, happy and glad that he was the first among the animals, proud and self-important. And the cat just opened her eyes, she saw the mouse and asked:
- Why are you silent, sister mouse? Haven’t we been told to welcome you to the palace today?
-Are you still sleeping? And I’ve already returned from the palace. Twelve animals were chosen to count the years, and I am the first among them!
The cat was surprised, opened her eyes wide and asked:
- Why didn’t you wake me up?
- I forgot! — the mouse answered as if nothing had happened.
The cat got angry, her whiskers were sticking up, and she screamed:
- Lousy rubbish! And I still believed you, I fell asleep without worrying about anything! Weren't you the one who promised to wake me up? I know! You wanted to hurt me. Well, wait a minute! I'll settle accounts with you!
The mouse did not admit guilt and said:
- What's the point of making noise! She didn’t wake me up, which means she didn’t want to. This is my business. I'm not your servant!
The cat began to boil: she began to breathe heavily, bared her teeth, rushed at the mouse and gnawed its throat - the mouse only managed to squeak and twitch its hind legs.
Since then, the cat and the mouse have remained fierce enemies.
Now let's talk about the rooster. He returned home very, very sad and thought: “The Jade Lord put the dragon in front of me because the horns on his head were mine.” And the rooster decided to definitely take his horns from the dragon.
He approached the abyss and looked - the dragon was frolicking merrily in the water. And then the rooster said to the dragon very politely:
-Brother Dragon! Please give me back my horns!
The dragon was surprised, but answered with dignity, without getting excited:
- Oh, is it you, uncle rooster? Why do you need horns? In truth, you are much more beautiful without them. And your horns come in handy for me!
“Whether they’re convenient for you or inappropriate is none of my business,” the rooster answered sadly. - Once you took it, you have to give it back.
The dragon didn't answer. He thought for a while, then suddenly bowed respectfully to the rooster and said:
- Don’t blame me, uncle rooster! It's late, time to rest. And we'll talk about this another time.
Before the rooster could even open his mouth, the dragon disappeared under the water. The rooster became enraged, flapped his wings and screamed at the top of his lungs:
- Brother dragon, give me the horns! Brother dragon, give me the horns!
But by that time the dragon was already fast asleep at the very bottom of the abyss and did not hear anything.
The rooster crowed for a long time, became hoarse and completely exhausted. There is nothing to do. He decided to find the centipede. After all, she then vouched for the dragon.
The rooster found the centipede on a pile of stones, told her everything in order and said:
“Mistress Centipede, you vouched for the dragon and you cannot leave this matter like that.”
The centipede raised its head, paused and finally said slowly:
- Brother dragon will return your horns to you. If he doesn’t return it, so be it! Judge for yourself! I can’t find him at the bottom of the abyss!
The rooster even blushed with anger.
- What kind of guarantor are you! There is no point in meddling in other people's affairs then. Trouble has happened, but at least that’s okay for you!
“Don’t make false accusations against me, uncle rooster,” the centipede began to justify itself. “You yourself gave the dragon its horns.” And I just vouched for him. Who would have thought that Brother Dragon couldn't be trusted? If I had known this before, I would not have vouched for him.
- What should we do now? - asked the rooster, subduing his anger.
“I told you what to do.” Admit that you are unlucky if the dragon never gives up its horns. It's my own fault. I should have thought carefully before giving it away.
- Do you think it’s my fault? “The rooster widened his eyes, stuck out his chest and began to step on the centipede.
“It’s my own fault, it’s my own fault, I should have thought carefully,” the centipede repeated, neither alive nor dead.
The rooster blushed even more, stretched his neck, and pecked the centipede on the head. He shook his head once or twice and swallowed the centipede alive.
Since then, the roosters have been pecking centipedes in the yard every summer. And in the morning, as soon as it begins to get light, they shout at the top of their lungs:
- Long-gege, jiao huan wo! Brother dragon, give me the horns!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru