It was a long time ago. One man from Hatei heard that in Hadong there was a miracle sweet potato of enormous size, and decided to go to those parts to look at it. And another man, from Hadong, learned that in Hatei there was a marvelous bridge of unprecedented height, and wanted to see it with his own eyes.
These two met on the road, went into a tavern to quench their thirst and talk. A man from Hadong asks a Hatean:
-Where are you going, venerable sir, what business called you on the road?
“I’m going to Hadong to see the miracle sweet potato,” the Hatean answers.
“Oh, venerable one, there’s no point in going there,” says the man from Hadong, “I’ll tell you everything as it is.” This yam in Hadong is so big that I don’t even know what to compare it to! Ten thousand soldiers ate this sweet potato for a whole month, and they could only eat the edge - that’s what it is, the sweet potato in Hadong!
The Hatean listened to him and asked in turn:
“Where are you going, sir, and what business brought you here?”
“I’m going to admire the bridge in Hatei,” answers the man from Hadong.
“If that’s the case, then you, sir, don’t need to go there either.” I am from those places myself and I can tell you everything now. This bridge is so high that nothing can even measure it. One day a father was walking along a bridge with his little son in his arms, and out of clumsiness he dropped the child from the bridge. The father hurried downstairs; He ran to the shore, spent a whole month making a boat, and when he swam to the middle of the river, he saw that his son was still flying from the bridge, but did not have time to fall into the water... The father caught his son in his arms and returned home. Since then they have lived happily together.
“Perhaps there really is no need for me to go to Ha-tei now,” said the man from Hadong.
– Your truth! – the Hatean answered him. “Now we can return home calmly.” But it’s always interesting to hear about such miracles!
The travelers gathered to say goodbye and began to treat each other with betel before the road. They just don’t know which of them is older and who should take the treat first.
- Tell me, sir, how old are you? - asks a traveler from Hadong.
“I don’t even remember,” the Hatean answers, “one thing I know is that when I was still in my mother’s womb, she secretly picked a peach in the garden from a tree that blooms once every three thousand years.” My mother planted a pit from that peach. A tree grew from a seed, and then other trees grew from its fruits. Now in our area there are no such peach trees. How old are you, sir?
“My memory is worse than yours, sir,” answers the man from Hadong. “I don’t remember such details.” All I know is that every year my age was written on a plate the size of a toothpick. Now seven houses are chock-full of such signs. And some of them lie in the community house and in the Buddha temple. I’m so busy with things, I won’t get around to counting, but I’m afraid someone else will lose count.
- So how do you find out which of us is older? - the Hatean says in bewilderment. - Let's ask how many springs and autumns that old merchant lives on earth.
The travelers asked the old merchant, and she answered:
“I’m an illiterate woman, so I don’t know how old I am.” Maybe my little brother knows about this.
- Where is your younger brother and what is his name?
“Where he is, I don’t know, but his name is Ban-ko.”
“So, that means Banquo is your younger brother?!” - both travelers cried out at once. “Then you, of course, are the eldest of us and you should be the first to help yourself to betel.”
[Banquo (Chinese Pan-gu) – according to Chinese mythology, the first man]
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru