Two peasants - Wang Da and Zhang San - sowed wheat in their fields in the fall. Their fields were nearby. Soon friendly and strong wheat shoots appeared. The fields lay like velvet carpets of a cheerful emerald color.
But then the cold came, winter was approaching.
- Oh, how cold it is for us! — the tender wheat sprouts spoke. - Who would shelter and warm us! We will freeze completely in winter.
And the snowflakes, already flying in the air, answered them: “Don’t be afraid, sprouts, you won’t freeze in winter!”
Soon many, many snowflakes will fall to the ground to save you from the cold. Then the snow fell in flakes and covered the green sprouts with a white down blanket. The sprouts warmed up under this warm blanket and fell asleep until spring.
In the spring it became warm, the snow melted, and the water washed the wheat sprouts. They woke up and began to grow rapidly with renewed vigor.
But in the spring, not only wheat grew on the field - weeds were not dormant either. They kept up with the wheat.
One day the owners of these fields, Wang Da and Zhang San, came to look at their wheat. Wang Da just looked at his field, saw that the wheat was growing lush and fat, and was very happy. He quickly returned home and boasted to his wife and neighbors: “No one has better wheat than mine!”
And Zhang San went up to his field, admired the wheat too, then walked around the field, looking carefully. And suddenly, among the wheat, he found many weeds that were difficult to notice at first glance. He immediately began to look for these weeds, pull them out and throw them out of the field.
Since then, every two to three days Zhang. San came to the field and cleared it of weeds again. He knew well that if the weeds were left, they would choke out the wheat.
And Wang Da was never on his home field again.
“If my wheat has sprouted better than anyone else, then I will have the largest harvest,” he thought.
And the weeds in his field declared war on the wheat. They quickly and quickly began to stretch upward, towards the sun. Now they had already outgrown the wheat and were crowding it from all sides.
The wheat grew thin and thin, as if it had fallen into the hands of an evil stepmother. Soon she was no longer visible. The victorious weeds proudly raised their heads: they lived a satisfying and free life on the Van Da field, they were not afraid of anything and rustled their leaves merrily.
And in Zhang San’s field, only one weed survived. He hid in the wheat and was afraid to even stick his head out.
One day, when Zhang San inspected his field and went home, the weed raised its head and looked back. Yes, he was alone on the entire field. The weed sighed heavily and said: “What a terrible owner we have!” Every day he comes and mercilessly tears us out of the ground and throws us out of the field. What to do? If I don’t come up with anything to save me, he will find me tomorrow and destroy me.
His sighs and speeches were heard by the weeds of the neighboring field.
- Why are you sighing so heavily? - they asked him. - What kind of grief are you having? Maybe we can help you? - Quiet! Quiet! - whispered a weed from Zhang San's field. “My master will hear and immediately destroy me.” Please advise me what to do.
The weeds of Wang Da's field turned their proud heads towards Zhang San's field. That's right, there were no weeds there. Wheat grew wildly on the clean, loosened soil; it was already heading and drowning out the last weed.
And all the weeds from the Wang Da field shouted in unison: “You can no longer escape!” You are doomed, but you can still save your children. Throw your seeds into our field. Only here can they grow - because here is a good owner!
In the fall, Wang Da got ready to go to the field to collect the harvest. He harnessed the oxen to the cart, took his sons with him and drove off. But when he saw his field, Wang Da froze in horror: only weeds grew there! And they have already managed to sow their seeds for next year!
And Zhang San collected a rich harvest from his field and filled bins full of golden large grains.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru