A small river flowed in a deep ravine behind the wall of the ancient city; a bridge across the river was made of pure white stone. They carried that stone from the mountain and traveled hundreds of miles. On the railings, lions are skillfully carved, people, flowers, various herbs - a lot of effort and work went into it.
A long time ago, in the place of a deep ravine, there was a narrow stream; no one threw logs across it, let alone a bridge. The stream is shallow, the water is at the very bottom, but you still can’t jump over it. Whether someone is walking with luggage, or empty, taking off their shoes, crossing a stream, it’s a hassle, and that’s all. And in winter it’s even worse, the icy water makes your bones ache. A wondrous stone lay by that stream; people called it the stone of the immortal. If you look at the stone from a distance, it looks like an old man is lying there; if you come closer, you can see the eyes, eyelashes and beard. They say that this stone turned into an immortal twice. About that time two amazing stories happened there.
In those days there lived a young man, lonely and poor, he had neither land nor field. Every day he went to the mountains to cut brushwood, every day he crossed the stream, every day he saw how much trouble he caused passers-by. The young man once chopped a bundle of brushwood, dragged it to the stream, looked at the water and thought: “So many people pass here every day, if only someone would think of throwing a bridge!” Let me do this, I have brushwood, even if it’s not for long, but the bridge will be enough for a day or two.” He felt sorry for the brushwood, but he just took it off his shoulder and put it in the water. The water flowed and flows, people walk, they do not take off their shoes, they are not afraid to get their feet wet. Whoever passes, everyone praises:
- What kind of person made the bridge? That's good! No hassle, no worries!
The young man walks along his bridge every day, and soon he forgot to think about it. Just as he was walking one day at noon, he saw that the stone moved and turned into an old man. The old man approached the young man and said affectionately:
“I’ve been waiting for you, young man, for a thousand years.” I waited forcibly. I made a vow: whoever is praised in front of me a hundred times, give him wealth and glory.
The old man said this, waved his hand, the young man looked - a wide road in the distance, on the road a rich palanquin sparkled, eight porters were carrying it, in the palanquin was the district chief, a silk cap on him.
- Do you see? So, soon you yourself will be riding in such a palanquin.
The old man said this, waved his hand, everything disappeared - both the road and the palanquin. The young man saw the palanquin and was overcome with envy, but he did not believe the old man and said:
“I don’t know a single hieroglyph, so what kind of district chief am I?”
The old man patted him on the shoulder and answered:
- Don’t be sad, young man, go and take your exams. I'll give you money for the trip. I have several liangs of silver, take them!
The old man gave the young man money, lay down by the stream and turned into a stone again. The young man took the silver, put on new clothes for himself, packed his things and went to the examination yard. As soon as I picked up the brush, it moved across the paper, and lo and behold, the essay was ready. The young man was awarded the degree of Xiutsai. He was delighted and went to the capital. He passed the exam and was awarded the degree of juren. I also passed the exam and received the Jinshi degree. Then the sovereign's decree came out to appoint him head of his native district. The young man sat down in a large palanquin; the palanquin was carried by eight porters. So he returned to his native land with glory. He was given such happiness, such honor, that it is impossible to tell. What does he not have! I don’t want to eat fresh fish or meat; I can’t stand wearing silks or satins. The boss thinks: “The whole bridge is like a fagot, but how much happiness and wealth it has brought!” I’ll build a real bridge, big and wide, and see what happens.” And he ordered to bring people from all over the district, everyone who could work. Some people carry clean white stones from the mountain from afar, others dig the ground and make the stream wider. And it was in the spring, about that time when it is necessary to sow grain. There are a lot of guards there, each one has a very long whip. It’s not for nothing that they say: “The palm is large, but it will not cover the sky, nor will it silence one thousand.” People murmur, groan, their anger and anger suffocate them, and they say: “There is no destruction for the district chief! We are building a bridge for him, but when will we sow? Apparently we’ll have to starve in the fall!”
People built the bridge for many days, they built it, and then they shed tears. The district chief sat down in a large palanquin, eight porters lifted him, and carried him to the bridge. They brought it. The chief got off the stretcher, looked at the bridge, drove away everyone who was standing close, went up to the stone and said:
- Immortal, and immortal! Look what a bridge I built! What will you give me as a reward this time?
The stone moved and turned into an old man. The old man thought and said:
“I made a vow, if one person angers a thousand, I must turn that person into a black eared donkey!”
The old man said this, waved his hand, the boss looked - a narrow road appeared ahead, uneven, a black donkey was walking along the road, luggage on it - the poor fellow’s ears dropped open. A donkey is wandering along the road, dragging luggage. Then the old man waved his hand, and the donkey and the road disappeared.
The boss got scared and asked:
- Is this big bridge worse than the small one? This one is made of white stone, the white stone can compete with jade, that one is made of a bundle of brushwood.
The old man answers angrily:
- I won’t tell you anything! Think for yourself! You'll just turn into a hairy donkey.
Before the old man had time to finish speaking, the young man’s long ears had already grown and his mouth stretched forward. He wanted to scream, but he brayed like a donkey. Those who were with the boss all ran to the bridge. They look - there is no boss, a black donkey is standing near the stone. They took the donkey home and sold it to a salt merchant. From that time on, they often drove the donkey with heavy luggage across the large bridge, but no one ever found out what the donkey was thinking about.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru