The Dog and the Chef
A wealthy homeowner throws a party, and his dog invites a friend to join. However, what starts as a surprise turns into a painful experience when the chef discovers it. This culinary adventure teaches us an important lesson about being cautious when participating in opportunities we know nothing about.
Moral: Those who enter homes without looking may encounter trouble.
The Little Bear's First Lesson
On Sunday, Little Bear asks his mother for permission to go out and play with his friends. His mother advises him:
"Be good. If you do something wrong, apologize. Thank anyone who helps you."
While happily playing and listening to the singing birds, Little Bear accidentally bumps into Squirrel, causing the mushroom basket to fall. Quickly, Little Bear folds his hands and politely says:
"Thank you, Squirrel!"
Afterward, Little Bear bends down to pick up the mushrooms and puts them back in the basket to help Squirrel. Surprised, Squirrel says:
"Why are you thanking me? You should apologize!"
While watching Monkey's mother grooming Monkey, Little Bear slips and falls into a deep pit. Terrified, Little Bear cries out:
"Help me! Someone help me!"
Wherever Elephant is, he quickly brings his trunk down the pit and lifts Little Bear back onto the ground. Little Bear keeps saying:
"I'm sorry, Uncle Elephant, I'm sorry, Uncle Elephant!"
Uncle Elephant is also very surprised and says:
"Why are you apologizing? You should say thank you!"
Back home, Little Bear tells his mother about the incident. Mother Bear calmly explains:
"You said it wrong. When you spilled Squirrel's mushrooms, you should have apologized. But when Uncle Elephant rescued you from the deep pit, you should have thanked him."
"I remember now!" Little Bear happily says.
You Reap What You Sow
A crow finds a rotten mouse and perches on a tree to feast. The kite sees it from above and swoops down to warn:
"Hey, Crow, that mouse is poisoned, don't eat it!"
The Crow ignores and even curses:
"You want to share my delicious meal, don't you? Never!"
Then the Crow snatches the prey, turning its back to continue eating. Seeing its good intention misunderstood, the kite leaves without saying another word. After finishing the meal, the Crow dies from poisoning.
The Stingy Man
A stingy man buried his gold in a secret spot in his garden. Every day, he would go there, dig up the gold, and count each piece to check if it was still there. He did this every day, so a Thief noticed and began to follow him, guessing what he had buried. One night, the Thief, knowing where the gold was buried, dug it all up and disappeared with it. When the stingy man discovered his gold was missing, he was in immense pain and disappointment. He groaned and wept, tearing at his hair. A passerby heard his cries and asked what was wrong.
"My gold! Oh, my gold! Where is it?" he cried louder, more crazed. "Who has stolen from me?"
"Your gold, eh? In that hole over there? Why would you leave your gold there? Why not keep it in the house, where it would be easier to access whenever you need it?" the passerby asked.
"Access?!" The stingy man shouted angrily. "Why would I... You would never touch my gold. I would never dare to think of selling even a speck of it!"
The stranger picked up a stone and threw it into the hole.
"If that's the case," he said, "then fill the hole. It's worth as much as the pile of gold you've lost!"
Moral: Something unused has no value.
The Eccentric Rooster
Mr. Rooster flew up to perch on the fence and raised his head towards the sky.
"Admiring the sky, are you?" Mrs. Duck noticed and asked.
"What's the sky to me!" Mr. Rooster replied, lifting his head even higher. "A vast expanse filled with planets so crowded you can't find space. A monotonous alternation of day and night. All of it is too familiar."
"And here I didn't know you were such an interesting fellow! You have such lofty, new ideas!" Mrs. Duck exclaimed.
"I'm spreading my wings," Mr. Rooster continued, "I'll soar higher than the sky, challenge all the planets, and then mysteriously, arrogantly, I'll return to the endless blue sea and... I'll sink."
At this point, Mr. Rooster became dizzy, lost his balance, and fell into the pond.
"Oh!" Mrs. Duck exclaimed in fear. "Are you sinking?"
"Yes! I'm sinking!" Mr. Rooster angrily replied, and then he saw a worm, which he promptly pecked and swallowed.
Just like all the other roosters!
Commentary: Sometimes the most extraordinary ideas come from the most ordinary sources.
The Tailless Fox
A fox caught in a trap, after many attempts to free itself, finally escaped. However, it had to trade its beautiful tail to break free from the trap. Over time, it avoided other foxes for fear of being ridiculed. But living alone was also not easy. Finally, it came up with a solution to this problem. It called together the foxes and informed them about the problems each fox faced because of their tails.
It recounted the risks the foxes faced because of their tails. One fox was caught by a hunting dog because its tail got tangled in thorns, another couldn't run fast because its tail was too heavy. Additionally, humans also hunted foxes to keep their tails as trophies. With these arguments, the Tailless Fox advised the other foxes to cut off their tails to live safely.
When it finished speaking, an elder fox stood up and asked it to turn around. When the Tailless Fox turned around, the other foxes laughed and jeered, showing their mockery. The Tailless Fox understood that persuading the other foxes was futile.
Commentary: Don't listen to those who don't want you to surpass them.
The Spendthrift and the Swallow
A young man, famous among his circle of friends for his extravagant spending, soon found himself penniless trying to maintain his lavish image. On a beautiful spring day, he realized he had no coins left and no assets to exchange for a new coat to replace the old torn one.
He was supposed to meet his friends in the morning but didn't know how to afford to dress as nicely as he usually did. At that moment, a swallow flew by, chirping happily, making the young man think that summer had arrived. He quickly took all his old clothes to the store and exchanged them for a new coat.
However, just a few days later, the weather changed drastically, becoming terribly cold. The innocent swallow and the young man found themselves in the thin short-sleeved new coat and bare feet, facing the freezing cold and fearing death.
Commentary: A single swallow does not make a summer.
The Eagle's Revenge on the Beetle
One day, a beetle begged the Eagle to spare a rabbit it was chasing, but the Eagle still caught the prey, its powerful wings throwing the Beetle tens of feet away. Angry at the Eagle's arrogance, the Beetle rushed into its nest and pushed all the eggs out. Leaving no egg behind, the Eagle was heartbroken and infinitely angry, not knowing who had committed such a cruel act.
The next year, the Eagle built a hidden nest on the steep mountain peak, but the Beetle found it and once again destroyed all the Eagle's eggs. Disappointed, the Eagle decided to seek out Jupiter, asking the god to protect the eggs. The Beetle harassed Jupiter, causing him to turn his head and drop the eggs to the ground.
Now the Beetle tells Jupiter why it did so, and Jupiter understands and empathizes. Thus, whenever the Eagle lays eggs in the spring, the Beetle sleeps quietly underground, as Jupiter has decreed it.
Commentary: Even the weak can find a way to take revenge.
The Race Between the North Wind and the Sun
The North Wind and the Sun argued about who was stronger. At that moment, a traveler passed by wearing a coat.
"Let's challenge each other," the Sun said, "Whoever can make that person take off his coat wins."
"Agreed," the North Wind roared, blowing a cold wind at the traveler. The man's coat fluttered lightly ahead. He held onto it tightly and did not let go.
It was the Sun's turn. Its rays were gentle and warm at first. The Sun made the traveler take off his hat and unbutton his coat. As the sun became scorching, he forgot about his coat and finally stripped it off, running to the shade of a tree.
Commentary: Gentleness and kindness often triumph over violence.
