Moral stories for cultivating children's temperament - Enlightening wisdom and expanding thinking

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Once, there were two wealthy tycoons. He had vast fields and warehouses filled with gold and treasures.
This tycoon was very foolish and often did silly things, which made others laugh. But the tycoon didn’t care and continued his ways. In spring, the sun was bright, and the flowers were in full bloom. The tycoon got excited and ordered his servants, “Quickly prepare the sedan chair. I want to go to the suburbs for a spring outing.”
On the way, the peach and plum blossoms were fragrant, and the tourists were like a flowing stream. The tycoon peered out of the sedan chair and exclaimed, “What beautiful scenery! The peach blossoms are red, the willows are green, and even the grass is exceptionally lush!”
Suddenly, a voice came from ahead, “Look! That grand and magnificent high-rise building is so towering and spectacular!”
The tycoon looked up curiously and saw a pavilion among the green trees, its roof reaching high into the sky. The tourists leaned on the railings, looking far into the distance, as if they were gods in the heavens.
The tycoon was extremely envious and kept saying, “How beautiful! How beautiful! I’ve never seen such a tall and magnificent building. It’s almost like a palace of the gods. Compared to my home, it’s no better than a dog’s den!”
A servant wanted to please the tycoon and quickly said, “Lord, you have so much wealth. Just hire a few craftsmen, and you can build a high-rise like this.”
“Yes!” the tycoon exclaimed excitedly, “Lord, I have plenty of money. Hiring a few craftsmen won’t be difficult! Let you handle this matter.”
The next day, the servant hired several craftsmen to build a high-rise in the tycoon’s garden. The craftsmen brought bricks and tiles and worked hard.
A few days later, the tycoon came to the garden to see if the high-rise was finished. But he found that the craftsmen were digging trenches on the ground—not even a single wall had been built!
The tycoon angrily asked, “I told you to build a high-rise, why are you digging in the ground?” The craftsmen explained, “Lord, we are laying the foundation! Only after the foundation is laid can we build the floors one by one.”
But the tycoon jumped up and yelled furiously, “You foolish brutes! Why do you need a foundation? I only want the upper pavilion! The foundation and the lower floors are all unnecessary!”
The craftsmen were stunned upon hearing this! They all said in unison, “Without a foundation or lower floors, how can we build such a building?” “Hmph, we won’t build such an illusionary ( is a Chinese idiom for an impractical or unrealistic plan). You’d better find someone else!” With that, the craftsmen left angrily.
The foolish tycoon said, “It’s better that those fools left. I’ll hire more skilled craftsmen to build the high-rise!”
However, no one was willing to build his illusionary () for any price. When this story spread, people laughed and mocked, saying, “Building a house without a foundation is purely a wild and unrealistic idea!”
P17-21