Middle and Young Children's Literature Timeless Classics Series: Fox Hunting for Hunters

Author: Jin Jin
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: The content of this book: Some children, upon seeing the title of this fairy tale, might ask, "How can a fox fight hunters? You're lying!" I say, the fox in this fairy tale really can fight hunters. However, how the fox got this hunting rifle will only be revealed when you listen to the story. Well, let me start the story. In a mountainous area, there is a mountain called Dingtian Mountain. At the foot of the mountain lies a small village, where the villagers rely on hunting for a living. One day, someone drew a fox on a smooth rock. A passerby saw it and said, "Ha! The fox drawn here doesn't look like a fox at all—it looks more like a wolf." This statement, passed on from mouth to mouth, changed when it reached another person's lips: "Someone said there's a fox on Dingtian Mountain that turns into a wolf at a glance." Hearing this, people asked, "Is it true?" "It's true, many people are saying so." The story of the fox turning into a wolf, passed on from mouth to mouth, evolved into this: "Someone said there's a fox on Dingtian Mountain that turns into a wolf at a glance. It has two very long big teeth, even strong enough to eat stones." This story, passed on again, quickly changed into this: "Someone said there's a fox on Dingtian Mountain that turns into a wolf at a glance. It has two big teeth and three eyes on its forehead. No matter how far away you are, it can see you with just one glance." This story, passed on yet again, immediately transformed into this: "Someone said there's a fox on Dingtian Mountain that turns into a wolf at a glance. It has two big teeth, three eyes on its forehead, and four ears on its head. No matter how far away you are, as long as you whisper a word, it can hear you clearly." This story, passed on once more, instantly changed into this: "Someone said there's a fox on Dingtian Mountain that turns into a wolf at a glance. It has two big teeth, three eyes, four ears, and five legs. No matter how far you run, it can catch up to you very quickly." Everyone said, "What a fierce and terrifying wolf!"
On Dingtian Mountain, there lived a sly fox who was overjoyed to hear this legend. He immediately went to a old wolf to ask for advice. "Old wolf, old wolf, can you lend me your wolf skin—the one from your ancestors? I'd like to wear it for a while, okay?" The old wolf asked, "What are you going to do with the wolf skin?" The fox leaned close to the old wolf's ear and whispered, "I want to become such a wolf—two big teeth, three eyes on its forehead, four ears on its head, and five legs. With this, I won't be afraid of hunters anymore. Maybe the hunters will even be afraid of me!" The old wolf was so happy he gritted his teeth. He said, "Why don't I just play the part myself? Then we won't need any wolf skin—I am the wolf skin myself." The fox said, "That won't do—let me do it instead." When it comes to cunning, the fox is much cleverer than the wolf. The fox can not only turn the dead into the living but also pretend to fool people, something the old wolf cannot do. Alright, the old wolf lent the fox the wolf skin left by his ancestors, but with a condition: if the fox got any good food, he had to share some with the old wolf.
The fox began to get dressed, and the old wolf helped him. The fox was very clever—he put two thin bamboo tubes over his teeth, which looked like two very long big teeth. He drew an eye on his forehead, making it look like it had three eyes. He stuck two leafy branches on his head, making it seem like it had four ears. But one thing was still missing—the fifth leg. The old wolf couldn't think of a way to solve this. The fox, after all, was a master of tricks. He came up with an idea. He dragged his long tail on the ground—it looked like an extra leg, didn't it? This cunning fox had now seemingly transformed into the wolf everyone had been talking about. He stood proudly, waiting on the mountain path.