On a distant seaside, there lived an elderly fisherman and his wife, who lived in a simple wooden house and made a living by the sea. The fisherman goes out to sea every day to catch fish, while his wife works hard at home, spinning and weaving.
One day, the fisherman cast a net into the sea and unexpectedly caught a strange goldfish shining with golden light. The goldfish cried out and begged, “Compassionate old man, please release me back into the sea. I will thank you with a generous reward.” The fisherman felt pity in his heart and whispered, “May God bless you, beautiful goldfish. Return to your sea. Freedom is your right.” After saying that, he gently released the goldfish back into the sea.
After returning home, the fisherman excitedly shared this incredible experience with his wife. Unexpectedly, the wife was greatly dissatisfied after hearing this and blamed the fisherman for missing the opportunity: “You’re such a fool! Even if you ask her to give us a new wooden basin, it’s already broken and useless!” The fisherman had no choice but to come to the beach again and call for the goldfish. The goldfish came upon hearing the sound and asked what they needed. The fisherman conveyed his wife’s wish, and the goldfish gently agreed, then disappeared into the blue waves. Soon after, the fisherman returned home and indeed saw a brand new wooden basin. However, my husband’s greed was not satisfied with this and instead intensified, demanding a wooden house. The fisherman once again embarked on his journey, praying to the goldfish. The goldfish once again fulfilled his request, and when the fisherman returned, the small wooden house had become a well lit and clean wooden house.
But the greedy wife did not feel satisfied with it. She wanted more, from a comfortable wooden house to a luxurious palace, and finally dreamed of becoming the queen of the sea, ordering goldfish to serve her. Under the pressure of his wife, the fisherman repeatedly made unreasonable demands to the goldfish. Finally, when the fisherman arrived at the surging seaside for the last time and made that absurd request to the goldfish, the goldfish fell silent. It only lightly wagged its tail, diving into the deep sea, and no longer responded. The fisherman waited for a long time without success and had to return home, only to find that everything had returned to its original point – the old wooden house and the familiar old wooden basin. His wife still sat on the threshold, playing with the old wooden basin in her hand.
This story profoundly tells us that the human heart is not enough for a snake to swallow an elephant, greed will ultimately only make people lose everything and return to their original starting point. Cherish the present, contentment brings happiness, that is the true essence of life.
