Waiting for a Hare
Waiting for a Hare: Once upon a time, in a peaceful village surrounded by green hills and golden fields, there lived a hardworking farmer named Mr. Chuan. He wasn’t rich, but he had a small patch of land where he grew vegetables and fruits. Every morning, he woke up with the sun, carried his tools over his shoulder, and worked diligently to care for his crops.
Despite his efforts, life wasn’t always easy. Some years, the rains didn’t come, or pests nibbled away at his precious plants. “If only farming didn’t take so much effort,” Mr. Chuan often sighed, “how wonderful it would be to have food without working so hard!”
The Day of the Hare
One sunny afternoon, as Mr. Chuan was weeding his field, he heard a loud thud! It startled him so much that he almost dropped his hoe. Looking toward the sound, he saw a hare lying motionless near the trunk of a tree. The poor animal had been running so fast that it accidentally crashed into the tree, breaking its neck.
Mr. Chuan blinked in disbelief. “What incredible luck!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t have to hunt, set traps, or chase after it. Dinner came to me!” He picked up the hare, marveling at his good fortune. That evening, he and his family enjoyed a hearty feast, and for the first time in a long while, he felt completely satisfied.
An Idea Takes Root
As he lay in bed that night, Mr. Chuan couldn’t stop thinking about the hare. “If one hare can provide such a feast, imagine if more hares ran into that tree!” he mused. “Why should I toil under the hot sun when I can simply wait for more hares?”
The next morning, instead of heading to the fields with his tools, Mr. Chuan carried a mat and sat under the very tree where the hare had met its end. He leaned against the trunk, his eyes scanning the horizon for the next unlucky hare. Birds chirped in the branches above, and the wind rustled the leaves, but no hares appeared.
“Patience,” Mr. Chuan told himself. “Luck doesn’t come every day.”
The Days Stretch On
Days turned into weeks, and still no hare came running into the tree. Meanwhile, Mr. Chuan’s fields, once lush and green, began to wither. Without his care, weeds grew tall, choking the crops. His neighbors noticed his strange behavior and asked, “Mr. Chuan, why aren’t you tending your fields?”
With a confident smile, he replied, “I’ve discovered a better way. Soon, I’ll have plenty without all the hard work.”
The villagers shook their heads. “Luck is fleeting, but effort always bears fruit,” they warned. But Mr. Chuan ignored them. He was convinced that his idea was brilliant, and it was only a matter of time before it worked.
A Harsh Realization
One evening, as the golden sun dipped behind the hills, Mr. Chuan’s wife approached him. “Our pantry is nearly empty,” she said, her voice filled with worry. “If we don’t harvest the crops soon, we’ll have nothing to eat.”
Mr. Chuan frowned. “Don’t worry. I’m sure another hare will come any day now.”
But as he looked at his fields, his heart sank. The once-thriving plants were brown and wilted. Even if he returned to work, there would be little left to save. His neighbors were already preparing their harvest, their fields brimming with ripe fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, his family had only dry husks and empty baskets.
That night, as hunger gnawed at his belly, Mr. Chuan realized the truth. He had wasted precious time waiting for luck instead of working hard. The single hare that had brought him joy had also led him astray.
A New Beginning
The next morning, Mr. Chuan picked up his tools and returned to the fields. He pulled weeds, tilled the soil, and planted new seeds, promising himself that he would never again rely on luck alone. His hands blistered, and his back ached, but he didn’t give up. Slowly, the fields began to come back to life.
When his crops finally grew tall and healthy, Mr. Chuan felt a sense of pride and satisfaction he hadn’t known before. He no longer envied the easy fortune of a runaway hare. Instead, he cherished the rewards of his own hard work.
The Moral of the Story
From that day on, Mr. Chuan often told his children, “Luck may visit us once, but effort and perseverance will always stay by our side. Never wait for success to fall into your lap—go out and earn it!”
And so, the story of the farmer and the lucky hare became a lesson for the entire village: that while luck is unpredictable, hard work is the true path to lasting success.
Moral: Hard work and perseverance are far more reliable than waiting for luck.
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