weixiaodemeili

Water snake disguised as a god

weixiaodemeili@newsletter.paragraph.com (weixiaodemeili) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:45:14 GMT

The pond was dry, and the water snakes began to move. A small snake said to the large snake, "We can't let the large snake go first as usual. If we do, people will think it's just an ordinary water snake crawling, and we'll be in danger. I think the large snake should carry the small snake in its mouth, and they'll carry each other on their backs. People will think we're gods and won't dare harm us." So, the water snakes did as the small snake suggested and swaggered across the road. People saw this and quickly scattered, telling each other, "A god has come!"

Moral of the Story

This fable teaches us to observe carefully and understand the true nature of things to recognize trickery.

Life Lessons Learned

The water snakes were able to move safely because they used the right method. In our studies, we should also be good at thinking and using the right methods to successfully achieve our goals.

Building houses with wet wood

weixiaodemeili@newsletter.paragraph.com (weixiaodemeili) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:43:37 GMT

Gao Yangying was preparing to build a house. The carpenter told him, "No, this wood isn't dry yet. If you apply mud, the wood will definitely bend under the weight. Building a house with freshly cut, wet wood might look sturdy at first, but it will collapse after a while." Gao Yangying replied, "If that's the case, my house is definitely safe. Because the longer it dries, the harder the wood will become, and the lighter the mud will be. With the increasingly hard wood supporting the increasingly light mud, the house will certainly not collapse." The carpenter had no answer and followed Gao Yangying's advice to build the house. Gao Yangying's house looked sturdy when it was first built, but it collapsed not long after.

Moral of the Story

This fable tells us that in everything we do, we must follow objective laws. Acting blindly according to our own desires will inevitably lead to failure.

Life Lessons Learned

Ignoring the advice of experienced people and acting cleverly will only lead to failure. This principle applies not only to building houses, but to everything we do. We should humbly seek advice from experienced people and avoid acting on our own initiative or trying to be clever.

Qianjinshigu

weixiaodemeili@newsletter.paragraph.com (weixiaodemeili) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:40:34 GMT

Once upon a time, there was a king who wanted to buy a fine horse for a thousand taels of gold. Several years passed, and there was still no news. At this time, a courtier asked the king if he could go out and search for the horse. The courtier searched and searched, and after several months, he finally found a clue.

But when he arrived at the place, he found the horse was dead. The courtier took out five hundred taels of gold and bought back the horse's skull. He returned and gave the head to the king, who was furious and scolded the courtier: "I wanted a living horse! How could you bring back a dead horse's head, and spend a whole five hundred taels of gold?" The courtier replied: "It's not that fine horses don't exist, but you haven't been able to buy one for years because people don't believe you'd spend such a large sum. Although I couldn't find a living horse, what will people think if this news gets out? They'll all think you'd spend five hundred taels of gold even on a dead horse, let alone a live one! They'll definitely believe you genuinely wanted to buy the horse." Sure enough, someone would soon bring the horses to you. Within a year, several fine horses had been delivered to the king.

Moral of the Story

Sincerity cannot be judged by words alone; it must be demonstrated through actions.

Inspiration for Growth

The courtier in the story spent a large sum of money to buy back the head of the dead fine horse for the king, intending to show the king's sincerity in buying a fine horse and hoping to obtain a living one. He achieved his goal, demonstrating the importance of sincerity and integrity. In real life, we should also prioritize integrity in our conduct and actions, showing our sincerity through actions. We shouldn't always focus on immediate gains but should consider the long-term consequences.

The old man lost his horse

weixiaodemeili@newsletter.paragraph.com (weixiaodemeili) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:38:38 GMT

Once upon a time, in the northwestern border region lived an old man, whom everyone called Old Man Sai. He raised many horses. One day, one of his horses ran away beyond the border and could not be found. When his neighbors found out, they all came to comfort him. However, Old Man Sai was unconcerned. He smiled and said to everyone, "Losing a horse is not a big deal; it might even be a good thing!" Everyone was puzzled by his words. A few days later, the lost horse suddenly ran back from beyond the border, bringing with it a fine horse ridden by a barbarian. When the neighbors heard this, they came to congratulate Old Man Sai again and praised him for his wise words when the horse was lost. But Old Man Sai was not happy about this. He sighed and said, "Alas, although I have gained a fine horse for free, who knows if this will bring me misfortune?" Everyone was puzzled again, "It's clearly a good thing, so how could it be a bad thing?" Old Man Sai's son loved the fine horse very much and often rode it out for fun. Unexpectedly, one day he accidentally fell off the horse and broke his leg. When the neighbors learned of this, they all came to offer their condolences. However, the old man wasn't particularly saddened. He calmly said, "Although my son broke his leg, perhaps it's a good thing!" Soon after, the Xiongnu army from beyond the Great Wall launched a large-scale invasion. All the able-bodied men in the area were conscripted to fight, and most died on the battlefield. The old man's son, however, couldn't go to war because of his broken leg, and both father and son survived.

Moral of the Story

Good and bad things in life are not absolute. Under certain conditions, bad things can lead to good results, and good things can bring hidden dangers.

Inspiration for Growth

In our lives and studies, whether we encounter good or bad things, we must maintain a positive attitude, neither being overly pessimistic nor blindly optimistic.

The charm of a smile

weixiaodemeili@newsletter.paragraph.com (weixiaodemeili) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 05:00:51 GMT

Many people who achieve great success maintain good physical and mental health, even living to a ripe old age, primarily due to their ability to relax and approach life with a smile. A business tycoon summarized his experience of success as follows: In this world, the expression you give to others is the expression they will return to you. When you give a smile to hundreds or thousands of people, those hundreds or thousands will return a smile to you hundreds or thousands of times, and your life will be a success. Smiling can relax our minds and bodies, reducing the stress of life; smiling can strengthen interpersonal relationships, leading to more opportunities for success; smiling can resolve many impasses in life and career, achieving unexpected results. A relatively successful and healthy person is one who frequently wears a smile.