Binh and Dinh

Binh and Dinh were brothers. Their parent had died. Binh had married while Dinh was still a little boy. Dinh stayed in the same house with his brother and his wife but Binh and his wife were very greedy that they didn’t want to share things to their young bother. At last, they decided to divide their parent’s asset. Binh took all fertile fields, a brick house and other value things. He left Dinh a cottage, some barren fields and worthless stuff.

“You should know the things I and my wife have now are things we had worked hard for years to have. The things our parent left are only the stuff so I and your sister-in-law decide to give you all”, said Binh.

After they divided, Binh seemed not to care about his brother, living in convenience while his brother lived in poverty, working hard to live. Twenty years passed, Dinh still didn’t marry. He was poorer and had sold all fields he was left. Therefore, he had to work for other and besides, he also worked as a woodcutter.

One day as normal, Dinh came back his home after he finished his job. It was dark that he couldn’t see things under his feet. When he nearly reached his house’s gate, he stepped on something. That was a human who was rolling himself on ground. He bent down to help the person up but the person couldn’t stand up he seemed exhausted.

Dinh made the way to his house and brought out a torch. That was a skinny and shabby man and was fainting but there were not all he excreted next to the place he was lying on. Dinh felt pity for the poor man he brought him to home, helped him bath. After he was massaged, the man woke up but was still weak. The man said that he was a beggar who lived in the next village; unfortunately, he caught a chill as he came there; he fainted and lied on the road without people’s notices till meeting Dinh. Dinh went to kitchen he cooked. Later, he brought food back and gave the man a serving. He also got one. They ate. Though the man looked small but he ate strongly that Dinh shared his serving to him. After that, Dinh helped the man have a place to sleep. The man fastly fell in sleep and, started snoring, grinding his teeth that made Dinh wake up few times at that night but he seemed not to feel annoyed. He continued sleeping.

The next mornig, Dinh woke up early. After he cooked he woke the man up and gave the man breakfast. But, that time the man refused.

“You are so kind boy that you have helped me much. So, I want to help you back”, said the man, “Bring a pot and a club here. I must give you something”.

Dinh following his’s words, bringing him a pot and a club. The man held the club and suddenly he smashed painfully on his nose.

“Omg! He is crazy”, thought Dinh, trying to pull the club off the man’s hand. But, the old man was very strong he pushed him away and continued smashing. At the time he stopped, his blood flowed violently down on the pot. Short time later, the pot was filled by blood. Dinh still didn’t get again his soul as he saw the man do the strange thing. Later, he saw the blood in the pot and so surprised because what he saw was blood instead of blood. He looked up to see the man but the man had disappeared.

Dinh became wealthy. He bought a nice house with beautiful gardens surround, bought fertile fields, hired people to work on his fields. Of course, now he can marry. His wife was a beautiful girl in the village.

Binh and his wife were very surprised as they heard their brother now was not only wealthy but also had beautiful wife. They turned to curious so that they made his way to his brother to ask him how. Dinh didn’t hide him anything he told him all things happened. After they left, they asked Binh to describe the man.

Short time later, Binh came home after went out. He met an old man with long white hair and beard standing front of his gate. He observed the man and suddenly smiled that the man looked like the man his brother had mentioned. Immediately, he invited the old man to go in his house. Though the man hesitated but Binh insisted him violently. At last, the man agreed. When they went in, Binh hurried his wife to cook a meal. Though the man seemed uncomfortable, they forced him to eat and drink so much. Later, when the meal finished, they respectfully told him.

“Now, we can be wealthy or not. All was depends on your nose”

The man didn’t understand what they were going to do with a club on and a pot on their hand but he knew that was not a good thing.

“You must be wrong that you think I was someone but I’m sure that I’m not the person”, he said, standing up.

He strode over them and headed toward the gate but they stopped him. They kept him staying and sleeping in their house a night. When he slept, they set the club and the pot under his bed and waited for the next morning.

The next morning, the man woke up. He asked them to go but how he could escape the place. While Binh grabbed the club and intended to smash on the man’s nose, his wife brought the pot front of his face. The man trembled and covered his nose in his hands that made Binh couldn’t smash him. At last, he asked his wife to keep the man’s arm not moving. Then, he smashed painfully on his nose. Blood flowed violently. Binh happily told his wife.

“It is happening we will have a pot of gold”.

Later, blood stopped flowing. Binh smashed the man more few times that made his teeth broken. The man fell down on ground, very pained but he tried to scream loudly. He called others’ helps.

People heard his voice and sprinted to. They asked them why they beat the man but they couldn’t answer. They turned to ask the man but the man seemed too pained to answer them that he only could talk them his address. People hurriedly informed to his family. Immediately, his son made his way to Binh’s house. When he arrived and saw his father was lying on blood, he turned angry, very angry. He ran toward, struck Binh and his wife down. He beat them painfully after brought his father away.

At that day, the son accused them to mandarin. Binh lost much money to cure the man. Besides, he had to bribe mandarin to avoid punishment. But, the mandarin still judge him, being beating thirty times.

THE END

"Translator: Hung Nguyen"

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