Tung, Truc, Mai were students who came from other areas but they studied the same teacher. They all were born in normal families. Honestly, their parents were poor but they wanted their sons to have chance changing their fates by studying. The days they lived away from their homes made them be best friends. And they had a promise that anyone of them who had success would help the others to have success. After the time studying, they separated.
Tung still kept learning. He’s smart but poor so he followed a teacher as a servant so that he could have both money and chance to study. The teacher taught him carefully because he realized he’s good in learning. After few years, he passed competitions and became a mandarin who worked in capital. His life changed he lived in wealth and power. But, he still remembered his friends, remembered about their promise. He took few days off and found the way to meet his friends. He feared that going with soldiers would annoy people so he went alone with normal clothes on his body. He went to Truc’s house first.
After he left the class, Truc was inherited assets from his grandparents. He’ good in business so he got wealthy after ten years. He had a beautiful house with many rooms, large fields which were filled by green rice, ponds with many of fish. The things provided for him and his family wealthy lives. But, he was greedy person who didn’t want to share to others. Because of that he ignored his friends and also their promise.
“It’s only waste my time, finding my friend. Maybe, they don’t remember that they ever had a friend like me”, he thought.
After few days, Tung arrived to Truc’s house. He saw Truc had become wealthy man and didn’t need his help so he didn’t hurry to let Truc know about his current position. As he saw Tung in normal clothes, Truc believed that Tung had no much success after they separated and he thought that Tung came to borrow his money. Consequently, Truc hurriedly told Tung about his recent troubles after few words. He pretended that he was in very serious difficulty.
“I have thought about going to Hue to see you but I caught some poor harvest seasons. Therefore,” he said, “I had sell some fields till recently I could manage to get again them. It’s not easy to live in this world.”
Truc talked more and more he wanted Tung to give up his intent, borrowing his money though Tung didn’t come to borrow his money. To prove that he was poor, he treated Tung normal food. Honestly the food was too simple.
Next morning, Truc’s servant met him and asked him to catch some fat fish to treat his friend but he stopped.
“It’s not good to catch fish in this time. You don’t know?” he said.
The servant understood his master so he silently left. Afternoon his wife caught a hen and caged it alone. She planned to slaughtered the hen but servant still didn’t kill the hen, he had sprinted to them and shouted:
“You can not kill a chicken at this time. It’s not good. I and my friend can eat whatever but chicken.”
Tung stayed in Truc’s few days then left. He went to the second friend, Mai. He still put in the normal clothes and didn’t tell him about his position. After stopping studying, Mai worked as a trader but he‘s not lucky like Truc he wasted all his money in business. Later, he decided to get back to school but he got sick and couldn’t. He and his wife had to sell remaining fields he was inherited to pay for his medicine and now they worked for others. They lived in a hut, worked hard to have money for each day.
Mai was happy as he met his friend.
“This is one of my best friends. Go to market and find something honey, I want to treat him well.”
His wife obeyed she made her way to market. After that she came back with a basket full of food and wore a black scarf on her head though it’s not winter. Tung didn’t pay much attention but after that he saw his friend drag his wife in bedroom and whispered something. That mad him feel curious, he approached the bedroom and looked through the door. When his friend’s wife took of her scarf, he realized that her nice long smoothly hair had gone.
“Why do you cut your hair?” said Tung as his friend and his wife went out.
She knew that she couldn’t hide him so his friend’s wife told him the truth.
“I needed money to go market but I couldn’t borrow anyone. Luckily, I went cross a wig store on my way so I sold it”, she said, “You and my husband rarely meet the other so I don’t want to have nothing to treat you. Don’t worry my hair will re-grow”.
Tung was very sorry for her hair.
“Hair is one of rare thing of a woman. I feel remorseful because I couldn’t stop you cut your hair. But, because of that I can see your heart, very kind”, said Tung. Later, he told them his current status. He stayed at their hut for whole that day then left. Before he left, he gifted them a present that they could sell and get some money.
Short time later, Tung sent servant to Mai’s house and helped him have a career. Then he helped Mai open a store. After Mai ran his business, his life turned better and got wealthy after short time.
Truc regretted as he knew Tung was a powerful mandarin and besides, he heard that Tung was the person who had helped Mai to have wealthy life. So he found the way to come to house of Tung, hoped that Tung would help him to have a position in office but when he came, he was treated by the way he had treated Tung before. He had no choice but to leave and didn’t dare to come back again.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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