Once upon a time, a person whose name was Truong Ba played Chinese chess very good, master of Chinese chess. None in his country could defeat him. Therefore, he won all prizes from chess contests. The rumor of his talent spread to China, the neighbor country, where had Mr. Ky Nhu also a master of chinese-chess. Ky Nhu wanted to play chess with him so he left his country, came to meet Truong Ba. They had done matches but none of them had the win till the third match Truong Ba made Ky Nhu be in stuck. Seeing Ky Nhu spent too long time thinking Truong Ba became arrogant.
“Although De Thich was here he also can not help you to win this match” said Trương Ba.
Meanwhile De Thich, chess god, was sitting on heaven had heard the insolent words. He mounted on a cloud, flew down and planed to let him know he was too arrogant.
Ky Nhu and Truong Ba were playing, suddenly, an old man with long white beard and hair came. The old man guide Ky Nhu some moves. After seconds, Ky Nhu got the win. Truong Ba felt unhappy he wondered who the old man was. He looked the old man more closely the old man had white beard and hair, rosy face and looked not like human. Truong Ba keeled down immediately.
“It is you, De Thich. I am so insolent to not recognize you.”, he said.
De Thich laughed and said: “I heard you are a master of chess so I want to know how much you can do.”
Truong Ba kept De Thich in his house. He bought wine and chicken to treat him. De Thich though he had just met Truong Ba very liked him.
Truong Ba asked to study De Thich’s chess moves. De Thich seemed to felt his sincerity he sad: “I gifted you the joss sticks. If you need my help, fire a joss stick, I will come.”
Then he mounted the cloud and flew up.
From that time, whenever Truong Ba fired a joss stick he always made a meal. Two were pleased about the other.
One day, Truong Ba was taken suddenly by the Death. His wife, after burying him, cleaned their house and saw the joss sticks. She fired them and stuck them on her husband’s altar. De Thich appeared immediately
“Where is Truong Ba”, he said.
The wife burst into sobs and said: “My husband has died for a month.”
“Why didn’t you call me when he just had died? Now, it is too late to do an…, uhm” he said
Thinking for few minutes, he added: “Does this village have any new dead people?”
“A butcher died in yeater-evening.”, the wife replied.
“I will find the way to save your husband.”, muttered De Thich in the wife’s ear. The he flew up.
While people in the butcher’s house were crying the butcher suddenly woke up. He stood up then went straight to Truong Ba’s house without a word. When Truong Ba’s wife saw the butcher she realized immediately that her husband revived because of magic. She was happy to let him go in but the wife of butcher sprinted to pull him back. A violent argument happened. Then all of them pulled together themselves to court.
The judge called people to ask. All of them said that the person who revived was the butcher but Truong Ba’ wife said surely that was her husband, Truong Ba.
“What does your husband do everyday?”, asked the judge toTruong Ba’s wife.
“He plays chess.”, answered the wife.
The judge turned to the butcher’s wife, asked: “What does your husband do?”
“He is a butcher.” Said the butcher’s wife.
The judge ordered soldiers to take a pig for the butcher but he didn’t know to do anything. Then, the judge called some chess masters to come. The butcher could win easily. The judge decided the butcher could go to Truong Ba’s house.
THE END
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"
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Ngày xưa, ở làng Nam-xương có cô gái tên là Vũ Thị Thiết, người đã xinh đẹp lại thùy mị nết na. Nàng lấy chồng là Trương sinh vốn là người cùng làng. Trương sinh có tính cả ghen, hay để tâm xét nét vợ, nhưng vợ chàng thường giữ gìn khuôn phép nên không có chuyện gì xảy ra. Vợ chồng hương đượm lửa nồng chưa được bao lâu thì bỗng nghe tin chốn biên thùy có giặc, chồng vâng lệnh quan phải từ giã mẹ và vợ đi lính thú. Bấy giờ vợ đang có thai. Buổi chia tay thật là bịn rịn, mẹ chúc cho con chân cứng đá mềm, chồng khuyên vợ gắng phụng dưỡng mẹ già và nuôi con khôn lớn. Sau khi chồng trẩy được mươi ngày thì Vũ Thị Thiết sinh được một đứa con trai, đặt tên là thằng Đản. Thằng bé sởn sơ mạnh khỏe, còn bà nội của nó vì nhớ con sinh ra đau ốm. Vợ chàng Trương hết lòng mời thầy chạy thuốc, nhưng bệnh của mẹ chồng mỗi ngày một nặng, chẳng bao lâu thì mất. Nhờ có bà con xóm giềng, mọi việc tống táng đều lo liệu chu toàn. Đã mấy thu qua không thấy chồng...