Torture a rock

Once upon a time, a couple lived in a small village. They were people who worked hard but that didn’t help them have enough food to eat. That time was the time recent year had nearly gone and Tet holiday was coming. They didn’t have a little rice and course, no money. The husband came to all people he knew and insisted them to borrow some money. At last, one gave him a little. He happily ran toward home and gave his wife the money. He asked her to go to market buy things to prepare for the feast on 30th December on lunar calendar.

vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com

The wife set a pannier on her head and went toward market. After bought necessary things she put the pannier on her head and made her way to home. The way which led to her home crossed a ditch and she had to wade through the ditch. Unfortunately, while she was wading, she stepped on a rock and slided. The pannier and all things in it sunk into mud. The poor wife felt hopeless, she didn’t pick up the thing and also didn’t move. She cried, cried painfully, loudly.

While she was crying, a mandarin went cross the place. He heard the cry and asked soldiers to stop.

“What’s up?”, said the mandarin.

She said the mandarin her story. At last, she said:

“I don’t scare my husband beat me. I only feel sorry for my fate. Why I and my husband were unlucky?”

The mandarin was kindness man. After heard the wife said, he regretted for her bad luck. And he had an idea to help the wife have great feast. He asked:

“As your words, this rock is culprit”

The wife nodded her head and said: “Yes sir, it is culprit”. The mandarin turned to soldiers and said:

“Bring the culprit to office to judge”.

Soldiers were awkward and didn’t know what to do. They stood still. The mandarin was impatient, he shouted: “Do that, now”.

Soldiers were forced to bring the rock to office. They tied it and shouldered it went.

That day, the news that the mandarin would judge a rock spread largely. People felt curious, they made their way to come the office. They crowded at the gate of office. The mandarin asked soldiers to set two panniers front of gate. Soldiers laid two panniers front the gate and notified:

“If anyone who wants to see mandarin judge has to put thirty coins in the panniers”.

While people were standing at the gate, the mandarin asked soldiers to beat the rock. Then the noise the mandarin shouted in the office spread out. People immediately, threw their coins into panniers and made their way to go in at one. When the panniers had filled, the mandarin asked soldiers to stop. He stood up and pointed to the mandarin. He said:

“Today, I meet a complex case. Follow this woman’s words the rock is culprit which made her pannier sank into mud. And all witnesses also have same words. But, the rock is too headstrong. It has not said any things though it has beaten painfully. I think this rock also don’t have any thing to pay for its crime. Fortunately, all you who are staying here are kindness, has used your money to help this poor woman”, he turned to the woman and smiled, “Therefore, I decide to use the money which is in panniers to gift this woman”, “and the culprit”, he looked at the rock, “I think I should release it”.

People now realized that they were cheated by the mandarin but none felt angry. They felt respected the wise mandarin. And the wife, course, was very happy. She brought the money and went to home.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

Book Introductions

1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

3. The Treasury of Fables

An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

Ebook Banner

Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss!

Read more:

Vietnamese fairy tales

Tale 102. Innocent boy

Tale 103: Slandered wife

Tale 105: Khoa Dang Nguyen

Tale 106. Rope finds out killer

Tale 107: Good judge

-----

Truyện cổ tích Việt nam (For people who can read Vietnamese)

Vietnamese historical stories (For people who love history)

Comments

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

The tale of "Banh Chung" and "Banh Day"

Once upon a time, that had a king who was so old so he wanted to abdicate. He had had few wives who had given bird twelve sons. All of his sons had grown up and also were great people. The King was confused about choosing. “All of them are talent people. It is so difficult that I can choose a person and nobody can be jealous” said the King. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com “My Lord the king, we can have a contest” said a servant. “Oh, it is a good idea but what is subject of the contest?” said the king “Meaning dishes, which we can put on ancestral altar” said the servant. “Great, let’s doing” said the king. The king called his son to come on and said: “My sons, I don’t have many time and I want one of you to become the king. Now, anybody who can find dishes which not only are delicious but still have great meaning to put on ancestral altar will become the king.”

Wishing pearl

De was a young boy. His parent was servants of a landlord. Every morning, De led landlord’s cattle to meadow and brought them back at nightfall. De used to be excited in playing with his fellows and when he was in his game he didn’t care anything. Many times the cattle he herded ate rice on field and the owners used to beat him pained but he still left cattle and joined in his fellows. One normal day, he and his fellows had a swimming competition. An award was given to the winner that he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he participated in the competition and left his cattle on a wild hill. They swam and dived in water until noon and when they walked on ground, a cow had disappeared. The cow belonged to no one but his master. Children separated to find the cow but the cow seemed to vanish they couldn’t find it. Sun was going to down, children made their ways to home they left De staying at there. Day stayed at there alone crying. After that, he fell in sleep. Latter, he was woken up b...

Thanh Giong

Once upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies. One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...

Thuong Luong

Thuong Luong was common name of creatures which are in people’s imagines. They are distant relatives of dragons. While dragons are worshiped as gods, the gods ruled rivers and sea and the gods can make rains, Thuong Luong is not respected as dragons that the creatures are too amorous, combative, wild, and have bad behaviors. All most of them like to harm people.

The Tale of the Hundred - knot Bamboo tree

Once upon a time, there had a boy who was poor, had no field. Therefore, he found the way to work for a landlord. He was healthy, worked hard and great in working so the landlord wanted him to work for him long time without any pay. One day, he called the boy to come. "You are honest and healthy. If you agree to work for me in three years without pay, I will let you marry with my only daughter after that." The boy agreed. He believed completely. He worked very hard, help the landlord turn richer that he could build more houses, buy more fields and cattles. Then, time passed. Three years nearly crossed, the boy always remembered his master's promise while his master, the landlord didn't want to do his promise. He in secret had found another boy for his daughter, a son of another landlord in that area. Therefore, what he need was a reason to refuse the boy. One day, he called the boy to come. "You have worked very hard for three years, waken early, slept late....

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

The tale of apricot blossom

Once upon a time, in a village nearby forest where a little girl living with her family, father, mother and sister. Though she was only little girl, she had a big heart. She was very kind loving everyone. Even three stone statues of Kitchen God she also spent them her kindness. The stone statues were set in kitchen next to fireplace and always were heated by fire that made her felt pity. One day, that was the hottest day in summer, she that time was a five-year-old girl taking a jug of water and poured on the statues. Steam rose and the God of kitchen appeared. “Oh my little girl! I know you love me and don’t want I am heated. Yes, I know but the more I am heated the more I feel satisfied”, said the God of kitchen. Since that time she hadn't poured water on the statues but God of kitchen sometime appeared to converse with her and her old sister. “Do you like anything else but fire?”, she asked in a time they met. “Of course, I want a carp. Tet holiday is going to com...

The tale of waiting - husband stone

Once upon a time, a couple had born two children one boy and one girl. The boy was 11 years old and his sister was 6 years old. Everyday when the couple went to farm to work they always asked the boy to take care of his sister. His mother usually added: “Don’t make your sister cry. Your father will punish you if you do.” vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com Everyday, the boy and the girl played in their garden together or play with your friend around their house. Until they were bored they stopped playing to eat some sugar canes. The boy used to take a knife to cut sugar canes. One day, when the boy took the knife cut a sugar cane but the blade flew toward his sister’s head although the hilt was in his hand. The girl was fainting immediately, blood poured from her head. The boy was very scared he thought he had made a very serious mistake. He believed that his father would kill him. Therefore, he left his home and went away. He went to hide himself fr...