Once upon a time, in a quiet green village, there lived an old farmer named Hari. He had four sons: Ravi, Devi, Kiri, and Movi. The brothers had grown up strong and smart. They helped their father in the fields every day, digging soil, planting seeds, and carrying heavy baskets of crops. But there was one big problem: they argued all the time. “You stepped on my row of carrots again!” Ravi would shout. ...
A widow named Hong-Mo lived in a small house near the market. Every year, she raised hundreds of chickens to earn money for herself and her two children. Every day, the chickens walked to the nearby fields to look for food like bugs, rice, and green plants. The biggest chicken was called the king of the chickens because he was the strongest. He led the flock to new feeding places, and he crowed the loudest. None of the other chickens dared to argue with him. ...
In the highlands of Tonkin in Vietnam there lived two brothers whose mother and father died in quick succession. A funeral was held, and while the younger brother was away burying his parents, the elder stayed at home to settle the inheritance. And he, being very greedy, concealed all that was valuable. When the younger brother returned, he looked at him in surprise. “Tell me, honoured brother,” he asked, “where is our parents’ fortune? I see nothing of it here.” ...