My Chinese Folktale
by Marshall 5-M
Proverb
"He who knows when is enough is enough will always have enough".
This is a story about three brothers. They lived in the western part of China in a province named Jiangsu. This story takes place at the time of the Qin Dynasty. All of the brothers were wealthy and looked very similar, but that's where their likeness ended.
The oldest brother was named Yangtzee Chou. The village he lived in was like heaven with gold chopsticks and jade courtyards. There were many shrines and Buddha's everywhere. People were very happy. He was rich, greedy and very selfish. He thought of no one but himself. He was always trying to gain more from the village people so he would be the richest man. One day he managed to succeed in taking all of the possessions from the villagers.
When Yangtzee Chou did this to the villagers, they gathered together all they had left and moved away from Yangtzee Chou. They thought a greedy man would eventually take their lives as well. Years passed, and Yangtzee Chou lived alone with his possessions, but nothing else. Eventually Yangtzee Chou died of loneliness.
Yangtzee Wa was the middle brother. The village he lived in was filled with poor people. But the village was filled with the beauty of nature. It was very different from Yangtzee Chou's village. He was a very wealthy man. Everyone in the village he lived in came to him for help, money and favors. Yangtzee Wa was a good man, but unfortunately he was foolishly generous. He gave money to lazy people that never repaid their debts. This became a big strain on his family because he gave everything to others.
After years of generosity he was reduced to being a poor beggar, homeless with nothing, but one small gold coin. One day a person from the village came to ask him for his last gold coin. Yangtzee Wa knew he needed this for his family. The man was outraged when Yangtzee Wa told him "No gold for you". The man was enraged and fought him for the small gold coin. During the fight Yangtzee Wa, who had given to everyone, was killed for this small coin.
The youngest brother was known in his village by the name Yangtzee Fu. Everyone in this village was equal. This made it the best village of all three brothers. In this village, they shared everything. The fish, the water, and the rice in the fields belonged to all. He also was a wealthy man. He was a man that cared about himself, his wife, family, friends and the villagers. Yangtzee Fu lived a life of balance. He cared for needy people, but was not foolish to give to a person undeserving of help. He wasn't greedy, or recklessly generous. He appreciated hard work, and never spent time with foolish lazy people that were pests. He was lucky to live a long and happy life. Yangtzee Fu was a man that knew when enough of something was enough. He took care of himself and his family, and therefore was able also to give back to his village.