There was once a man named
Wu Ling who lived with his wife, Tan Peng in Beijing, China. They
loved Beijing, and they lived in a small village in the north
part of the city, where they grew wheat and grain which produced
just enough money to support Wu Ling and his wife. One morning
while Wu Ling was going to market with some grain to sell to buy
dinner, he came upon a group of people crowded around a small
table under a bonsai tree near a large, green, valley where a
man was shuffling straw cups around. Wu Ling questioned the man,
and the man simply answered, " Where is the grain of rice?"
A confused Wu Ling answered, " I have no rice, but if you
go to the market up the road I am sure there will be some there."
The man laughed and replied, " No, under which cup is the
grain!" Still confused, Wu Ling said, " I do not know,
for I cannot see the grain." This time, the whole crowd burst
out laughing. The man said, " You can guess, can't you?"
" Yes, I can!" Wu Ling replied. "The grain is under
the cup right in front of you!" The man lifted the cup, and
sure enough, there was the grain. "How did you know?"
the man said. "I guessed" replied Wu Ling. The man then
did the same thing ten more times, and Wu Ling always guessed
it. The man then offered Wu Ling a sum of money if he guessed
it, but if he got it wrong, Wu Ling would have to pay the man
the same sum of money. Wu Ling's response to this was, "
I have only the grain, not the money, and only enough grain to
sell at the market to buy dinner." " Tomorrow, though
I will bring money top bet on." Wu Ling then left and the
man took out from under the cups the three grains of rice he was
using to trick and entice Wu Ling.
"Wu Ling!" Tan Peng yelled out. "It is time to
go to market!" "I have the grain and the wheat, but
I must also have a little money." Wu Ling replied. "Why
must you?" Tan Peng shouted. "A man by that sunny valley
down the road had me play a little game. He had three straw cups,
and a grain of rice under one of the cups. The man had me guess
which cup it was under, and i always got it right. If I have the
money I can bet on which cup the rice is under, and I could greatly
increase the value." Wu Ling answered. "I will let you
have the money, but if you lose..." "I understand"
Wu Ling quickly said. " If I win, though, just think of it!
We could buy a new gazebo, or even carve dragons into the roof
of our pagoda" "You are right."
"That one" Wu Ling excitedly said. "The rice is
under that one." The man lifted up the cup. "Wrong again"
he said. "You are probably just having a bad day" "I'm
done. I have no money, no wheat, nothing." "You may
have a good day tomorrow" the man replied. "Maybe."
"What have you done, Wu Ling?" "You lost the money,
the grain, and the wheat! You were so sure you would win, but
you lost everything!" "I assure you I was just having
a bad day. Tomorrow I will have a good day!" "If you
give me some more money, I will win!" "How can you be
so sure?" said Tan Peng. "I have a good feeling!"
said Wu Ling. "I will give you one last chance."
"You're back, and this is a fresh new day for you. I have
a good feeling about this!" the man excitedly said. "I
have a good feeling, too!" yelled Wu Ling. "This is
all I have got. I will bet it all." "Great! replied
the man. "Now, guess." "The cup to your right.
I am sure." The man lifted the cup very slowly, "Wrong.
It was under this cup." "Oh, no, Tan Peng will be very
angry at me this time!" "I can't believe this."
"It looks like you are just an unlucky man." the man
sympathetically said. " Maybe."
This kept going on and on, day after day Wu Ling promised his
wife he would win, but he never did. He finally lost the pagoda,
the crops, his land, and all their money. They became beggars,
and one day Tan Peng said to her husband, " I love you, Wu
Ling, but you make promises you are not sure you can keep, and
you talk all about how you will do this, or how you will do that,
but there is no action on your part. It is talk without action.
You cannot do wonders only by talking. Talk does not cook rice."
