Won's The Man of No Justice
There once was a boy named Won. He was quite large, competitive, and a showoff.
He had a brother named Yo, who was eleven, two years younger than Won. Won
had a friend named Suo, who was a fast runner and very smart. They lived
in a small village northwest of Guangzhou.
Won's parents were hardworking and kind. They
spoiled Won and his brother. They gave them wonderful meals of the best
beef, the whitest rice, and the biggest almond cookies. They also took trips
to many places including the ancient city of Xian and the capital Beijing.
One day Suo met up with Won and Yo in a nearby
park. Won went up to Suo and said, " You can't run faster than me,
I could beat you while eating Hunan style Beef on a turtle's back."
Suo took time to consider this but quickly agreed to the challenge.
The next day before the meal in the middle
of the day, Won's mother and Yo went to the market. Won was free to do what
he wished. He walked to his own coolies, got into his rickshaw, and rode
off down the dusty road. Soon, he was at the park looking into the eyes
of Suo.
Bamboo grew around Suo's feet as Won looked
at the course around him. Pagodas surrounded a lake nearby. The pond glistened
as the fish swam around wildly. A bench stood near the left, where a stone
walkway supported it. People were doing Tai-Chi.
The race started and Won ran ahead with a
burst of speed. But he soon trailed far behind. He lost the race by a good
two li.
"Big deal, you can run. Ohhhhhhhhhh and
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. But I can make a better kite than you any day of the week
with my hands tied behind my back!"
Suo again accepted the challenge.
The next day Suo met Won at Won's house. They
walked into the workshop where Won's father was waiting to assist both boys.
They began to build their kites. Suo had a dragon on his small kite, Won
had a huge kite that had nothing on it except holes from bugs. But it seemed
Suo's kite looked better than Won's. And when they went to fly them, Suo's
flew higher and faster than Won's.
"You practiced, I didn't. But I can cook
rice better than you while making the best almond cookies in China."
Suo again accepted the challenge.
They met at Suo's house. Yo was the judge.
He would decide which one of the dishes tasted better. Suo started to make
delicious stir-fried rice with shreds of chicken, peppers, peanuts and an
amazing sauce. Won made white rice, as dry as a scorching desert.
Yo liked Suo's better as Won had always had
things done for him so he had no experience at cooking rice.
Won died an old man. But Suo died a scholar
and a good teacher. Knowing that his life had fulfilled the ancient Chinese
saying, "Talk does not cook rice."
