The Apricot Forest
故事全文
During the Three Kingdoms Period, there was a famous physician named Dong Feng. He had a kind heart, and often treated the poor for free. He would also look after the nearby animals whenever they got sick. So, he became friends with all the nearby animals. Sometimes, squirrels would climb onto his shoulder to play, and birds would eat the food on his hand.
One night, as Dong Feng was studying, he heard crying outside his window. So, he opened his door and asked,“Is anyone there?” A little tiger cub walked towards him, sat on the ground, and looked at him with pleading eyes. Dong Feng patted the tiger’s head and said,“Little tiger, is someone back home ill? Lead me there.”The little tiger turned around happily and led Dong Feng back to his cave. When Dong Feng entered the cave, he saw that Mama Tiger had an injured leg and there was another little tiger crying beside her. Dong Feng quickly walked over to Mama Tiger and said,“Don’t worry! I will help you.”After he bandaged Mama Tiger’s leg, Mama Tiger and her two cubs gratefully escorted Dong Feng to the entrance of the cave.
As time passed, everyone knew that Dong Feng did not charge money for his services. So, someone asked Dong Feng,“Physician, you do not accept money as payment for curing our illness. But we are very grateful for your help. Please tell us how we can repay your kindness.”Dong Feng thought for a while and said,“Well, I really like apricot trees. You may plant an apricot tree nearby if you really want to thank me.”And so, everyone who came to Dong Feng for help planted an apricot tree beside his house. In time, the number of apricot trees grew and became a huge forest. As the story of Dong Feng spread, people used “Apricot Forest” to refer to good physicians.
