The Mysterious Gift
故事全文
A-Dong was a hardworking farmer. One day, he left for the city to work for Landlord Chang. Three years passed. Landlord Chang was a kind man who knew that A-Dong missed his family a lot. So, one night, he told A-Dong, “A-Dong, you have been working for me for quite some time. You must miss your family terribly. Why don't you take a few days off and go home to visit your family?” A-Dong cried tears of joy and thanked the landlord, “Thank you! Thank you!”
Over the next few days, A-Dong prepared gifts to bring home to his family: A new set of clothes for his mother, a wool cap for his father, and sweets and dolls for his children. He also prepared a special and mysterious gift for his wife. After packing everything, A-Dong went home happily.
Before A-Dong could cross the threshold, his family members came running out to welcome him home. Everyone was happy and excited to see him, and wanted to tell him everything that had happened in the village while he was away. In the evening, A-Dong gave the gifts to his family members. Everyone was happy to receive the gifts. A-Dong told his wife, “I bought a special gift for you, open it and take a look.” When his wife unwrapped the gift, she saw something beautiful and exquisitely decorated. It was round and flat. Upon taking a closer look, she suddenly started to cry and said, “Though I didn't help to earn money, I fulfilled my responsibilities by taking good care of our parents and children, how could you bring another woman home? What will become of me?” A-Dong looked puzzled. His mother took the mysterious gift and took a closer look at it. Then, she said, “A-Dong! I don't wish to nitpick, but why did you bring home an old and ugly woman?” A-Dong quickly did some explaining, and everyone finally realized what the gift was. They said happily,
“Now we know! This mysterious gift is a mirror!
