The Snake Hunter’s Tale
故事全文
There was a type of poisonous snake in Yongzhou. Anyone who touched it or was bitten by it would die for sure. But if it was caught and made into medicine, the medicine could be used to cure many ailments and illnesses. Therefore, the imperial physician asked the emperor to issue a decree to order people to catch the snakes. They could use the snakes that they caught to offset their taxes. Hearing this, many people competed to catch the snake.
There was a man called Mr. Jiang who caught snakes for many years. When I asked him about his work, he told me sadly, “This snake killed my grandfather and father, and almost killed me once. ”
I felt sorry for him and said, “If you hate catching snakes, why don’t you do something else for a living? ”
Mr. Jiang replied, “No way! My neighbor never catches snakes, and so, his family has to worry about paying heavy taxes all year round. I only need to risk my life twice a year to catch snakes and hand them over to the authorities. Then, I don’t have to worry about paying my taxes at all. If you were me, would you hate catching snakes? ”
