Sun Shu’ao Buries A Snake
故事全文
In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a child in the State of Chu whose name was Sun Shu’ao. His father died when he was very young. And so, Sun Shu’ao and his mother lived a life of poverty in a rural village.
One day, Sun Shu’ao led his cow out to eat grass. Suddenly, a snake slithered out of a nearby bush and it had two heads! Sun Shu’ao was so scared, he picked up a rock from the ground, and killed the snake with it. Afterwards, Sun Shu’ao remembered the saying that“Whoever sees a two headed snake will die soon.” He looked at the corpse of the two-headed snake, and thought for a while. Then, he decided to dig a hole in the ground and bury the snake. As he was worried that he would die due to seeing the two-headed snake, Sun Shu’ao decided to head home with his cow.
“Boo hoo…”Sun Shu’ao began to cry when he saw his mother. His mother patted his head gently and asked,“Why are you crying? Who bullied you?”Sun Shu’ao wiped his tears and said,“Mum, I heard someone say that whoever sees a two-headed snake will die. I think I am going to die! But I don’t want to leave you!”
His mother hurriedly asked,“Where is the snake now?”Sun Shu’ao said,“I was afraid that someone else would see the snake and die too, so, I killed it and buried it.”Hearing this, Sun Shu’ao’s mother patted his head and said,“My child, you have done a good deed, and no good deeds go unrewarded. Therefore, you will not die.”
In the end, not only did Sun Shu’ao not die, but he grew up and became a high-ranking official of the State of Chu. He loved his people very much, and was hardworking too. This earned him the respect of the people of Chu.
