• The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains

    Chinese Fables
    Grandpa Yu lived in a house with a rather inconvenient view. Right in front of his door, blocking the way to everywhere, stood two enormous mountains. Let's call them Mount Big and Mount Tall. Every time Grandpa Yu wanted to go to the market, or visit a friend, or even just get a good view of the sunset, wham! Mountains in the way. It meant a long, long walk around them.

    One sunny morning, Grandpa Yu gathered his family. "I've had enough!" he declared. "We're going to move these mountains!"

    His family blinked. "Move... mountains, Grandpa?" his son asked. His wife, a practical woman, raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a lot of work, dear."

    But Grandpa Yu was determined. "We'll dig them up, bit by bit, and carry the dirt and rocks far, far away to the sea!"

    So, the very next day, Grandpa Yu, his sons, and even his young grandsons grabbed their shovels and baskets. Chip, chip, chip went the shovels against the hard rock. Scoop, scoop, scoop went the dirt into the baskets. Then, huff, puff, huff, they carried the baskets on a long journey to the edge of the sea and emptied them. They only managed one trip a day!

    It was slow work. Very, very slow.

    A man from a nearby village, who thought he was very clever, let's call him Mr. Zhi, saw them toiling away. He chuckled. "Grandpa Yu," he said, shaking his head, "you're being silly! You're so old, and these mountains are so huge. You'll never finish. You won't even make a tiny dent before you're too tired to lift a shovel!"

    Grandpa Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "Mr. Zhi," he said, "you might be right that I am old. I might not finish in my lifetime. But when I'm gone, my sons will carry on. And when they are gone, my grandsons will carry on. And then their children, and their children's children! These mountains don't get any bigger, but our family will keep working, generation after generation. Eventually, we will move them!"

    Now, the spirit of the mountains heard Grandpa Yu's words. He was so impressed by this old man's never-give-up spirit! The mountain spirit zoomed up to the sky and told the Great Spirit in the Sky all about Grandpa Yu and his amazing determination.

    The Great Spirit in the Sky was very touched. "Wow!" he thought. "That Grandpa Yu is really something! Such hard work and belief deserve a little help."

    So, the Great Spirit sent down two super strong spirits. These spirits were so strong, they could pick up mountains like you pick up pebbles!

    Whoosh! With a mighty heave, one spirit picked up Mount Big, and the other spirit picked up Mount Tall. They carried them far, far away and set them down where they wouldn't bother anyone.

    The next morning, when Grandpa Yu and his family woke up, ready for another day of digging, they rubbed their eyes in amazement. The mountains were gone! The path was clear. They could see for miles and miles, all the way to the distant sea.

    And from that day on, everyone remembered Grandpa Yu, not as a silly old man, but as the man who showed them that with enough hard work and a spirit that never quits, even the biggest challenges can be overcome.

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