#099 Managing Resources

An old man was dying. So he asked his two sons to come to meet him. He would give half of his land to his first son, Hong Shan, and half to the second son, Qing Shan. Hong Shan came into the room first.

“Hong Shan, after I die, you will inherit the land on the western ridge,” said the old man.

Then Qing Shan entered the room.

“Qing Shan, you will have the land on the eastern ridge after I am gone,” he told Qing Shan.

After the old man died, both of the sons had their shares. There were many trees on the western ridge. Hong Shan felled them all and lived in luxury for the next few years. Hong Shan then planted crops on the land after all the trees were gone. Unfortunately, all his crops were destroyed in a terrible storm.

Qing Shan planted trees on his ridge, cleared some land for crop farming and reared cattle and sheep. A few years later, his tree became a lush forest, his crops yielded good harvest and herds of cattle and sheep roamed the land.

Hong Shan was puzzled when he came to Qing Shan for help.

“How did this place flourish so well?” asked Hong Shan.

“You took from the land without returning anything and stripped it of its wealth. I nourished the land before making use of it, so my resources lasted longer.”

Hong Shan finally understood his mistake.

-FIN-

Read the Indonesian translation HERE

Author: Asiapac Books

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are satisfied with the stories, please help by clicking on the Ad in this page. Thank you ^-^
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------