Three Foolish Sons

There was a rich man who had three sons. They lived in a large house in the town of Keelung in northern Taiwan.

 One day, he said to his sons, "You are no longer children. You must do something to earn your own living. When I die, I am not going to leave you very much money. I started with nothing and made a fortune by working hard. You must do the same. Now, here is two hundred dollars for each of you. You can use it to start your own

business."

The three sons went off separately. The eldest son met a hunter. He thought that hunting would be fine so he bought a gun from him for two hundred dollars. The second son met a basketmaker. He bought a set of tools from him so that he could make baskets. The third son met a doctor who told him that he had a medicine which could cure all diseases. He bought it from him for two hundred dollars.

When the rich man heard what his sons had done with the money he had given them, he was very angry. "What stupid sons I have!" He said.

One day, the eldest son tried to shoot a fly on his father's forehead. Instead, he killed his father. The second son picked up his tools and tried to repair the damage to his father's head. The third son tried to cure his father with medicine which he had bought.

Everyone said that the three sons were very foolish. They had spent all their money uselessly.

Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000