| In the state of Song, there was a man who reared monkeys. He was very fond of monkeys and kept a large number of them. He had a strong bond with the monkeys; he understood them and they understood him. He loved his monkeys so much that he went as far as reducing the amount of food for his own family in order to satisfy the monkeys. There then came a time when his family didn't have enough to eat. He had no choice but to cut down on the monkeys' food. But he was afraid that the monkeys would not submit to him as a result. So, he decided to trick them into accepting less food. He asked them, "If I gave you three chestnuts in the morning and four in the evening, would that be enough?" The monkeys were furious and refused to accept his proposal. A short while later, he asked them, "If I gave you four chestnuts in the morning and three in the evening, would that be enough?" This, the monkeys accepted and rolled around happily on the ground. |
