The Good Brothers

The Good Brothers

Once upon a time, there were two good brothers who lived in the country. Both brothers were rice farmers. The older brother was married and he lived with his family. The younger brother was unmarried and lived with their mother. The brothers worked hard in the rice fields. They began early in the morning and finished late at night.

Summer ended and it became fall—time to harvest the rice. It was a good year and both brothers harvested a lot of rice. The older brother looked at his rice and was happy. Then he thought, “ My younger brother looks after our mother. Maybe he needs more rice. ”

That night, the older brother waited until everyone had gone to sleep. He took three bundles of rice and secretly carried them to his brother’s field. On that same night, the younger brother thought, “ My older brother is married and has a family. Maybe he needs some extra rice. ” He carried three bundles of rice to his older brother’s field.

The next morning, both brothers awakened early. When they came to the fields, they checked on their rice. “ What?” they both thought. “ Yesterday I had twenty bundles of rice. Last night I took some bundles to my brother’s, but today I still have twenty bundles of rice. Was it all a dream?”

During the day, the brothers worked hard in the fields. That night, the older brother took some more bundles of rice to his younger brother’s field. He thought, “ My younger brother must find a wife. He should have lots of rice. ”