ExclusiveTraditional Chinese Tales：A Barrel of Oil and a Cart of Oil

A barrel of oil and a cart of oil. Once upon a time, there was a feeble-minded orphan. When he was about 15 or 16 years old, a wealthy man in the village noticed his naivete and said, Why don't you herd my cattle? You'll have food and a place to stay at my house. The orphan asked, What will you pay me? The wealthy man replied, I'll give you one cow for each year you work. The orphan thought, That sounds good. I have nowhere else to go anyway. So he agreed to work for the wealthy man. The wealthy man added, After you've done with all of your working years, I'll pay you all at once. The orphan agreed. He herded cattle for the landowner for 30 years. As he had grown old and could no longer work, he said to the landowner, I'm old now and can't work anymore. Please calculate my wages so I can leave. Realizing he owed the orphan 30 cows, the landowner thought, I only have a little over 30 cows. If I give him 30, I won't have any left. So he told the orphan, You misunderstood. I didn't promise you one, told new head of cattle per year. I said that after you finished working for me, I'd give you one tong yo, a barrel of oil. The orphan said, That's fine. Just give me a barrel of oil. He took the barrel and left wondering where to take it. He remembered there was a temple on Nanshan South Mountain. Thinking it was a good idea, he decided to go there to donate the oil as an offering. Even before he arrived, the abbot of the temple knew he was coming and instructed the junior monks. Quickly clean the rooms, spread yellow earth on the paths and sprinkle clean water on the streets. Tomorrow, we're welcoming a great benefactor. The junior monks did as they were told. The next morning, the monks lined up outside the temple in two rows to welcome the honored guests. They waited all morning but saw no one. By noon, they saw the great benefactor arriving, carrying a barrel of oil. The young monks whispered amongst themselves, Has our abbot gone mad? Someone bringing a barrel of oil is considered a great benefactor? The orphan entered the temple and donated the oil. The abbot said to him, stay here tonight and I'll show you something special. The orphan agreed. The next morning, the abbot asked him, what did you dream about last night? The orphan replied, I had a very clear dream. I saw a young man who passed the imperial examinations and became a high ranking official. He was riding in an eight carrier sedan chair with gongs sounding and escorts leading the way. It was very grand. The abbot said, that is your next life. You will be reborn as that high official. The orphan left the temple and went back to the landowner's house to collect his belongings. The landowner asked, what did you do with that barrel of oil? The orphan said, I donated it to the temple. The abbot even showed me something special, saying that in my next life, I'll become a high official with gongs sounding and escorts leading the way. Hearing this, the landowner thought, just for a barrel of oil, he gets to be a high official. Tomorrow, I'll go to the temple too. I'll donate a cart of oil. I wanna become an emperor. Before the landowner arrived, the abbot had instructed the junior monks to clean the rooms again saying, tomorrow, a minor benefactor is coming. The next day, the landowner brought a cart of oil to the temple. The junior monks were puzzled. We don't understand. How is someone donating a cart of oil considered a minor benefactor while someone donating a barrel is a great benefactor? The landowner donated the oil and said to the abbot, I want to stay tonight and see something special. The abbot agreed. The next morning, after waking up, the abbot asked the landowner, what did you dream about last night? The landowner said, I dreamed of a black pig rooting around in the muddy pig pen. It was filthy. The abbot said, that is your next life. The landowner panicked. What should I do? Please have mercy and help me. I'd rather be reborn as a poor human than as a pig destined for slaughter. The abbot said, then you must promise me one thing. Go home and smash your undersized measuring bucket. Stop cheating others by giving less when selling and taking more when buying. The landowner agreed and went home and smashed the undersized bucket. Then he returned to the temple to stay another night. The next morning, the abbot asked again, what did you dream about last night? The landowner said, I saw a lame man with a begging bowl and a cane begging on the street. The abbot said, that is your next life. The landowner pleaded, abbot, can't you help me one more time? The abbot replied, I can no longer help you.