Princess Sparrow

A long, long time ago, there was an old couple who lived in the depths of a high mountain. Although they had different personalities, they lived a peaceful and harmonious life. The old man was a good-natured and upright person, but his wife was very greedy, and if she didn't like it, she would make a fuss.

One day the old man was sitting in front of the house resting as usual when he saw a sparrow flying towards him, and a big crow was chasing after him. The poor little thing was terrified and barked as he flew. And the big crow flew very fast, flapping its wings and stretching its mouth. It was hungry and wanted to find something to eat. But when they approached the old man, the old man jumped up and fought off the crow. The crow let out a hoarse scream of disappointment and flew high into the sky, and the little bird escaped from the enemy and landed in the old man's hands. The old man led the little sparrow into the house. He stroked its feathers and told it not to be afraid because it was safe. Feeling that its heart was still beating badly, he put it in a cage, and the little sparrow immediately jumped up and down in it. The old man likes all animals and opens the cage every morning, letting the little sparrow fly around happily. If he sees a cat or a mouse or some other ferocious animal, he will immediately go back to the cage, he knows that there is nothing in the cage to hurt him.

The old woman was always looking for something to complain about, and she saw that her husband was very fond of the bird and was very jealous. Always wanted to hurt the sparrow, but had scruples. Finally, the opportunity came one morning. Her husband was going to a town a few miles away and would not be back for a few hours. The old man did not forget to open the cage door before going out. The little sparrow jumped as usual, chirping happily, not perceiving any danger. The old woman's face grew darker and darker. She finally broke out and threw the broom at the sparrow standing on the wall shelf. The broom missed the sparrow, but fell and broke the vase on the shelf. The old woman was furious and ran after the sparrow everywhere. Finally caught the sparrow. The little sparrow was terrified, just as it was when it came here on the first day.

Now the old woman was furious, and if she dared, she would have killed the little sparrow immediately. But she just dared to cut the sparrow's tongue. The bird broke free and screamed, but no one heard it. Then, the little sparrow cried out in pain and flew out of the house and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

After a while, the old man came back and asked about his pet as soon as he entered the door. The old woman, who was still angry, told him the whole thing and scolded the old man severely for being so stupid and making a fuss about a bird. The old man was very upset and shouted that she was a ruthless bad woman who hurt an innocent bird like this. Then he left the house and went to the forest to find his pet. He walked for many hours, whistling for it, but the sparrow did not come. He went home sadly and decided to wait until dawn to look for it until he brought the stray bird back. He searched day after day, but every evening he came home disappointed. Finally he gave up, feeling that he would never see his little friend again.

One summer morning, the weather was very hot, and the old man was walking slowly under the cool big tree. He didn't know where to go, and unknowingly entered a bamboo forest. When he walked out of the bamboo forest, he found a beautiful garden in front of him. In the center of the garden was a brand new little house, and out of the house came a lovely girl, who opened the door and warmly invited him to come in and rest. "My dear old friend," she said, "how glad I am that you finally found me! I am your little sparrow, the little sparrow you saved and took good care of."

The old man grabbed her hand enthusiastically, he didn't ask any more questions, the girl pulled him into the house, set the food in front of him, and served him herself.

While the old man was eating, the maiden and her maid picked up the lute and sang and danced for him. Time passed so quickly that the old man did not notice that night had come, and he did not expect how his wife would rebuke him when he came home so late.

And just like that, singing and dancing, talking about the days when the maiden was still a sparrow jumping in and out of the cage, the night passed quickly. When the first light passed through the bamboo hedge, the old man stood up, thanked his master for the invitation, and was ready to say goodbye. "I won't let you go like this," she said, "I have a gift for you, representing my gratitude to you." With that, her servant brought in two boxes, one small, one large and heavy. "Now you choose one to take away." The old man chose the little box, put it under his cloak, and set out on the way home.

But when he was about to get home, his heart sank, because he knew how angry his wife would be and would scold him for his absence all night. The truth was worse than he thought. But long experience told him it was better to say nothing and let her vent, so he lit a cigarette and waited until she was tired. The old woman was still throwing a tantrum and didn't mean to stop. At this point her husband seemed to forget her existence, and he took the box from under his cloak and opened it. Oh! The golden light was shining in front of him! Gold and gems piled up the whole box, shining brightly in the sun. Seeing these miracles, even the scolding old woman stopped. The old woman came over, picked up the gems, and greedily put aside the biggest and most valuable ones.

Her voice softened, and she politely begged her husband to tell her where she spent the night and how he got the wealth. He told her the whole thing, and she listened in amazement. But when she heard him talk about the choice between the two boxes, she couldn't help but yell again, calling him stupid for choosing the small box. She didn't stop yelling until her husband told the way to Princess Sparrow's house. She memorized the route, put on her best clothes, and went out immediately. But because she was in a hurry, she always went the wrong way. After walking for many hours, she finally reached the small house. She went straight in the door and into the room as if it were her own home. Her presence terrified the poor girl, who was shocked to see her old enemy. However, she tried to hide her emotions and welcomed the intruder. She set out wine and food for the old woman, hoping that the old woman would leave when she was full. But it's not that simple.

Seeing that there was nothing for her, the greedy old woman said, "You will let me go without giving me a little gift?" "Of course." The girl replied, and she ordered the servant to bring in two boxes, as at the beginning. The old woman immediately grabbed the big one. She held the heavy box and staggered away into the forest without even saying goodbye.

It was a long way to her house, and with every step she took, the box seemed to get heavier and heavier. Sometimes she felt that she could never move forward, but her greed gave her strength, and she finally came to the door of the house. Tired and slumped on the threshold, but after a while she recovered, fumbling for the lock of the box. Night fell, and there was no light in the house again. The old woman couldn't wait to get her treasure, so she went to find a lamp. Finally the lock was opened, and the lid was opened, but ah! There was no gold or jewelry in it, but she saw venomous snakes with glowing eyes and spitting cores. They entangled her, injecting venom into her veins. The old woman died, and no one felt sorry for her.