The Tree of False Hope

Once upon a time, in a faraway, ancient village, there lived a hardworking farmer. Every single day, he would head out to his fields, digging and planting from the moment the sun peeked over the hills until the sky turned dark and starry.

One afternoon, while the farmer was working the soil as always, a wild hare suddenly dashed out from behind him! Startled by the farmer, the poor little hare panicked. It zigzagged this way and that, running blindly until—THWACK!—it crashed right into a giant tree at the edge of the field and fell completely still.

The farmer blinked in surprise. He walked over to the tree and saw that the little hare was dead. As he gently picked it up, a delighted smile spread across his face.

"Well, isn't this my lucky day!" he thought to himself. "I didn't even have to lift a finger, and I caught a plump hare. I bet I can sell this at the market for a pretty penny!"

He dropped his rake and hoe right there, marched off to the town market, and sure enough, sold the hare for a wonderful price.

As he jingled the shiny coins in his pocket on the walk home, a tempting thought crept into his mind: "If I can just pick up a hare every single day, I’d never have to do this exhausting farm work ever again!"

From that day forward, the farmer completely stopped working. He didn't plant seeds, and he didn't pull weeds. Instead, he found a comfy spot right next to that big tree, sat down, and waited for the next hare to deliver itself right to his feet.

Days turned into weeks. The farmer sat and sat, his eyes glued to the tall grass, just waiting for another hare to come hopping by. But no matter how long he waited, not a single hare ever crashed into that tree again.

Because he completely neglected his crops, the plants began to droop and wither away. Soon, thick, prickly weeds took over, turning his once-beautiful farm into a messy wasteland.

When the crisp autumn air finally arrived, all the other farmers in the village were happily busy gathering their crops. Their wagons were overflowing, and their faces beamed with the joy of a wonderful harvest.

But our farmer? He had absolutely nothing. His field was completely bare—not a single grain of rice to be found—and suddenly, the truth hit him. Sitting by the edge of his ruined, empty field, the farmer felt a deep ache of regret.

He had finally learned his lesson. "Good luck isn't something that magically happens every day," he sighed. "I was foolish to give up my hard work just because of one lucky accident. The only way to truly earn a reward is to roll up your sleeves and do the work."