A
happy family, Mother, Father and Son, lived on the outskirts of the city in a
small house. Parents doted on their son. He was quiet and calm.
The
father died when the son was 4 years old. Left alone, Mother decided at all
costs to give the son the best education. So, he can enter high society. She
worked two jobs and gave all the money she saved to her son's studies.
The
son studied in the best schools, where only children from wealthy families were
educated. The son was unsociable. He never had friends, never invited his
classmates because he was ashamed of his poverty.
When the son finished school, he
disappeared somewhere. Mother did not know anything about him for a while. She
was very grieved, but in her heart she hoped that he was alive. Then someone
told her that the son lives pretty far from the city, that he is a well-to-do
man, he has a big house and hundreds of acres of land.
Mother
baked bread for the road and went to visit Son. She walked for a few days and
finally saw the beautiful big house she was told about. She knocked on the
door. The Son opened it. When he saw the mother he got totally lost and did not
know what to say and what to do. He thought for a while, and then led her to
the building deep in the yard. The building consisted of two large rooms. One
of the rooms was a chicken coop. Another one was filled up with the sacks of
grain and feed for chickens. In the corner was a trestle bed with a hay
mattress.
-
You live here for now, and later we will see, - said the son.
The
tired mother lay down on the trestle bed. After a while, the son came and said:
- Granddaughters
can see you, but do not tell anyone that you are my mother.
Three girls came to her every day. They were nice, sweet, and cute, just Angels. The girls immediately became attached to her. She told them fairy tales and even played with them hide and seek and tag games in the yard. She was at the peak of happiness, but after a few days her bread ran out and she had to return home. The little angels were terribly upset by this news.
The mother came several times in the summer and lived as long as last out the bread brought by her. Those were happy days for her and for the Angels. When the cold came, she could no longer come. In bad, freezing weather, in a blizzard, her shelter was lent for a big fee to the passers-by.
From the stories of girls, as well as other people, Mother gradually formed a picture of the life of her Son. He married a well-to-do woman, who had this big rich house. The house was filled up with vases, sculptures, and a lot of different rubbish. The wife went to various exhibitions and sales and bought what she liked there. The wife made it a condition that there should never be anyone's leg in their house because the visitors might break or even steal something. The cook who lived in the kitchen had access only to the dining room.
The son was quite successful in management, and every year he could buy more and more land.
There was a Sage in the city, loved and respected, although he lived in a barrel and fed on alms. The simple life gave him time and freedom to think. It was his favorite pastime and he was happy. Once he was asked: "What is the most precious thing in the world?" He replied: "Freedom of speech." The Sage did not have a family, but there were disciples who adored him. One of his students, a rich one, sold his entire fortune and gave the money to the poor in order to live like his teacher.
Once during her travels, the wife heard about Sage. At first, she refused to believe that such a loser could be happy and respected. But on reflection, the wife decided to break her ban on visiting the house, invite the loser and show him how to live. His arrival will be an advertisement for her home and her acquisitions. At first, the Sage did not agree. He never accepted any invitation, but after people told him about the family, he made an exception. Upon his return, the Sage said: "Lost sheep. Stupid, wasted life!"
