第一章 塞翁失马

In ancient times, there lived an old man near the northern border. He kept several horses in his home.

One day, his son came back from herding the horses and found that one horse was missing. The horse had run across the border and disappeared.

After hearing about it, the neighbors came to comfort him: "What a pity to lose such a good horse."

The old man said, "Of course it's a pity to lose the horse. But things have just started; it's still hard to say whether it's good or bad."

The neighbors thought he was just comforting himself.

A few months later, that horse came back, and it brought back a fine horse.

The neighbors came to congratulate him: "You lost one horse but got two. This is really good luck!"

The old man looked at the new horse and said, "Of course it's good to have one more horse. But we can't tell what will happen later."

The neighbors didn't understand: "It's obviously good news, why aren't you happy?"

The old man's son liked the new horse very much and rode it out every day.

The old man reminded him, "This horse isn't familiar with the road here yet. Be careful."

The son thought his riding skills were excellent, so he didn't pay attention.

One day, the horse got startled, and the son fell off the horse's back, seriously injuring his leg.

The neighbors said again, "Indeed, good fortune has brought misfortune!"

The old man felt sorry for his son, but still said, "Of course a leg injury is not good. But the matter isn't over yet; who knows what will happen later?"

The neighbors couldn't figure it out: with a leg injured like that, what good could possibly come?

Later, a war broke out on the border. The government ordered the young men in the village to join the army.

Many young men left home for the battlefield. Because of his leg injury, the old man's son couldn't walk, so he wasn't taken away.

The war lasted a long time, and many people never returned.

The neighbors finally understood: when the horse was lost, everyone said it was misfortune, but later it brought a fine horse; when the son was injured, everyone said it was misfortune, but later it saved him from going to war. The result in front of you doesn't represent the final outcome.

Someone said to the old man, "Now it seems that your son's injury actually saved him."

He continued to feed the horses and live his life.

Although his son stayed at home, his leg still hurt when it was cold. The escaped horse had brought a good horse, the good horse caused the son's injury, and the injury kept him from going to war.

The horses in the yard lowered their heads to eat grass, and the war in the distance was not yet over.

Things were still moving forward, and no one knew what the next change would bring.

As long as life continues, there is still a chance for a turn for the better.

Later, people used the phrase "Sai Weng Lost His Horse" to mean: bad things can turn into good things, and good things can also bring bad things.