NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



259 



When he had just finished singing the song 

 the first time, a cloud appeared on the hori- 

 zon. Then he sang it a second time, and the 

 cloud covered all the sky. When he sang it 

 the third time, a heavy rain began to fall. 



Then he began to descend from the top of 

 the pile. Before he got down the poor people 

 had seized (stolen) all the gold, silver, and 

 money. 



THE STUPID SON SUCCEEDS 



A Very Stupid Boy Outwits Others (328) 



There was a family in which a son was 

 born. He was a very stupid child. The people 

 in that locality gave him the name Ts'a Ts'u 

 (stupid boy). When he had grown up, his 

 father gave him one hundred taels so he could 

 go abroad and learn to do well. 



The son took the silver and went to the 

 shore of a great river. There he saw a water 

 wheel people had made. He looked at it 

 occasionally, smiling when he looked. He 

 then said, "On the high hills we do not have 

 this queer thing. We ourselves exert (use) 

 our strength, and ourselves dig up and carry 

 water. We do not rest either by day or by 

 night." So he bought food with his silver, 

 and stayed there tens of days. 



One day a Chinese came from another place 

 to look at the water in the rice fields. He saw 

 this boy sitting there smiling and singing. He 

 then asked the boy why he was so happy. 

 The boy then told that man about his watch- 

 ing that water wheel. Then the man said, 

 "You may give me the silver, and I will take 

 a water dipper off the wheel for you, and 

 you carry it back home for me. Then you 

 take it up on your high mountain and make 

 a water wheel, and then your father will 

 certainly respect you." 



When he heard these words, he was very 



happy, and he gave the Chinese all the money 

 that was left. Then that man took a bamboo 

 cup off the water wheel and gave it to him. 

 When he received this bamboo cup, he struck 

 it on tlie palm of his hand, and the bamboo 

 cup emitted the sound, "Bong, bong, bong." 

 So he regarded it as a very strange thing and 

 carried it back home. 



On the day he arrived at home he hid in 

 their hemp field and secretly listened to learn 

 what they were doing in his home. He heard 

 his mother say, "This chicken leg is to be 

 left for my stupid son." The wife of his 

 father's older brother said, "Take good care 

 of it so the cat won't steal it and eat it." 

 Then his mother opened the cupboard and 

 carefully put away the chicken leg. 



He waited until dark before he entered his 

 home. Then he took the bamboo cup out 

 and beat it on his hand. His father asked, 

 "What are you going to do with this thing 

 that you got after going away a few tens of 

 days?" He replied, 'Tou do not know that 

 this cup of mine can talk, and can foresee 

 (foretell) things. His mother came out and 

 said, "Then you know what we have done 

 today?" Then he struck the bamboo tube on 

 his hand and listened. Then he smiled and 

 said, "My mother, right. Tonight we have a 

 chicken leg to eat." Then he told them in 

 detail what he had heard them say. Of course 



¥ 



