Once upon a time, in a small, peaceful village, there lived a kind-hearted old man. One day, while gathering grass on the nearby mountain, the old man decided to take a break and enjoy his lunch. As he was eating his rice ball, it accidentally slipped from his hand, tumbling down the steep hill. The old man quickly ran after it, but the rice ball rolled straight into a large hole in the ground. Peering into the hole, the old man was surprised to hear cheerful singing coming from inside.
The Generous Mice and the Unexpected Gift
Intrigued by the singing, the old man crawled into the hole to investigate. Inside, he discovered a family of mice joyfully munching on the rice ball he had lost. The mice, noticing the old man, quickly apologized: "Is this rice ball yours? We're sorry, it was just too delicious, and we ate it all!" The old man kindly forgave them and smiled. To make amends for their mistake, the mice offered him a gift. They gave him a bundle of gold coins and some delicious rice cakes as a token of their gratitude. Grateful for their generosity, the old man accepted the gift and left the hole to return home.
The Greedy Neighbor’s Downfall
When a greedy neighbor learned about the old man’s good fortune, he became envious and decided to try his luck. He climbed the mountain the next day, dropped his rice ball down the same hole, and crawled inside, hoping for a similar reward. Inside, he heard the familiar cheerful singing of the mice. However, when the mice saw him, they refused to offer him any gifts, as they had done for the old man. Furious, the greedy man tried to intimidate the mice by mimicking the sound of a cat’s meow, hoping they would give him their treasure.
The mice, frightened, quickly scurried out of the hole, leaving the greedy man trapped inside. Unable to find his way out, the greedy man learned the hard way that greed would only lead to his downfall.
