The Gold Colt and the Fire Dragon Shirt-3

Bigmouth replied, "There's an old proverb which says, 'The proof of the pudding is in the

eating.' If you don't believe me, allow me to arrange a demonstration."

He asked Skinflint to set up a burner and light some incense. Meanwhile, he himself held a

plate below the horse's behind. He secretly pulled out the wad of cotton and the tiny silver

ingots fell jingling onto the plate. On seeing the horse perform like this, Skinflint asked

avidly, "How much does he produce a day?"

"Three or four taels a day for us less lucky folk," replied Bigmouth. "But the old man in my

dream said that if he meets a really lucky person he produces thirty or forty."

Skinflint thought to himself, "I must be one of those. Supposing I get the horse, he is

bound to produce at least twenty taels a day. That means six hundred taels a month and seven

thousand two hundred taels a year."

The longer his sums became, the fonder he GREw of the horse. He decided that he must buy

him, and talked it over with Bigmouth.

At first Bigmouth pretended to be unwilling. Skinflint tried again and again to persuade him

and promised to pay any price he asked. In the end Bigmouth sighed and said, "Oh well, so be

it. My luck is evidently worse than yours. I'll sell. But I don't want silver or gold, just

give me thirty bushels of grain."

Skinflint considered the price very cheap and readily aGREed. They made the exchange then

and there.

Bigmouth hurried back with the grain and distributed it among his fellow peasants. They were

all very happy to have it. Skinflint, for his part, felt even happier to have the horse, and

just couldn't stop chuckling to himself. He was afraid of losing the horse, however, and

tried to tie him up in a GREat many places, but none of them seemed safe enough. Finally, he

tied him up in his own living room. He laid a red carpet on the floor and set up an incense

burner. The whole family watched the colt in eager anticipation, expecting him any minute to

start producing silver and gold.