The Lucky Strike
In the ancient state of Song, where fields stretched wide and the sun beat down hard, lived a farmer named Ah Fu. He wasn't known for his strong back or his early mornings. Ah Fu was known for his sighs and his ability to find a patch of shade faster than a beetle burrows into the dirt.
Farming was tough work. It meant aching backs, blistered palms, and endless hours coaxing food from stubborn soil. Ah Fu saw effort as a personal insult. He wanted rewards without the sweat.
One crisp autumn morning, a day like any other day of minimal effort, Ah Fu was listlessly pulling weeds near an old, gnarled tree stump at the edge of his field. It was a day promising little more than dust.
Suddenly, a blur of brown fur shot across his vision. A wild rabbit, startled by a hunter's distant horn, bolted through the tall grass. It ran headlong, full speed, directly into the unyielding tree stump.
Thwack! The sound was sharp. The rabbit collapsed instantly, its brief life extinguished in a single, absurd moment. It lay motionless, a perfect, plump meal, right at Ah Fu's feet.
The Grand Idea
Ah Fu stared. His eyes, usually half-closed in mild boredom, snapped wide open. He bent down, cautiously poking the still form with his toe. No trick. No twitch. Just a dead rabbit, ready for the pot, without him lifting a finger or spending a single coin.
A slow smile spread across his face, wider than any he'd worn after a good harvest. This wasn't just a rabbit. This was a sign. A sign from the heavens. A revelation!
Why toil in the fields? Why slave under the sun, planting seeds and pulling weeds, when such bounty could be had with zero effort? The answer, to Ah Fu, was brilliantly simple: you don't.
He abandoned his plow right where it stood, half-buried in the earth. He let the weeds grow. He let his crops wither. From that day on, Ah Fu’s new profession was "stump-watcher." He decided to wait.
Every morning, he shuffled out to the old stump, settled comfortably, and fixed his gaze on the field. He imagined a never-ending parade of foolish rabbits, eager to hurl themselves at his designated dinner delivery point. His neighbors watched, first with confusion, then with growing concern, and finally, with outright amusement.