Working hard for a brighter future

Working hard for a brighter future

　In a faraway village lived a hard-working farmer with a large grape field. Year after year, his grape field gave a rich harvest¹. The farmer was very successful. He had three sons. They were young and strong but never wanted to work or help him in the field. As the farmer grew old, he began to worry about his sons’ futures.

　One day in late autumn, he became very ill. He thought that he might die soon. He called the sons to his bed and told them, “Dear sons, I see my death is near. I want to share a secret. There is treasure under the field. When I am dead, dig up the whole field to find it.”

　At the beginning of spring, the old farmer died. The sons started digging for the treasure. Determined² to find it, they spent days digging up every part of the field. They found only dirt.

　A few weeks later, after the spring rain, the grapevines³ grew better than ever. In autumn, the sons had a great harvest and made a lot of money. The sons understood what their father meant about finding treasure under the field.

Notes:

1. harvest n. 收获 2. determine v. 决定 3. grapevine n. 葡萄树