​​The Golden Vat​​

Once upon a time, there was an old farmer living at the foot of a mountain. He cultivated a small plot of barren land and managed to get by on his own.

One day, while digging under a rock, he unearthed a tiny golden vat. He hurried home with it and poured a handful of millet inside. For days, he ate from the vat, but the millet never seemed to diminish. Puzzled, he began scooping out grains with a ladle. He filled every container he owned, yet the vat remained full. So, he packed the millet into sacks and distributed it to poor villagers, allowing them to eat their fill and avoid toiling for the greedy landlord.

Word soon reached the landlord. Enraged, he stormed into the farmer’s hut with two lackeys, accusing the old man of stealing the vat. "Hand it over!" he bellowed. The farmer clutched the vat and shouted, "Take one step closer, and I’ll smash it!" Fearing the loss of such a treasure, the landlord backed off, snarling, "Fine, keep it—for now!" and slunk away.

But the landlord schemed again. He bribed the county magistrate, claiming the vat was his stolen property. When the magistrate heard it was a magical vat, he ordered his guards to arrest the farmer and seize the vat.

In the courtroom, the magistrate’s eyes lit up greedily. He poured millet from the vat—but the more he poured, the more it refilled. Delighted, he tossed a silver coin inside. Pulling one out, another appeared. Soon, he abandoned the trial entirely, frantically plundering coins. Chaos erupted as guards and onlookers clamored around.

Hearing the commotion, the magistrate’s elderly father rushed in. Impatient with his son’s slow pace, he dove into the vat himself. The magistrate yanked him out—but another identical father emerged, then another, and another. Soon, the hall overflowed with indistinguishable old men.

Desperate, the magistrate ordered the vat smashed. But now, how could he tell his real father from the copies? He shouted, "Father!" and every old man answered. Overwhelmed by rage and terror, the magistrate collapsed and died.

The golden vat’s magic vanished, leaving the wicked to reap their folly—and the poor to live free at last.