44. SWEEPING SNAILS

　　 In 1567, Han Shineng of Changzhou, Jiangsu dreamed that a god in shining golden armor told him, "Congratulations! I bear good news. You will be promoted to the highest rank in the government."

　　Even though he was dreaming, Han couldn't believe it. "Why is that?" he asked the god.　

　　"It's like this," the god said. "Your honored grandfather, Han Yungchun, was poor. Yet even though he did not have enough money for his family, he delighted in releasing animals. Every morning when the sun comes up, he goes to the stream near your house with a broom. You know those snails they call 'spiral lions,' and how they wander away from the stream at night. Your grandfather sweeps up the spiral lions and puts them back into the stream where they're safe, and nobody will step on them by accident. Sometimes when he was too poor to buy anything to eat, he would sweep the stream for miles to keep his mind off his hunger. In this way, he saved thousands and thousands of spiral lions.
　　"People used to laugh at him.'Can't you find anything better to do with your time?'some people said. Others asked, 'If you're so hungry, why don't you eat the snails? Everybody knows they're tasty!' Most people just sneer and call him a fool, but he doesn't mind a bit. He just does what he feels is right. He doesn't think it's necessary to pay attention to what people say about him. And any way,every time he puts the spiral lions safely back into the water, he has a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. He feels happy, and that kind of happiness can't be bought with any amount of money.
　
　　"Your grandfather has done this for over forty years now. He has saved so many lives that not only has he earned great fortune for himself, but also his luck will carry over to his children and grandchildren for many generations. You will benefit from your grandfather's kindness."
　　There the dream stopped. Han Shineng threw himself into his work, and sure enough, he gradually rose to higher and higher posts, until he finally reached the highest position in the whole Chinese empire. He was even sent to Korea on a special mission. He was important and powerful, and his family prospered for many generations. This was because his grandfather had been such a kind man.

44. 扫螺蛳

　　1567年的时候，江苏常州有个叫韩世能的人，有一天，他梦到一个穿着金甲的神对他说，“恭喜啊！我给你带来了好消息，你将会得到晋升，成为朝廷里地位最高的官员。”

　　尽管是在做梦，韩还是不敢相信。“为什么？”他问那个神。

　　“是这样的，”神说，“尊祖父，韩阳春，是个穷人。尽管没有足够的钱养家，他还是以放生为乐。每天太阳刚升起来的时候，他就拿着一把扫帚，去你家旁边 的小溪边。你知道那些被叫做’ 螺蛳’的动物吧，它们晚上会迷失方向，离开小溪。你的祖父把这些螺蛳扫在一起，把它们送回溪里，它们在那儿才比较安全，不会被人无意中踩碎。有时候他穷得 没钱买东西吃，于是就沿着河整里整里地扫螺蛳，才能忘记饥饿。就这样，他救了成千上万的螺蛳。”

　　“人们常常笑话他，‘你就不能拿你的时间来做一些好事吗？’一些人这么说”。另一些人说，’如果你真的很饿，为什么不吃螺蛳呢？人人都知道螺蛳很好 吃！’大多数人都鄙视他，叫他笨蛋，但是他一点也不介意。只要他觉得是对的，他就一直做下去。他觉得没必要介意人家说什么。而且，每当他把蜗牛安全地送回 水里，他就有深深的满足感。他觉得很快乐，而这种快乐是用多少钱都买不到的。
　　“你的祖父坚持了四十多年。他救了那么多生命，所以不仅仅给他自己带来好运，他的福泽还延续到他子子孙孙。你也受益于你祖父的善行。”

　　梦到这里就结束了。韩世能努力工作，不出所料，他的官越升越高，最后他得到了朝廷里最高的官衔。他甚至还被派遣到韩国去执行任务。他位高权重，而且子孙后代都人丁兴旺。这都是因为他的祖父是那么好的一个人。