The Date Pit

Once upon a time, in a small village called Wujiazhuang, there lived an old man named Lao Li with his wife. They didn’t live in wealth, but they weren’t poor either. They even ate rice occasionally. But they had one sorrow—they had no children, though they longed for a child of their own.

One evening, Lao Li said to his wife:
"Ah, old woman, if only we could have a little son, even if he were as small as a date fruit."
And would you believe it! Heaven soon granted them a boy, and indeed, he was no bigger than a date. The old couple rejoiced and named their son Zao-he—Date Pit.

Years passed, but Zao-he didn’t grow even a little. He remained the size of a date pit.

One day, Lao Li looked at his son, sighed deeply, and said:
"Zao-he, Zao-he! What’s the use of raising you? You’ll never be of any help to me! I was so happy when you were born, but now it seems for nothing."
His wife chimed in:
"Every time I look at you, I just feel sad."
Zao-he cheerfully replied:
"Don’t be sad, mother, and don’t despair, father! I may be small, but I’m capable! Take me to the fields, father."

Zao-he was clever and hardworking. He quickly learned to plow, drive mules, and gather firewood—always collecting more than anyone else. Being small, he could squeeze into places others wouldn’t dare to go. And with a single leap, he could jump onto a roof.

The neighbors praised Zao-he endlessly, holding him up as an example to their own children:
"Look at Zao-he—small but quick! And you! Lazy, even though you’ve grown so big."
Lao Li and his wife were overjoyed, and who could blame them? Not only was their son diligent and agile, but he was also exceptionally clever.

Here’s what happened to him one day.
One year, there was a drought, and the peasants couldn’t harvest a single grain from their fields. They had nothing to eat, and on top of that, the local magistrate demanded taxes. The peasants had no way to pay, so the magistrate ordered his guards to seize all the cows and mules from the village.

The guards took the livestock, and the village was filled with cries and wailing. Zao-he watched and listened, then said:
"Don’t despair, everyone. I’ve figured out how to get our cows and mules back."
The villagers didn’t believe him and replied:
"You’re so small, yet you make such big promises!"
Zao-he didn’t argue. That evening, he ran to the magistrate’s courtyard, where the cows and mules were tied up. He jumped over the wall, waited until the guards fell asleep, and then climbed into a donkey’s ear.
The donkey began to bray: "E-he... e-he!" The guards jumped up and rushed over, but there was no one there. They had no idea someone had crawled into the donkey’s ear.

Before they could lie down again, the donkey brayed once more. One of the guards said:
"Don’t pay attention! Who knows why the donkey’s making noise? Let’s just go back to sleep."
This was exactly what Zao-he wanted. He waited until the guards were asleep, opened the gate, and drove the livestock back to the village.

When the peasants saw their cows and mules, they were overjoyed. The next morning, the magistrate found out what had happened and was furious. He gathered his guards and went to the village to punish the peasants.
Zao-he saw them coming and ran out to meet the magistrate, saying:
"It was me who took the cows and mules yesterday. Do whatever you want with me!"
The magistrate shouted:
"Tie him up at once!"

The guards grabbed an iron chain and tried to bind Zao-he, but where could they catch him? He slipped through the chain’s loop, laughing as the guards struggled. The magistrate thought and thought, then finally came up with a plan: he ordered Zao-he to be put in a bag and taken to the magistrate’s office for trial. The guards brought the boy to a large hall.

The magistrate ordered the bag to be opened, pointed at Zao-he, and said:
"Beat him, and don’t hold back!"
The guards each took a stick and began to strike, but they couldn’t hit Zao-he. Every time they swung, he jumped to another spot. They swung here, and Zao-he was already there. They couldn’t handle the little Date Pit!

The magistrate turned green with rage, stomping his feet and shouting:
"Bring more men and more sticks, you turtle brats!"
Zao-he jumped again—this time, right onto the magistrate. He grabbed the magistrate’s mustache and began to swing back and forth like a swing. The magistrate forgot everything and screamed:
"There he is, there he is, grab him, beat him!"
A guard swung his stick at Zao-he but hit the magistrate instead, knocking out his teeth and sending him tumbling to the floor. Everyone in the hall rushed to the magistrate, trying to help him up and calm him down. In the chaos, Zao-he jumped out the window, climbed onto the roof, and laughed, saying:
"That’s what you get! That’s what you get for taking the livestock from poor peasants!"

↑ To the top

The Date Pit

More fairy tales