The Fishing Rod

Once upon a time, there lived an important official with his son.

The official was very wise, but his son was even wiser. Therefore, the father never started any task without consulting his son. One day, the official wanted to go fishing. He called his son and began to ask for advice on how long to make the fishing rod.

"The longer, the better," the son said after some thought.

So the official ordered two servants:
"Make me a bamboo fishing rod by tomorrow... six zhang and six chi long."

The servants bowed respectfully and backed out of the room. But as soon as they crossed the threshold and found themselves in the courtyard, they squatted down and burst into laughter. A maid who was washing clothes approached them, and upon learning what had happened, she also started laughing. Soon, everyone in the official's household was laughing—from the elderly gatekeeper to the young kitchen boy.

Nevertheless, they did as the master ordered. By morning, the fishing rod was ready. What a rod it was! It didn’t fit along the courtyard—they had to lay it diagonally.

The official took the rod, slung it over his shoulder, and set off with his son to go fishing. They passed one street, turned onto another, and approached the city wall. That’s when the trouble began. The official walked through the gate, but the rod wouldn’t fit. It got stuck on the upper beam of the gate, preventing the official from going further. The official was at a loss, but his son said:

"Don’t worry, Father, I’ll think of something."

He sat down on a stone to think more comfortably, while the official stood nearby with the rod, waiting. After some time, the son said:

"We need to turn the rod sideways through the gate."

They turned the rod sideways, but even then, it wouldn’t fit.

The official was completely disheartened. The son began thinking again, this time for even longer.

Finally, he slapped his forehead and said:

"Now I’ve found the right way! I’ll climb onto the wall, and you’ll hand me the rod. Then you’ll pass through the gate, and I’ll hand it back to you."

With these words, he began climbing the city wall. But the wall was high, and his fingers kept slipping on the smooth stones or losing their grip on the barely noticeable ledges. After struggling for half an hour or more, he said in frustration:

"No, we can’t do it without a ladder!"

The official looked around and saw a boy nearby, watching them with interest.

"Come here, boy," the official said with dignity, beckoning him with a finger. When the boy approached, the official asked:

"Do you know where my house is?"
"Of course I do," the boy replied briskly.
"Well, then run there and bring a big ladder. For that, I’ll give you three copper coins."
"Oh, sir! Consider your order done," the boy replied, holding out his hand for the coins.
"But I don’t see the ladder yet," said the official.
"Let’s think about this properly," the boy began. "Why do you need the ladder? To climb the wall. And why climb the wall? To get the fishing rod to the other side of the gate. So, if I get the rod to the other side without a ladder, I deserve the same reward—or maybe even more, honorable sir—as if I had actually brought the ladder."

The official, who didn’t understand a thing, looked at his son. The son furrowed his brow and said:

"This boy is exceptionally dull. Give him three coins in advance—maybe he’ll become more sensible and actually bring the ladder."

The boy laughed, deftly caught the coins, tucked them into his cheek, grabbed the thin end of the rod, and dragged it through the gate.

"The boy isn’t as stupid as he seems," said the official.
"That’s because the unlearned always remain unlearned," the son said contemptuously. "Such ignoramuses don’t know how to think and do even the most complicated things too simply."

And, pleased with each other, the father and son headed to the river. As for whether they caught anything with the rod—that’s none of our business.

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The Fishing Rod

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