手机版

The Substitute Son-in-law

阅读 :

  Once upon a time, in a remote village there lived a man of nobility who was poor but proud. He had a daughter, his only child, who had reached a marriageable age. He wanted to get her married to a promising young man. So, one day he set out on a journey in search for a suitable young man for his future son-in-law.

  He visited sudangs one after another, hoping to find a young man for his daughter. One evening, he came to a sudang, where he was received as an overnight guest. While young aspiring scholars are working on their evening studies, he was observing each one of them with purposeful eyes. He finally found a handsome and promising young man. Rejoiced, he opened his heart to the tutor, who gladly accepted his proposal. The young man, the tutor told him, was his own son. Then and there, an auspicious day for the wedding was chosen.

  Returning home with the good news, father of the bride-to-be was waiting for that happy wedding day for his daughter. That day finally arrived. As it was customary, the bridegroom was coming to the bride's house for the wedding. But her father noticed that the bridegroom was not the young man he had chosen, but a stranger who looked ugly and unintelligent. What could a yahngban, an aristocrat, do? He was bewildered and awfully disappointed, but thought that there was no other decent way available than marrying his daughter off to that disappointing young man. Father was heartbroken but tried to console himself, thinking: “Well, if she was born under a lucky star, she will manage to live happily despite all this.”

  This young man was not the tutor's son; he was the tutor's servant boy. The tutor had been taking care of this boy since he lost both of his parents. Since the boy was found to be good for nothing more worthwhile, the tutor had him collect firewood for his family. Though the boy reached a marriageable age, no one ever wanted him as a son-in-law. So, the sudang tutor had decided to marry the boy, instead of his son, off to the girl.

  Five years went by since his daughter's marriage. Her father was anxious to see his only daughter and how she was managing. One day he went to her place for a visit and found that she seemed to be living much better than he had expected. Nevertheless, still feeling sorry for her about what had happened to her wedding, he told her he was very sorry. She told her father that he had nothing to regret and that she was in fact quite happy. And she showed him what she and her husband had in a large chest. The chest was full of money. “How did you get all that money?” asked father, showing a visible sign of concern. “Don't worry, Father. He has earned all this by diligently collecting and selling firewood all these years.” After a while, father heard a grunting sound outside; his son-in-law had just returned from the mountain and was unloading firewood collected that day. Now, the once ugly and stupid-looking young man looked dependable and promising.

  Ten more years had passed. His son-in-law became a very rich man. Now he decided to put his A-frame carrier away and study. He went into a secluded mountain hut to study single-mindedly. After three years of hard work, he passed Kwagu, the state examination, and became a respectable state official. And the couple lived happily ever after. Meanwhile, the son of the tutor lived as an aspiring scholar in poverty.

  Sudang is a private tutorial school in old days, where an old, often revered, scholar teaches Chinese classics to young people from aristocratic families in neighboring villages. These young people were aspiring scholars and many of them hoped to pass the all-important state examinations to serve kings.

  Korean

更多 英语小故事英文故事英语故事英语童话故事、少儿英语故事儿童英语故事

请继续关注 英语作文大全

少儿 英语 故事
本文标题:The Substitute Son-in-law - 英语故事_英文故事_英语小故事
本文地址:http://www.dioenglish.com/writing/story/50809.html

相关文章

  • 唇亡齿寒

    唇亡齿寒 中文唇亡齿寒春秋时候,晋献公想要扩充自己的实力和地盘,就找借口说邻近的虢(guó)国经常侵犯晋国的边境,要派兵灭了虢国。可是在晋国和虢国之间隔着一个虞国,讨 伐虢国必须经过虞地。“怎样才能顺利通过虞国呢?”...

    2019-01-22 英语故事
  • 中国成语寓言故事10:Exchanging the Ox for a Sheep以羊易牛(双语)

    One day, seated in the ancestral hall, King Hui of Liang saw a man leading an ox pass by. He asked: 一天,梁惠王坐在庙堂上,看到堂下有一个人牵着一头牛走过,便问道: "Where are you taking the ox?"...

    2018-11-07 英语故事
  • 古德明英语军事小故事:黄 色 报 刊 (中英对照)

    古德明《征服英语》之英语军事故事,古德明,香港英语教育作家,他开了一个《征服英语专栏》,在专栏中专门用英语写了世界近代史上的军事小故事,用英...

    2018-11-07 英语故事
  • The Fairy Tulips

      ONCE upon a time there was a good old woman who lived in a little house. She had in her garden a bed of beautiful striped tulips.  One night she was wakened by the sounds of sweet singing an...

    2018-12-12 英语故事
  • 那些给我智慧和勇气的寓言故事64:有裂痕的罐子

    每天读一点英文之那些给我智慧和勇气的寓言故事(寓言篇)64 The Cracked Water Pot 有裂痕的罐子A water bearer in India had two large pots...

    2018-11-07 英语故事
  • 格林童话(28)

    Grimms' Fairy Tales THE LITTLE PEASANT There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He had not eve...

    2018-12-12 英语故事
  • 古德明英语军事小故事:母仪天下(中英对照)

    古德明《征服英语》之英语军事故事,古德明,香港英语教育作家,他开了一个《征服英语专栏》,在专栏中专门用英语写了世界近代史上的军事小故事,用英...

    2018-10-30 英语故事
  • 小蝌蚪找妈妈

    小蝌蚪找妈妈 Todpole's Mummy更多 英语小故事、英文故事、英语故事、英语童话故事、少儿英语故事、儿童英语故事,请继续关注 英语作文大全少儿英语 故事...

    2018-12-12 英语故事
  • 安徒生童话:The Days of the Week

      The days of the week once wanted to be free to get together and have a party. But each of the seven days was so occupied, the year around, that they had no time to spare. They wanted a whole ext...

    2018-12-12 英语故事
  • 名女人:Queen Elizabeth II英女王伊丽莎白二世(双语阅读)

    名女人:queen elizabeth ii英女王伊丽莎白二世伊丽莎白二世女王(queen elizabeth ii,1926-),原名伊丽莎白·亚历山德拉·玛丽·温莎(elizabeth alexandra mary windsor)。登基于1952年2月6日(加冕...

    2018-11-07 英语故事
你可能感兴趣