每天五分钟听经典英文故事,读绘本,磨耳朵。这是一个关于忠诚与虚伪的友谊的故事,善良的小汉斯被所谓的朋友利用,最终酿成悲剧。
By the pond, the old water rat said: there is nothing in the world nobler than devoted friendship
The linnet asked him what a devoted friend should do
The water rat answered without hesitation: be devoted to me, of course
Hearing this, the linnet began to tell the story of little Hans
Little Hans lived in a tiny cottage at the edge of the village, with a beautiful garden in front
In spring, summer, and autumn, flowers bloomed one patch after another
He took his flowers and fruit to the market to sell, trading them for bread and a little pocket money
Among all his friends, the one who talked most about being "devoted" was the miller, Hugh
Hugh was very rich
His mill was stacked with sacks of flour
He kept cows and sheep at home, and he burned a warm stove in winter
But every time he passed little Hans's garden, he picked a big bunch of flowers and pulled up handfuls of sweet herbs
When the fruit ripened, he stuffed his pockets full of plums and cherries
He always said: true friends ought to share everything
When little Hans heard this, he felt very proud to have such a friend
Winter came, and the garden lay empty
Little Hans had no flowers to sell
He shivered with cold and often went to bed on an empty stomach
One by one, he sold his silver buttons, his silver chain, his big pipe, and finally even his wheelbarrow, just to buy food
But the whole winter long, Hugh never once came to see him
Hugh sat by his own warm fire and said: a person in trouble ought to be left alone
A friend should not disturb him at such a time
When spring came and Hans had flowers to give again, then he would truly make Hans happy
Spring arrived, and the primroses bloomed
Hugh came down the hill carrying a large basket and finally visited little Hans's garden
Little Hans was overjoyed
He said he was planning to sell the primroses so he could buy back his wheelbarrow
As soon as Hugh heard this, he jumped in: Hans, I'll give you my wheelbarrow
The wheelbarrow was broken on one side, and the spokes had cracks too
But little Hans's face still lit up
He said he had a plank of wood in his cottage that could fix it
Hugh said at once: oh, that plank would be just the thing to patch my barn roof
I have already promised you the wheelbarrow, so giving me the plank would be a fair exchange between friends
Hans did not hesitate
He ran inside and dragged the plank out
After the plank was taken away, Hugh handed over his basket again and told Hans to fill it with flowers
Hans knew that if all his flowers were gone, he would never get his silver buttons back
But Hugh reminded him that a true friend should not be so selfish
Little Hans was afraid Hugh would think less of him
So he picked every last primrose and stuffed the big basket full
Hugh carried the plank and the flowers and walked back up the hill
Hans stayed alone in the garden, thinking about the wheelbarrow he had not yet received, and felt happy again
The next day, Hugh arrived carrying a sack of flour and told Hans to take it to the market for him
Hans had been planning to nail up the vines, water the flowers, and tidy the grass
But Hugh said: look, I am about to give you my wheelbarrow
If you refuse me now, that would be very unfriendly of you
Without a second word, Hans hoisted the flour onto his shoulder and set off
The road was hot and dusty
He was so tired that when he reached the sixth milestone, he had to stop and catch his breath
But he sold the flour anyway and brought all the money back
The next day, Hugh came to collect the money
Seeing Hans still in bed, he accused him of being lazy
Hans tried to explain that he was simply exhausted
But Hugh said: a true friend tells you hard truths
If I do not say it, who will
Then he sent Hans off to mend the barn roof
Hans's flowers had gone two days without water
How he longed to go back to his garden
But the wheelbarrow weighed on his mind
So he climbed onto the roof and worked all day long
When the sun went down, Hugh only said: working for others is the most pleasant work of all
After that, Hugh sent him to drive the sheep up the mountain, then on a long errand, then to help at the mill
Little Hans's garden slowly fell into ruin
The flower stems drooped, the weeds grew tall
Sometimes he felt so sad, as if the flowers themselves thought they had been forgotten
But every time, he told himself: the miller is my best friend
Besides, he promised me a wheelbarrow
One stormy night, a knock came at the door
Little Hans opened it and saw Hugh standing outside, holding a lantern in one hand and a walking stick in the other
Hugh said his little son had fallen from a ladder and was badly hurt
The doctor lived far away, and the night was so dreadful
So it would be best if Hans went to fetch the doctor
After all, Hugh was about to give him the wheelbarrow, so it was only fair that Hans did something for him in return
Hans agreed at once
He asked only one thing: the night was so dark he was afraid of falling into a ditch
Could Hugh lend him the lantern
Hugh said: no
This is a new lantern, and if anything happened to it, I would suffer a great loss
Little Hans said nothing more
He put on his thick coat, his red cap, and wrapped his scarf around his neck, then stepped out into the wind and rain
The night was so dark he could barely see the road, and the wind nearly knocked him over
After walking for three hours, he finally knocked on the doctor's door
The doctor lit his own lantern, mounted his horse, and rode toward the mill
Little Hans ran behind the horse
But the rain grew heavier and the wind grew fiercer
He could not see where he was stepping, and he could not keep up with the horse
Then he lost his way and stumbled into the wilderness
The place was full of deep pits
The next day, some shepherds found him
He was floating in a deep pool of water, with no breath left in him
At the funeral, many people from the village came
Everyone had loved little Hans
Hugh came too
He said he was Hans's best friend, so naturally he deserved to stand at the front of the procession
After the funeral, everyone gathered at the inn
The blacksmith sighed: little Hans's death is a great loss to all of us
Hugh replied: especially to me
I had practically given him my wheelbarrow
Now that he is dead, I really do not know what to do with that broken thing
It just sits in the way at home, and it is so battered I could not sell it for more than a few coins
Then he added: from now on, I will never give anything away so easily again
People always suffer for their generosity

