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Once, there was an old man who lived with his son in a quiet village. Together, they raised horses and enjoyed riding them through the countryside. One day, one of their finest horses broke free and ran away into a distant land. The neighbors, hearing about this, rushed to the old man’s house to offer their sympathy.
"Oh, what bad luck! Losing such a valuable horse!" they exclaimed. But the old man didn’t seem sad at all. He smiled softly and said, “Who knows? Maybe losing the horse isn’t such bad luck after all.”
The villagers were puzzled by his words but left him alone.
Weeks passed, and to everyone’s surprise, the horse returned. Not only that, but it brought along a strong and beautiful wild horse. The neighbors, excited by this stroke of good fortune, came running back to congratulate the old man.
"You’re so lucky! Now you have two fine horses!" they cheered. But the old man didn’t look as happy as they expected. Instead, he replied, “Who knows? This new horse may not bring such good fortune.”
The villagers were even more confused but said nothing.
The old man’s son loved to ride horses, and he was eager to try out the new one. One day, he rode it through the fields. But suddenly, the wild horse was startled and threw him off its back. The young man fell hard and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came to the old man’s house, this time with words of comfort.
"We’re so sorry about your son’s injury. What a terrible misfortune!" they said. But the old man simply shrugged and replied, “Who knows? Perhaps it’s not as bad as it seems.”
The villagers shook their heads in disbelief. They thought the old man was too sad to understand what had happened.
Not long after, a war broke out, and the emperor’s soldiers came to the village to take all the young men to fight. Many young men were forced to go, but the old man’s son stayed behind because of his injured leg. Sadly, many of the young men who went to war did not return.
The neighbors realized that the old man’s words were wise. What seemed like bad luck had saved his son’s life.
Once, there was an old man who lived with his son in a quiet village. Together, they raised horses and enjoyed riding them through the countryside. One day, one of their finest horses broke free and ran away into a distant land. The neighbors, hearing about this, rushed to the old man’s house to offer their sympathy.
"Oh, what bad luck! Losing such a valuable horse!" they exclaimed. But the old man didn’t seem sad at all. He smiled softly and said, “Who knows? Maybe losing the horse isn’t such bad luck after all.”
The villagers were puzzled by his words but left him alone.
Weeks passed, and to everyone’s surprise, the horse returned. Not only that, but it brought along a strong and beautiful wild horse. The neighbors, excited by this stroke of good fortune, hurried back to congratulate the old man.
"You’re so lucky! Now you have two fine horses!" they cheered. But the old man didn’t look as happy as they expected. Instead, he replied, “Who knows? This new horse may not bring such good fortune.”
The villagers were even more confused but said nothing.
The old man’s son loved to ride horses, and he was eager to try out the new one. One day, he rode it through the fields. But suddenly, the wild horse was startled and threw him off its back. The young man fell hard and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came to the old man’s house, this time with words of comfort.
"We’re so sorry about your son’s injury. What a terrible misfortune!" they said. But the old man simply shrugged and replied, “Who knows? Perhaps it’s not as bad as it seems.”
The villagers shook their heads in disbelief. They thought the old man was too sad to understand what had happened.
Not long after, a war broke out, and the emperor’s soldiers came to the village to take all the young men to fight. Many young men were forced to go, but the old man’s son stayed behind because of his injured leg. Sadly, many of the young men who went to war did not return.
The neighbors realized that the old man’s words were wise. What seemed like bad luck had saved his son’s life.
One day, a man lives in a village. He has a son. They have a horse. The man and his son like to ride the horse. One day, the horse runs away. The neighbors come to the man’s house. They say, “Oh no! This is bad!”
The man says, “Maybe it is not bad.”
After some time, the horse comes back. It brings another horse with it. The neighbors come back. They say, “Wow! You are lucky!”
The man says, “Maybe it is not good.”
The son rides the new horse. But the horse runs fast, and the son falls. He breaks his leg. The neighbors come again. They say, “Oh no! This is bad!”
The man says, “Maybe it is not bad.”
After that, soldiers come to the village. They take the young men to fight in a war. But the son stays home because his leg is hurt. The neighbors come again. They say, “You are lucky! Your son stays home.”
The man says, “Maybe it is good. Maybe it is bad. We do not know.”
Once, there was an old man who lived with his son in a quiet village. Together, they raised horses and enjoyed riding them through the countryside. One day, one of their finest horses broke free and ran away into a distant land. The neighbors, hearing about this, rushed to the old man’s house to offer their sympathy.
"Oh, what bad luck! Losing such a valuable horse!" they exclaimed. But the old man didn’t seem sad at all. He smiled softly and said, “Who knows? Maybe losing the horse isn’t such bad luck after all.”
The villagers were puzzled by his words but left him alone.
Weeks passed, and to everyone’s surprise, the horse returned. Not only that, but it brought along a strong and beautiful wild horse. The neighbors, excited by this stroke of good fortune, hurried back to congratulate the old man.
"You’re so lucky! Now you have two fine horses!" they cheered. But the old man didn’t look as happy as they expected. Instead, he replied, “Who knows? This new horse may not bring such good fortune.”
The villagers were even more confused but said nothing.
The old man’s son loved to ride horses, and he was eager to try out the new one. One day, he rode it through the fields. But suddenly, the wild horse was startled and threw him off its back. The young man fell hard and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came to the old man’s house, this time with words of comfort.
"We’re so sorry about your son’s injury. What a terrible misfortune!" they said. But the old man simply shrugged and replied, “Who knows? Perhaps it’s not as bad as it seems.”
The villagers shook their heads in disbelief. They thought the old man was too sad to understand what had happened.
Not long after, a war broke out, and the emperor’s soldiers came to the village to take all the young men to fight. Many young men were forced to go, but the old man’s son stayed behind because of his injured leg. Sadly, many of the young men who went to war did not return.
The neighbors realized that the old man’s words were wise. What seemed like bad luck had saved his son’s life.
In a small, quiet village, an elderly man lived with his son. Together, they raised horses and often rode them across the countryside. One day, one of their finest horses broke loose and ran away to a distant land. When the neighbors heard about this, they rushed to the old man’s house to offer their sympathy.
"What terrible misfortune to lose such a valuable horse!" they exclaimed. But the old man remained calm. With a gentle smile, he replied, “Who knows? Perhaps losing the horse isn’t such bad luck after all.”
The villagers were puzzled by his response but didn’t argue.
Weeks later, to everyone’s astonishment, the horse returned, and it wasn’t alone. It had brought back a strong and magnificent wild horse. The neighbors, filled with excitement, returned to congratulate the old man.
“You’re so lucky! Now you have two fine horses!” they cheered. But the old man did not show the excitement they expected. Instead, he simply said, “Who knows? This new horse might not bring as much good fortune as it seems.”
The villagers, confused by his words, left without further comment.
The old man’s son, eager to ride the new horse, took it out into the fields. However, the wild horse was easily startled and threw him off, causing the young man to break his leg. Once again, the neighbors came to the old man’s house, this time to offer their condolences.
“We are so sorry about your son’s injury. What a terrible misfortune!” they said. The old man, as before, shrugged and replied, “Who knows? Perhaps it’s not as bad as it appears.”
The villagers shook their heads, thinking the old man couldn’t see the reality of the situation.
Not long after, a war broke out. The emperor’s soldiers arrived in the village to conscript all the young men for battle. Many were forced to leave, but because of his injury, the old man’s son was spared. Sadly, many of the young men who went to war never returned.
Only then did the villagers understand the old man’s wisdom. What had first seemed like bad luck had ultimately saved his son’s life.
Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived with his son in a quiet little village. They raised horses—fancy horses. Horses that would probably say, “I’m too cool for this stable,” if they could talk.
One day, one of their finest horses decided to make a break for it. It ran off to who-knows-where, probably thinking it was off to star in its own adventure. The neighbors, always looking for some excitement, rushed over to the old man’s house.
“Oh no! Your best horse has run away! How terrible!” they gasped, shaking their heads like it was the biggest disaster since someone dropped a pie at last year’s village fair.
But the old man just smiled and said, “Who knows? Maybe losing the horse isn’t such bad luck.”
The neighbors blinked. “Okay... that’s weird,” they thought, but they shrugged and went home, still wondering what he meant.
A few weeks later, surprise! The runaway horse came back. And not only that, it brought along a new friend—a wild horse! The neighbors, hearing this, rushed back, bouncing with excitement.
“You’re so lucky! Now you have two horses! This is amazing!” they cheered, like the old man had just won the world’s biggest prize.
But the old man didn’t look as thrilled as they expected. Instead, he just said, “Who knows? This new horse might not be such a great thing.”
The neighbors scratched their heads. “Huh? First, losing a horse wasn’t bad, and now gaining a horse isn’t good? This guy is confusing!” they mumbled to each other. But off they went, because there was nothing more to gossip about.
Now, the old man’s son, who loved riding horses, couldn’t wait to try out the wild horse. “Let’s see what this one can do!” he said, hopping on with a grin. But the wild horse? Oh no, it wasn’t ready to be tamed. Before the son could even enjoy the ride, the horse bucked him off—*whoosh*—he flew through the air like a kite on a windy day and landed with a thud. Ouch! He broke his leg.
Once again, the neighbors came rushing over, this time with long faces. “Oh no, your son has broken his leg! This is terrible!” they said, shaking their heads as if they were in the middle of a sad story.
But the old man, calm as ever, just shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe this isn’t such bad luck after all.”
The neighbors didn’t know what to say. “This guy sure has a strange way of looking at things,” they whispered, but they left him alone.
A few weeks later, something really big happened—a war broke out! Soldiers came to the village, looking for all the young men to join the army. The neighbors were worried sick, watching their sons leave for the battlefield. But guess what? The old man’s son didn’t have to go—because of his broken leg, he got to stay home, resting and safe.
The neighbors came back, wide-eyed. “You know what? Maybe that broken leg was a good thing after all!” they said, finally understanding the old man’s wise words.
And the old man just smiled his little smile, because sometimes, you never really know what’s good or bad until much later.
Once in a village, peaceful and small,
Lived an old man and his son so tall.
They raised their horses, swift and bright,
Riding together, filled with delight.
One day, their best horse galloped away,
Far to the hills, where it wished to stay.
The neighbors rushed, with sorrow to share,
"Oh, what bad luck, it isn’t fair!"
The old man smiled, gentle and wise,
“Who knows what hides behind this surprise?”
The neighbors left, confused and still,
The old man calm, as was his will.
Weeks went by, then what a sight!
The lost horse returned, with one more in flight.
A wild one came, strong and free,
“Oh, what luck! Now two you see!”
But again the man, with a nod and a glance,
Said, “Who knows? This might not enhance.”
The neighbors wondered, scratching their heads,
And quietly went back to their beds.
His son took the wild horse out for a ride,
But the horse got scared, and bucked to the side.
The boy fell down, his leg broke clean,
"Oh, such bad luck!" the neighbors convene.
But the old man sighed and shook his head,
“Who knows? It might not be as you said.”
Time moved on, the village knew peace,
Until the soldiers came to seize.
Young men marched, to war they went,
But the boy stayed home, his leg still bent.
Many were lost in battles so grim,
Yet the son remained safe, thanks to him.
The neighbors, then, with eyes so wide,
Saw wisdom in the old man’s side.
What seemed like sorrow was grace in disguise,
For life, they learned, holds many surprise.
Feeling confused and not understanding something.
Feeling sorry when someone has a problem.
Spoke loudly because of strong feelings.
Something very lucky or valuable happens.
Suddenly surprised or scared by something.
Something bad or unlucky happens.
Lifted shoulders to show not caring.
Not able to believe something is true.
A ruler of a big land or country.
Knowing and understanding things very well.
A small place where people live together.
People who live near your house.
It could happen or it could not.
When good things happen to you by chance.
People who fight for their country.
To try to hurt or defeat someone.
A big fight between two groups or countries.
To feel pain in your body.
When something gets damaged or split into parts.
The part of the body you use to walk.
Feeling confused and not understanding something.
Feeling sorry when someone has a problem.
Spoke loudly because of strong feelings.
Something very lucky or valuable happens.
Suddenly surprised or scared by something.
Something bad or unlucky happens.
Lifted shoulders to show not caring.
Not able to believe something is true.
A ruler of a big land or country.
Knowing and understanding things very well.
Bad luck or an unfortunate event or condition.
Great surprise caused by something unexpected.
To express happiness for someone's good fortune.
Extremely beautiful, impressive, or of great value.
Sympathy offered to someone when bad things happen.
To raise and lower shoulders as a gesture of uncertainty.
To force someone into military service by law.
Suddenly scared or surprised by something unexpected.
Understanding or caring about someone else’s misfortune.
Good or bad luck in life, affecting future events.
Where does the man live?
What does the man and his son have?
What happens to the son when he rides the new horse?
Why does the son stay home when the soldiers come?
What does the man say when things happen?
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