Today, we are going to tell a very interesting folk tale. The main character is Avan’ti, a clever man who is familiar to everyone. He is not only humorous and witty, but also very wise. He often uses clever ways to help the common people solve problems.
This story is called “Wiser Than Wisdom,” which tells how Afanti used his intelligence and wit to defeat the arrogant king and protect the lives of all the people in the city.
Let the story begin!
In a distant country, there lived a king. The king was a little fat and did nothing all day long. He loved to hear people praise his intelligence.One night, he had a strange dream: he saw himself with donkey ears growing out of his head and a donkey tail sprouting from his buttocks. In the dream, the people saw him and laughed at him, calling him silly. The king was so angry that he shouted and screamed in his sleep, waking up his attendants.
After waking up, the king thought about it more and more and felt very dissatisfied. He believed that no one could match his wisdom, so he decided to hold a “wisdom contest” to see if anyone could answer his questions. If anyone failed to answer, they would be punished.
At first, the doctors and professors in the palace were very confident and challenged the king’s questions, but one after another, they were all kicked out, and some were even beaten. From then on, no one dared to enter the palace to participate in the contest.
But the king was still not satisfied. He ordered that all the people of the country must send representatives to answer the questions, and anyone who could not answer would be put to death.
Seeing that everyone was in danger, our protagonist Afanti stepped forward. He decided to go to the palace in place of the people to compete with the king in a contest of wits.
I: How many stars are there in the sky?
When the king saw Afanti, he asked him a question that seemed simple but was actually very difficult: “Tell me, how many stars are there in the sky?”
Afanti thought for a moment and answered seriously, “Your Majesty, I will tell you. There are exactly 9,999,999,999 stars in the sky, not one more or one less.”
The king shook his head and said, “No, no, how do you know so precisely? You’re talking nonsense!”
Afanti smiled and said, “Then Your Majesty can climb up to the clouds and count them yourself. I’ll wait for you to return.”
The king looked up at the sky and thought to himself, “How is that possible?” He had no choice but to give up.
II: Where is the center of the earth?
Then the king asked, “Do you know where the center of the earth is?”
Afanti replied calmly, “What a coincidence, Your Majesty, I happen to know! It’s right where my donkey’s right front hoof is standing.”
The king was furious and said, “That’s impossible! With my status, the center of the earth should be right under my feet!”
Afanti smiled and said, “Then Your Majesty can measure the entire world. If there is even the slightest error, you can imprison me or punish me at any time.”
The king thought this was a good idea and asked his two ministers to measure it. However, both ministers said they couldn’t calculate it and dared not measure it. In the end, they had to admit that this question was impossible to verify.
III: How long will you live?
The king was not satisfied and asked an even more difficult question: “Afanti, do you know when you will die?”
Afanti still smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I will die one day before you.”
This statement frightened the king. He began to feel uneasy. What if Afanti was telling the truth? He didn’t dare to ask any more questions.
Wisdom prevails, turning defeat into victory
Although Afanti’s answer did not completely satisfy the king, he could not find any reason to punish him. So he pretended to be very happy and invited Afanti to dinner.
At the banquet, the king and his ministers kept pouring wine for Afanti, hoping to get him drunk so they could find an opportunity to deal with him.But Afanti had already seen through their little scheme. He pretended to drink a lot, but secretly poured all the wine into his donkey’s mouth.
That night, the king sent someone to sneak into Afanti’s room to assassinate him. The assassin rushed in and slashed the bed, thinking that Afanti was dead, and hurried back to report.
The king was overjoyed to hear that Afanti was dead. But then he remembered what Afanti had said, “I will die one day before you,” and he began to feel afraid again. He couldn’t sleep all night and even had hallucinations, as if he saw Afanti coming toward him with a knife.
The next morning, the king cried out in fear, “Help!” Just then, Afanti actually appeared before him. He had come to say goodbye.
The king finally understood that Afanti was not only clever but also brave and completely unafraid of threats. He was completely convinced and asked Afanti to become his prime minister.
Unexpectedly, Afanti waved his hand and said, “Your Majesty, I have already chosen a new prime minister for you. Go and see for yourself!”
The king followed him to the hall and saw that it was a donkey wearing an official’s hat, happily braying.
The king was so angry that he almost fainted.
Finally, Afanti rode his little donkey away from the palace and continued to travel around, helping more people in need.
What can children learn from this story?
Through this story, we can see that Afanti is not only smart but also brave and kind. He did not back down in the face of tyranny, used his wisdom to resolve the crisis, and protected the innocent people.
Therefore, we should also be like Afanti. When we encounter difficulties in life, we should not be afraid but learn to think creatively and use our wisdom to solve problems.
