Once upon a time, there was a master who hired a young man named Hans. Unlike other workers who only knew how to toil away, this young man had his own ideas and his own way of doing things. The master usually liked him, finding him diligent, obedient, and never lazy.
One day, the master discovered one of his cows was missing. He grew anxious and called Hans over, saying, “Go quickly to the fields and find that cow. Don’t let it wander off.”
Hans nodded, grabbed his hat, and headed out. The master expected him back soon, but after waiting several hours, Hans still hadn’t returned.As dusk approached, the master grew worried. “Could something have happened? Has he gotten lost out in the fields?” He decided to go out and look for Hans himself.
After walking some distance, he finally spotted a figure in the distance. It was none other than Hans. But he wasn’t walking back slowly—he was skipping and jumping toward the master, a smile on his face as if he’d just done something incredibly joyful.
The master approached him and asked, “Hans, I sent you to look for the cows. Did you find them?”
Hans shook his head. “No, sir, I didn’t find the cows.”
Hearing this, the master grew a bit displeased. “Then where did you go? Why are you only coming back now?”
Hans smiled. “I didn’t go looking for the cows. I thought it would be better to look for something else.”
The master grew even more puzzled. “Then what did you go find?”
Hans replied, “I went to catch mountain birds, and I caught three!”
The master was thoroughly baffled. “Three mountain birds? Where are they? Let me see.”
Hans said, “I saw one, heard one, and then I chased the third one.”
The farmer froze. “What kind of nonsense is that? Saw one, heard one, chased one? Where are the birds? You didn’t catch a single one!”
Hans remained completely unfazed. “But I had a lot of fun. And you don’t need to worry about the cow. It’ll come back on its own. There’s grass in the field; it won’t wander too far.”
The farmer didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh. He’d sent Hans on a task, but Hans hadn’t followed his instructions at all. Yet strangely enough, not long after, the cow really did walk back to the barn on its own.
From then on, the farmer realized that while Hans wasn’t always obedient, he had his own judgment. He didn’t rigidly follow orders but instead thought, “What makes more sense to do right now?” Sometimes he seemed to be slacking off, but he was actually solving problems in his own way.
For instance, one time the farmer told him to fetch water. Hans went to the well and saw a little bird singing by it. He sat down and listened for a while.Others might have thought, “Is he slacking off again?” But Hans knew the bird’s song lifted his spirits, giving him more energy for the task ahead.
Another time, the owner asked him to repair the fence. While working, he spotted a little rabbit darting through the grass. He set down his tools, chased it for a bit, then returned. When asked, “Were you playing again?”He replied, “I went to see if the rabbit was hurt. Thankfully, it was fine.” Then he resumed mending the fence, making it sturdier as he worked.
Over time, the master noticed that while the house wasn’t exceptionally tidy, the atmosphere had grown more relaxed. Everyone stopped working frantically all day and learned to pause and reflect: “Is what I’m doing right now truly worth it?”
Hans wasn’t the type of worker who just followed orders; he was more like a thinking person. He knew when to be serious and when to relax. He didn’t complete tasks just for the sake of completing them; he wanted to enjoy himself while doing things.
The Truth Behind the Story
On the surface, this story seems like a joke about a young worker disobeying orders yet sounding perfectly reasonable.But it actually poses a question: Are we doing things to complete tasks, or to truly solve problems?
Hans didn’t go look for the ox because he probably figured it wouldn’t wander too far and would come back on its own. He chose to do things that made him happy, like listening to birdsong and chasing little birds. It might seem like laziness, but he wasn’t really “doing nothing.” He understood the world in his own way and lived at his own pace.
The “three mountain birds” in the story are a metaphor. Seeing one, hearing one, chasing one—meaning that in life, we often think we’re “doing a lot,” but many things are just “appearing to be done.” Hans used this phrase to effortlessly defuse his master’s reproach and express his attitude toward life: Don’t take things too seriously; don’t always think “it must be done.”
What Lesson Does the Story Teach Us?
This story teaches us: True cleverness isn’t always following others’ instructions, but knowing when to do what matters.
Sometimes, when asked to do something, we push ourselves relentlessly—even if it’s unnecessary. For instance, if the cow will return on its own, isn’t spending hours searching a waste of time? Hans chose a different path—he focused on what eased his burden, and the problem resolved itself.
Additionally, the story reminds us: Don’t judge by appearances alone. Someone who seems to be “slacking off” might actually be thinking deeply or helping others in different ways. True intelligence isn’t rigidly following rules, but finding better paths beyond them.
Finally, life isn’t just about work. Like Hans, being able to listen to birdsong or chase rabbits while working is also a kind of wisdom. Happiness isn’t laziness—it’s making life more interesting.
