In a neglected garden, burdock grew everywhere. The leaves of this plant were particularly large. If you placed one on your head, it could serve as an umbrella when it rained; if you placed it on your stomach, it was like an apron.
The burdock had originally been planted there because there used to be large white snails that loved to eat its leaves. At that time, wealthy families enjoyed catching these snails and cooking them, saying they tasted particularly delicious.
To raise these snails, people planted a lot of burdock. Over time, the burdock grew more and more, turning the entire garden into a “burdock forest.”
Later, the people who loved to eat snails moved away and stopped eating them. The snails slowly died out, leaving only two that looked like a grandfather and grandmother still living in the forest.
They were very old and couldn’t remember how many years they had lived. But they remembered very clearly:
“We are the most distinguished snails in the world.”
“This forest was created just for us.”
“That place called ‘the mansion’ was prepared as our kitchen.”
They said this with a serious tone, as if they were talking about something that was a matter of course.
An old couple without children
These two old snails did not have children of their own, so they adopted a little snail as their son.
This little snail was actually very ordinary, not a special breed. But he was very obedient, crawling slowly every day and never running around.
The mother snail always said, “Look at him, he’s grown a little!”
The father snail didn’t notice at first, but when the mother asked him to touch the little snail’s shell, he nodded and said, “Hmm, it does seem a little bigger.”
Actually, the shell hadn’t grown much, but they were willing to believe that he was growing up.
It was just like many old people who look at their grandchildren and always think they are making progress every day.
On rainy days, raindrops hit the burdock leaves, making a “dong dong dong” sound.
Dad Snail said, “Listen, it’s the rain singing.”
Mom Snail said, “What a beautiful sound. It means we have a roof, a house. Look, we were born with a home, unlike earthworms, who don’t even have a house.”
They were very proud and thought they were the happiest and most noble creatures in the world.
Their dream: to be cooked and served on a silver platter
What made them most proud was that they heard that their ancestors had once been sent to a “mansion,” cooked, and then served on a silver platter.
They didn’t know what that felt like, but from what they heard from others, it must have been a very dignified thing.
Mother Snail often said, “If only I could be cooked and placed on a silver platter, how glorious that would be!”
Father Snail didn’t care much: “The mansion might have collapsed long ago, and the outside world might not be any better than here.”
But Mother Snail didn’t think so. She believed there must be a more advanced place outside, waiting for them to fulfill their mission.
They even started worrying about their son: “He’s growing up, we have to find him a wife. Are there other snails outside the forest?”
Dad said, “I heard there are black snails, but they don’t have houses and are too poor to be suitable for our family.”
Finally, they asked the ants to help them find a match. The ants said, “I know a queen who lives in a palace with seven hundred corridors!“
The snail mother immediately refused: ”Our child isn’t going to crawl into an ant’s hole.“
Later, the mosquito brought good news: ”A hundred steps away, there’s a young snail girl living on a gooseberry bush. She’s quiet and suitable.”
The old snail heard this and immediately said, “Let her come here herself! We have an entire burdock forest, and she only has a small gooseberry bush.”
A quiet wedding
Eight days later, the snail girl finally arrived. It took her eight whole days to get there, and the old snail was very pleased: “This shows that she is a steady and good girl.”
So they held their wedding. Six fireflies flew over and used their light to illuminate the ceremony. There was no music, no banquet, only a few leaves and the quiet night.
The old snail gave a speech, saying:
- The best place in the world is here;
- As long as you live well, you will one day be sent to the mansion like your ancestors, cooked black, and placed on a silver platter;
- We are leaving this burdock forest to you, hoping that you will live honestly and kindly.
After speaking, they crawled into their shells and never came out again.
Some said they had fallen asleep, while others said they had died.
But regardless, they had fulfilled their mission.
The young snail couple became the masters of the forest. They had many children, and the family lived in peace.
They thought the whole world had disappeared
Strangely, they were never sent to the mansion, and no one came to catch them to eat them.
So they came to a conclusion:
“The mansion must have collapsed.”
“All humans are dead.”
“Now, only we snails are left alive.”
They told this idea to their children, and the children believed it too.
No one objected, so they felt it must be true.
Every day, the rain fell on the leaves, and they listened to the “thud thud” sound, thinking it was the most beautiful music in the world.
The sun shone through, and the leaves sparkled. They said, “Look, how beautiful the world is!”
They felt very happy,
so happy that they couldn’t speak.
The truth behind the story
This story looks like a fairy tale about the life of snails, but it actually raises a very profound question:
How do we define “happiness”?
The old snails’ “happiness” was based on several misconceptions:
- They believed that the entire world existed for them;
- They believed that being cooked and placed on a silver platter was an honor;
- They believed that their ancestors’ experiences were the path they must follow;
- They had never left the burdock forest, yet they firmly believed they knew what the entire world looked like.
Their happiness did not come from real experiences, but from imagination and tradition.
They believe that “mansion” exists because their elders said so.
They long to be cooked because they heard that it is “glorious.”
They think that this forest is the best place in the world because they have never been anywhere else.
This is like some people who live in a small village all their lives, never travel far, but often say, “Our place is the best, and people outside are bad.”
They are not bad, they just don’t know any better.
What lesson does this story teach us?
1. Happiness cannot rely solely on imagination
The old snails think they are very happy, but their happiness is based on fantasy.
They think being cooked is an honor, but it is actually just a human dietary habit.
They think they are the center of the world, but in fact, humans have long forgotten about them.
True happiness should come from real feelings, not from what others tell you “you should be happy.”
For example:
- A person gets married, and others say, “You’re so happy,” but if he’s unhappy, then he’s not happy.
- A person lives in a big house and drives a nice car, but if he’s exhausted every day, then he’s not happy either.
Happiness is how you feel, not someone else’s standard.
2. Don’t live in someone else’s story
Old snails always wanted to follow the path of their ancestors: be cooked, served on a plate, and eaten.
But times have changed, and no one eats them anymore.
They are still clinging to an outdated “dream.”
This is like some people who insist that their children become civil servants, buy a house, get married, and have children…
Because that’s how their parents lived.
But the world is changing, and what was right in the past may not be right now.
You have to ask yourself: Is this what I really want, or am I just repeating someone else’s life?
3. The more you see, the less likely you are to be deceived
Snails have never left the burdock forest, so they think there is nothing outside the forest.
They don’t know that there are cities, mountains, rivers, other animals, and different ways of life outside.
If a person never reads, never travels, and never talks to different people,
they are likely to be like snails, thinking that “this is how the world should be.”
Seeing more of the outside world is not for the sake of showing off,
but to know how many choices you have.
4. A quiet life does not equal a happy life
The snail family lived quietly, with the sound of rain as music and sunshine as a gift.
It sounds beautiful, but this kind of happiness is passive.
They had no choice but to accept everything that fate gave them.
They said they were “happy” because they didn’t know there were other possibilities.
True happiness should be:
I know there are other paths, but I chose this one.
Not:
I only know this path, so I have no choice but to take it.
Each of us could be that snail
Have you ever felt this way?
- When others told you to get married, you did, even though you weren’t ready;
- When others said this job was stable, you endured it even though you didn’t like it;
- You live in a small place, but you think “it’s not safe outside” and “my hometown is better,” and you’ve never thought about going out to see the world.
We are often like that snail,
building our lives on “what others say” and “the way it’s always been.”
We think we are pursuing happiness,
but in fact, we are just repeating a script that no one questions.
Conclusion: What is happiness?
Happiness isn’t about how many burdock leaves you have,
or whether you have a silver plate,
or what your ancestors did.
Happiness is:
- Knowing that the world is big;
- Having the right to choose;
- Making decisions and being willing to accept the consequences;
- Being able to say, “I live this way because I chose to,” rather than “I have no choice.”
The old snails say they are “happily unable to speak,”
but they have never truly asked themselves:
“What kind of life do I really want?”
May we all step out of our own “burdock forests,”
go out and see the bigger world,
and then return,
willingly, to live the life we truly desire.
That is true happiness.
