In the northeastern region of China, there is a folk rhyme that goes: "Fuyu's land is a treasure trove, gold and silver treasures are everywhere to be found; as long as one isn't lazy, golden and silver beans will run all over the ground." This rhyme about golden and silver beans leads us to an ancient tale.
On the banks of the Songhua River in Northeast China, there lived a farming family surnamed Jin. The elderly couple had their two sons late in life. They saved diligently, scrimping and saving to accumulate some property for their sons, hoping they could one day marry and live good lives. The elder son was diligent and hardworking, while the younger son was lazy and disliked labor. The old couple was deeply worried—seeing their own time running short, they knew they couldn't stay with their sons forever. How could they make the younger son as hardworking as his elder brother? Day after day passed, but before they could see their sons married and settled, the two elders passed away. On their deathbed, they urged the elder son to help his younger brother overcome his laziness, warning that no family would ever want to marry their daughter to a lazy man.
The spring after their parents' death, a man from the south, having heard rumors of endless treasures in this region, came north to seek his fortune. He journeyed through mountains and forests, cutting through thickets, wearing his shoes to shreds and his feet raw. By chance, he arrived at the Jin family's home, seeking a drink of water. Though the elder son was honest, simple, and not talkative, he was very warm-hearted. He helped the limping southerner into the house, seated him on the heated brick bed, brought a basin of water for him to wash his feet, applied some red medicinal ointment to his wounds, and invited him to stay for a meal. The southerner was so moved he didn't know what to say. He swore to heaven that he would repay the elder son's kindness, promising that if he ever found treasure, they would split it equally. The elder son smiled modestly and said, "I don't want anything. I've heard people from the south are smarter than us northerners. If you can just do me one favor, that will be your repayment." The southerner quickly asked, "Just tell me what it is! Whatever it is, I'll do it, even if it costs me my life!" So the elder son truthfully told him about his parents' final wish. Thus, to help the elder son fulfill this request, the southerner settled down to live with the Jin family. Over time, he saw that the elder son was a truly kind-hearted man and secretly resolved to find a way to cure his younger brother's laziness. By day, he went up the mountains to search for treasure; by night, he returned to stay with the Jin family. Watching the elder brother work from dawn to dusk, busy with both fieldwork and housework, while the younger brother lazily slept until the sun warmed his backside, the southerner felt deeply sorry for the elder brother. He secretly discussed a plan with him.
One morning, he deliberately announced loudly to the two brothers: "Yesterday, I discovered a treasure on the southern hillside. It's buried three feet underground. I can't dig it up alone—I need both of you to come help me. Once we dig it up, we'll split the treasure three ways." The elder brother quickly said, "Then I'll go with you!" The younger brother, hearing there was treasure to be shared, eagerly volunteered to go too. The elder brother, knowing his brother well, realized that the younger one never lifted a shovel or hoe and couldn't possibly do hard labor. So he said, "Don't argue—let's all go together. If we find the treasure, you two take the bigger share, and I'll take the smaller." The younger brother was delighted and happily followed his brother and the southerner up the mountain.
The three arrived at a hillside field. The southerner pointed at the spot and said, "Look! The treasure is right here in this field. Let's start digging!" So the three began digging with picks and shovels. They dug until noon, sweat pouring down their foreheads, but found no treasure. The southerner glanced at the elder brother, winked, and said, "We came too late today—missed the proper time, and the treasure has moved. Tomorrow we must come early, or we'll miss the treasure again." With that, the three headed home.
The next day, the elder brother and the southerner rose just as dawn broke, prepared a meal, and woke the younger brother. The younger brother yawned, stretched lazily, grumbled that he was too tired, and refused to get up. The southerner called to the elder brother, "If he won't go, forget him. Let's just go ourselves—then we can split the treasure two ways." The moment the younger brother heard this, he jumped out of bed, wolfed down two bowls of rice, and followed them up the mountain. The three dug and dug, one shovel after another, until past noon. All three were drenched in sweat, yet still no treasure appeared. The southerner spoke again: "Today wasn't the right time either—we came too early, and the treasure moved again. Looks like we'll have to come back tomorrow at the exact right time." Again, the three returned home.
For seven days straight, the three dug up the entire field, but never found a trace of treasure. The elder brother deliberately asked, "Could you have mistaken the location? Maybe the treasure isn't here at all." The southerner scratched his head and said, "Maybe I did get the place wrong. Next time, we'll try another field. But look at this land—how rich and black the soil is! It's perfect for growing crops. We shouldn't waste our effort. Let's just plant some seeds and grow some grain!" The elder brother was delighted. The younger brother, who hadn't seen any treasure and had grown tired from all the work, felt deeply wronged but had no choice but to follow his brother and the southerner to plant the field. After planting, the southerner said he had to leave to continue his treasure hunt elsewhere, promising to return in autumn so the brothers could finally see the real treasure.
Gradually, the younger brother got used to working and no longer felt tired. When the crops sprouted, the elder brother led him up the mountain every day to weed. At first, the younger brother always lagged behind, but the elder brother intentionally slowed his pace, letting his brother overtake him. Unknowingly encouraged, the younger brother worked harder and harder, sometimes even leaving his brother behind. The elder brother, seeing his brother finally willing to help and becoming diligent, was overjoyed!
In the blink of an eye, autumn arrived. When it was time to harvest, the southerner truly returned. Seeing the Jin family's yard piled high with fiery red sorghum heads, golden corn cobs, heavy heads of millet, and plump soybeans, he was genuinely thrilled for them. He said to the brothers, "Back when we were digging for treasure, our sweat dropped and shattered into eight pieces on the ground. Your sweat wasn't wasted—now you'll finally see the treasure!"
The younger brother was still in the dark and asked the southerner, "What exactly is this treasure you're talking about? Where is it?" The southerner said with a smile, "Brother, don't rush. I keep my promises. I guarantee you'll see the real treasure in one month." At that time, villagers threshed grain without machines, using horse-drawn rollers. It took a full month to thresh all the grain in a yard. So the younger brother and his brother patiently threshed the grain, waiting for the treasure to appear after a month.
After the Start of Winter solar term, the brothers finally finished threshing. The younger brother looked at the yard piled high with grain, like little mountains, and remembering the southerner's words, said to his brother, "If only we could have this many golden beans, we'd never worry about food or clothing for life." The elder brother said nothing, just smiled at his brother. Just then, the southerner, who knows when he had returned, walked up, scooped up a handful of golden soybeans, and placed them in the younger brother's palm, laughing and saying, "You're right—that's the treasure you wanted: golden beans!" The younger brother looked at the southerner, then at his brother, his face instantly turning red. He suddenly understood, realizing at last the deep thoughtfulness behind his brother and the southerner's actions. He suddenly grasped a truth: golden beans are wealth, silver beans are sweat. Only by shedding sweat can one create true wealth!