【女主人和僕人的故事原文】

 

　　一個寡婦，既節儉又勤勞，她對兩個僕人的要求也相當嚴厲。每當公雞一打鳴，這個老女人就叫她們起來去幹活，不讓她們多睡一會兒。僕人們都不喜歡在這麽早的時間起床，尤其是在冬天裡。她們以為，若是那隻公雞不在這麼早的時候叫醒女主人，她們還能多睡一會兒。於是，她們放走了公雞。但是，她們並沒有預料到更嚴重的後果。女主人聽不到公雞的叫聲了，卻比往常更早地叫醒她們，在半夜裡就讓她們去幹活。

 

【女主人和僕人的寓意】

 

　　做什麽事情都要踏踏實實的，不要去刷小聰明，聰明反被聰明誤。

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A widow, thrifty and industrious, her requirements for the two servants are also quite strict. Whenever the rooster crows, the old woman calls them up to work, and does not let them sleep any longer. The servants did not like to get up so early, especially in winter, and thought they could sleep a little longer if the rooster hadn't woken the mistress so early. So they let go of the rooster.  However, they did not expect more serious consequences. The hostess couldn't hear the rooster, but woke them up earlier than usual and let them go to work in the middle of the night.

 

【Meaning of Mistress and Servant】

 

We must be down-to-earth in everything we do, and don't try to be clever.