Hello, welcome to another edition of Chinese Folk Tales.
I'm Wang Lu.
Today we have a story titled Lingdang.
Lingdang was the name of a poor boy who lost his mother when he was only five.
Seven years later, his father also died.
His stepmother, very much fond of her own son, Bao Dan, treated Lingdang badly.
Fortunately, the two brothers themselves loved each other.
Whenever Lingdang was in trouble, Bao Dan would lend a hand.
But that further annoyed the stepmother, who reacted by being more cruel to Lingdang.
One day, as usual, Lingdang asked his stepmother for work.
The wicked woman ordered him to sell one of their sheep.
Then she told him to buy and bring home something that could be eaten without being cooked.
This something should also be something that could be fed to the pigs and chickens.
But that wasn't all.
She also asked Lingdang to bring back the sheep.
Hearing about Lingdang's difficult task, Bao Dan was worried for his brother.
Lingdang, however, seemed confident.
He only asked Bao Dan to bring him the scissors without telling his mother.
At the market, Lingdang sold the wool for enough money to buy a big watermelon.
Back home, he cut the fruit so that his family could eat.
After that, he fed the melon skin to the pig and the seeds to the chickens.
How could his stepmother find any fault?
The next day, Lingdang came to his stepmother again.
This time she ordered him to herd the sheep into Wild Wolf Gully, a place full of danger.
Lingdang first went to consult an old shepherd who tended sheep for many years.
The kind and wise man cupped his hands to his mouth. and made a terrible rumbling sound.
The old man told Ling Dang it was the roar of the tiger, and it could frighten away the wolves.
Ling Dang was so clever that he soon mastered the skill.
He then set out for Wild Wolf Gully.
Dangerous as it was, the gully was really a nice place.
Thanks to the roar of the tiger, Ling Dang was safe and enjoyed himself very much.
For a moment, He was attracted by the red fruits in a wild tree on a gully ridge.
He couldn't help but pick one to have a taste.
It was pleasantly sweet.
But after eating it, Lingdang felt so hot that he bathed in a nearby pool.
When he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water, he saw a strong man with muscular arms and legs.
He changed in only a short time.
Back home, Lingdang really took his stepmother by surprise.
Not only had he come back safely, but he'd turned into a healthy man in one day.
After hearing what he had experienced, the stepmother sent her own son, Bao Dan, to Wild Wolf Gully the next day.
She asked Bao Dan to pick all the magic fruits and bring them home so they could have some every day.
As soon as Lingdang knew at dusk that Bao Dan had gone to the dangerous place, he dashed out towards the gully.
It was a stormy night.
Lightning was flashing and thunder was roaring.
Lingdang raced in the pitch dark, followed by his stepmother.
In the lightning they saw several dozen ferocious wolves jumping and hauling under the red fruit tree.
Some were cheering at the trunk.
Without hesitation, Lingdang made the tiger's roar to scare away the wolves.
Then he climbed the tree and helped the frightened boy down.
After he got better, Bao Dan took a red fruit out of his pocket and gave it to his mother.
Lingdang recognized it was the magic fruit that could change a person completely.
After the stepmother had eaten it, tears flowed from her eyes.
She apologized to Ling Dang for her unfairness.
From that moment on, the family led a happy life together.
That's the story about the clever and kind-hearted boy, Ling Dang.
With that happy ending, we close our books of Chinese folktales until next week.
I'm Wong Lu.
I look forward to telling you another story.
Until then, bye for now.
Thank you.
