Once upon a time, there was a lovely little horse. It lived in a beautiful small village with its mother. As the little horse grew up day by day, it became stronger and braver. One day, the mother asked the little horse to help her deliver a bag of grains to the village on the other side of the river.
The little horse happily set off with the grains on its back. Soon, it arrived at a small river. Looking at the rapid water, it felt a little scared in its heart. It didn't know how deep the river was and whether it could wade across safely. Just as the little horse was hesitating, it saw an old ox grazing by the river. The little horse ran over and asked the old ox, "Uncle Ox, is the river deep? Can I wade across?" The old ox raised its head and said slowly, "Not deep, not deep. The river only reaches my calf. You can cross it."
After hearing what the old ox said, when the little horse was about to enter the river, a little squirrel jumped down from the tree and stopped the little horse. The little squirrel said anxiously, "Little horse, little horse, don't enter the river. The river is very deep. Yesterday, one of my little friends accidentally fell into the river and was washed away by the river." After hearing what the little squirrel said, the little horse hesitated again. It didn't know whether to believe the old ox or the little squirrel.
The little horse thought for a while and thought it would be better to go home and ask its mother. So, it turned around with the grains on its back and walked back home. After getting home, the little horse told its mother what had happened by the river. After listening, the mother smiled and said to the little horse, "Child, it's no good just listening to others without using your own brain and not trying it yourself. Uncle Ox is big and tall, so he thinks the river is shallow; the little squirrel is small, so it thinks the river is deep. You should try it yourself."
After hearing what its mother said, the little horse thought it made a lot of sense. So, it carried the grains and came to the river again. This time, the little horse was no longer afraid. It summoned up its courage and carefully walked into the river. The little horse found that the river was neither as shallow as the old ox said nor as deep as the little squirrel said. It waded across the river step by step and successfully delivered the grains to the village on the other side of the river.
Through this story, children should know that in life, for many things, we can't just listen to what others say. We should try and practice by ourselves so that we can know the truth of things.
