Once upon a time, there was a poor woodcutter. Every day, he would go to the forest to cut firewood and then sell it to make a living. One day, as usual, he was cutting firewood by the river. Accidentally, his axe fell into the deep river water. That axe was the tool on which he depended for his livelihood. Without it, the woodcutter didn't know what to do.
The woodcutter looked at the river and was very worried. He couldn't help sitting by the river and crying. His crying attracted the river god in the river. The river god emerged from the water and asked the woodcutter what had happened. The woodcutter told the river god that his axe had fallen into the river. After hearing this, the river god decided to help this poor woodcutter. The river god dived into the bottom of the water first, and then quickly surfaced, holding a golden axe in his hand and asking the woodcutter, "Is this your axe?" The woodcutter looked at the glittering golden axe. Although he was very poor, he still shook his head honestly and said, "This is not my axe. My axe is made of iron."
After hearing the woodcutter's answer, the river god dived into the water again. Soon he came out with a silver axe and asked the woodcutter again, "Is this silver axe yours?" The woodcutter shook his head again and replied, "No. My axe is made of iron and not as beautiful as this." The river god nodded and dived into the water once more.
This time, the axe that the river god brought up was the woodcutter's iron axe. When the woodcutter saw his own axe, he said happily, "This is my axe!" The river god greatly admired the woodcutter's honesty, so he gave the golden axe and the silver axe to him. The woodcutter went home happily with the three axes. Since then, the woodcutter worked hard with these axes and lived a prosperous life. He also often told the people around him that honesty is a virtue and will always be rewarded.
