Long, long ago, in a certain place, there lived an honest old man and old woman.
The two of them lovingly raised a little white dog.
One day, out in the field, the dog barked, "Dig here, bow-wow!"
When the old man dug, out of the earth came a great many gold coins.
The greedy old man next door saw this, borrowed the dog, and dug in his own field—but all that came up was rubbish.
In his rage, the neighbor killed the dog.
Grief-stricken, the old man planted a tree beside the dog's grave.
The tree grew tall in no time, so the old man made a mortar from its wood and pounded rice cakes.
And out of the rice cakes came treasures without number.
The neighbor borrowed the mortar and pounded rice cakes too, but only filth came out, so he burned the mortar to ashes.
The old man carried the leftover ashes home and scattered them over a withered tree.
And at once, beautiful blossoms burst forth on the dead branches.
The lord who happened to be passing by was so delighted that he gave the old man a great reward.
The neighbor tried to copy him, but the ashes flew into the lord's eyes, and he was punished for it.
It is a heartwarming tale, teaching that living honestly is best of all.
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