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大约一百年前，中国有个知县段广清巧于断案，为人称道。 一天，段大人路过市场，看到一群人挤在家禽店门口看热闹。经询问得知，一农夫失手将一个大袋子压在了小鸡身上，结果把小鸡压死了。小鸡很小，只值五文钱，但店主抓住农夫衣领，非要一百文钱不可。他的理由是小鸡两年后会长大，那时候就值这些钱了。 这时有人认出了知县大人，大家纷纷让路。‘‘大人，给我们评评理丨"店主说着放开农夫的衣领,恭敬地向知县磕头:"这个人不长眼，把我的小鸡压死了，这鸡两年后可是值一百文的丨” 农夫吓得语无伦次，怎么也讲不明白。 “一只鸡的价格是一百文钱，”知县对农夫说，"我看你还是赔吧。”众人大哗，人们都以为知县会为农夫做主。 店主很得意，高兴地搓着手夸赞道:"大人，都说你断案公正，今日得见，果然名不虚传!" "我朝法令公允严明，”知县微笑着说，“那么一只鸡一年要吃多少粮食呢？” 店主回答："一年约半袋粮食。” 段广清说道：“也就是说那只被压死的小鸡两年要吃一整袋粮食，那就把省下的这袋粮食的钱还给农夫吧。” 店主脸色苍白，一袋粮食可不止一百文钱，于是当下表示不要农夫赔偿了。人们哄堂大笑，店主灰溜溜地退回自己店中。 Chicken Feed Duan Guangqing was a Chinese magistrate who lived about a hundred years ago. He was famed for the fairness of his judgments. One day while the magistrate was walking through a market he saw a crowd outside a poultry shop. On enquiring what the matter was he learnt that a peasant had accidentally dropped a heavy sack on a chicken, crushing it to death. The chicken was small, worth only about five coins, but the owner of the shop had caught the peasant by his throat and was demanding a hundred. His argument was that the chicken would have grown into a plump bird in another two years and then it would have fetched him the amount he was asking for. Somebody recognized the magistrate, and everybody made way for him. “Judge our case，My Lord!"said the owner of the chicken, letting go of the peasant and bowing obsequiously to the magistrate. "This man, through his carelessness has caused the death of a chicken that would have fetched me a hundred coins in another two years1" Fear had made the peasant’s speech incoherent. Nobody could understand what he was saying. "The price put on the chicken is a hundred coins," said the magistrate, to the peasant. “丨 advise you to pay. " There was a gasp from the crowd. Everybody had expected the magistrate to rule in the peasant's favor. The owner of the chicken was overjoyed. "They said you were fair in your judgments ,My Lord,” he said, rubbing his hands in glee, “now I can say there is no one fairer than you!" “The Law is always fair," smiled the magistrate. "Tell me, how much grain does a chicken eat in a year?" "About half a sack,” said the poultry shop owner. “So in two years the chicken which died would have eaten a whole sack of grain," said Duan Guangqing "Please give the sack of grain you've saved to this man. ” The chicken owner turned pale. A sack of grain would cost more than hundred coins. Cowed by the jeers of the crowd, he declared he would not take any money from the peasant, and retreated into the safety of his shop. |
