Lu Zhou lived in a small village long ago. Like many of his neighbors, he did not have much. But there was one special thing that Lu Zhou had. A beautiful sword. It had been passed down to him by his father, who had inherited the sword from his father.

The sword was his most prized possession, and he felt proud to show it off. He would stand outside and turn it in his hands to see how brightly the metal shone in the sun. He was sure that the sword was worth a lot of money, but he would never sell it. In fact, he loved the sword so much that he took it with him everywhere. The villagers were afraid to see him walking down the road. He swung his sword like a walking cane! But they soon learned he meant no harm.

One summer day, Lu Zhou traveled to visit his brother. It was a long journey. But of course, he carried his heavy sword with him. It seemed to get heavier with each step. The weather grew hot and humid. His hands grew sweaty. The sword became slippery. And it shone like the sun reflecting off water. He grew thirsty.

He came to a wide river. Lu Zhou bent down and took a deep drink. Much better! Then he hadto cross the river. It was so wide that he could hardly see the other side. Small waves rushed by. The water was fast and too deep to walk across. To his relief, he saw a man in a fishing boat nearby. He waved his arms and called out to the fisherman.

“Hello, sir!” he yelled. “Could you give me a ride across the river, please?”

“I’d be happy to help,” replied the fisherman.

The fisherman brought his boat to the shore, and Lu Zhou eagerly got on. “Thank you very much!” he said.

“No problem!” said the fisherman. As they crossed the river, Lu Zhou leaned over the edge of the boat. He stared deeply into the water. He wanted to see if there were any fish.

“Careful,” said the fisherman. “You might fall out of the boat.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I know how to swim very well.” Lu Zhou waved his arms wildly to show how he could swim. “The fish should watch out for me!” The boat rocked as he swung his arms.

Then, the two men heard a splash. It was the sword! The sword had accidentally fallen into the river!

“Oh no! See? This is what I meant!” cried the fisherman. “Quick! Dive in! Save the sword!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Lu Zhou. “I know an easier way!” He took out a knife and made a mark on the side of the boat. “We are in the middle of the river,” he continued. “It’s a little dangerous to get in the water here, is it not? So, I’ve just made a mark into the side of the boat, right next to where I’m sitting. This way, I know where he sword dropped! When we make it to the other shore, I can dive in where I made the mark. Then, I will find the sword easily!”

“What?” asked the fisherman, confused. “That won’t work!”

“Just wait and see!” insisted Lu Zhou.

The fisherman didn’t want to argue. He kept quiet and paddled the boat.

When they reached the other shore, Lu Zhou checked the mark on the boat. Then, he dove into the river right at the mark. A few moments later, he came back to the surface.

“I can’t find the sword!” he cried. “I don’t understand, how is this possible? This is exactly where I dropped it!” He pointed at the mark in the side of the boat. “So where could the sword have gone?”

The fisherman let out a big sigh. “Sir, this is what I was trying to tell you. You made the mark out there. We were in the middle of the river. That’s where the sword dropped. But we are here now, by the shore. The mark moved with the boat, but the sword didn't. The sword is still out there, in the middle of the river!”

Lu Zhou finally understood. He began to cry when he realized what he had done. He had lost his favorite thing in the world! And all because he had been foolish and stubborn!