Two farmers who had moved from the city to the countryside began farming for the first time.
In spring, as they planted rice seedlings, they made a friendly bet to see who would reap the greater harvest in the fall.
By summer, the rice in both paddies had grown lush and green. But soon, weeds began to sprout between the rice plants—so many that it seemed there were more weeds than rice.
“No matter how much I pull them out, they keep growing back. How long do I have to keep doing this?”
Grumbling, one farmer finally gave up weeding altogether.
The other farmer, however, continued to pull weeds whenever he could—not trying to clear them all at once, but removing them little by little, day after day. Though some weeds still remained, his rice plants stayed healthy and strong.
When autumn came, the farmer who had given up weeding was left with fields overrun by tall weeds and rice stalks bearing only empty husks. But the other farmer’s paddy was filled with golden rice heads, heavy and bowed under their weight.
The result of their bet had already been decided back in summer.