The Three Brothers
Once upon a time, there lived a man who had no possessions except for the house where he resided and his three sons. All three of the man's sons desired to inherit the house once their father passed away, but the father held an equal amount of love for each of them and was uncertain about how to handle the situation, he had no intention of selling the house as it was a property that had been passed down through his family and splitting the proceeds would not have been an option. Finally, he came up with a plan and addressed his sons, "Travel out into the world and acquire a skill. Once you have all returned, the one who creates the most exceptional masterpiece will be awarded the house."
The sons were satisfied with their father's proposal, and the eldest son chose to become a blacksmith, the second son opted for a barbering profession, and the youngest decided to train as a fencing master. They agreed on a set time to return home and set off on their individual journeys.
By chance, each of them came across capable instructors who taught them their crafts proficiently. The blacksmith was assigned the task of shoeing the king's horses, and he believed to himself, "Surely the house will be mine." The barber considered the house his own since he only shaved eminent people. Similarly, the fencing-master endured numerous blows but remained composed and undisturbed. He firmly believed that fearing blows would hinder his chances of winning the house, saying to himself, "If you are afraid of a blow, you'll never win the house."
After the designated time had elapsed, the three brothers returned to their father's house, however, they were unsure about when to display their skills most effectively, so they sat down and deliberated together. While they were deliberating, a hare suddenly appeared and ran across the field. The barber exclaimed, "Ah, perfect timing!" He then took his basin and soap and began to lather the hare as it approached, despite the hare running at full speed, the barber skillfully shaved off its whiskers without causing any harm to its skin or hair. The elderly man praised the barber's performance and remarked, "If the other two do not perform exceedingly well, the house will be yours." Shortly after, a nobleman raced past in his coach at full speed. The blacksmith exclaimed, "Father, now you shall witness my skills." He then chased after the coach and managed to remove all four shoes from one of the galloping horses and replaced them with four new shoes, all without stopping the horse. "You are an excellent individual and as skilled as your brother. I am unsure to whom I should grant the house."
The youngest son requested, "Father, may I have my chance, please?" As it started to rain, he unsheathed his sword and brandished it rapidly above his head, preventing a single drop from falling on him. As the rain intensified and turned into a heavy downpour, the youngest son continued to swing his sword at an even greater speed, yet he remained entirely dry. Despite the torrential rain, he sat as if he was indoors. Witnessing this, his father was astonished and declared, "This is the masterpiece, the house is yours."
As previously agreed, his brothers were content with this decision. Because they had a strong affection for each other, they all decided to reside together in the house, they continued to practice their respective trades and, as they had become quite skilled, they were able to earn a significant amount of money. They lived happily together until they grew old, unfortunately, when one of them fell ill and eventually passed away, the remaining two were devastated by his loss, their grief was so intense that they also became ill and shortly after passed away. Because of their intelligence and deep affection for each other, they were buried in the same grave.
