The Goodness of Water

This is a story about the five elements of water

There lived an old stonemason at the foot of a mountain who went to the stream every morning to fetch water. One day, he found that the stream had suddenly dried up, and all that was left was a piece of green stone engraved with the words “Goodness is like water”.

At night, the old stonemason dreamed that an old man in white clothes said to him: "Water has three virtues: it can be square and round, soft and strong, and pure and tolerant. Tomorrow take this stone and go east."

The next day, the old stonemason walked eastward with the green stone in his arms. At noon, he met a group of villagers who were fighting for water. The old stonemason placed the lapis lazuli on the dry riverbed, and the stone suddenly oozed out droplets of water, which gradually merged into a clear spring.

The spring water was very special: when greedy people took the water, the water became bitter; when humble people took the water, the water was extraordinarily sweet. Even more amazing is that this spring will adjust the amount of water itself - more flow in times of drought, less flow in times of flood.

Three years later, the old stonemason passed away peacefully. People buried him next to the spring, and the next day, a willow tree grew in front of the grave, its branches always hanging low to the water. Whenever there was a drought, the willow leaves would drip water; when there was a flood, the roots of the tree would suck up the excess water.

To this day, the spring still flows. The old people say that this is the old stonemason is teaching the future generations: to be like water, can nourish everything, but also know the way in and out.