Once upon a time, there lived two brothers who truly cared for each other. They were so close that they shared anything and everything. They would work together in the older brother’s rice paddy one day and plant beans together in the younger brother’s field the next day.

One day, the brothers were returning home after attending a party. They had to cross the river and they were about to get on a ferry when the younger brother shouted. “Hey, look! There’s something shining in the water.” To their surprise, they found two small balls of gold. Their eyes widened, and they quickly took the balls out of the water. The older brother said, “Take these, brother, as you found them.” But the younger brother shook his head. “No, you should take them. You have a large family to support, don’t you?” Again, the older brother said, “No, no. You just got married and you’ll probably need many things to buy. Take the balls.” After arguing about the gold balls for a while, the older brother suggested that each take one ball. The younger brother agreed, and they gladly shared the gold balls.

After returning home, the older brother was still excited about the small gold ball. He stayed in the room and just stared at the ball all day long. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He was so absorbed in the gold ball that he didn’t even bother to work. His wife began to complain, with his hungry children crying. Nevertheless, all he could think about was the gold ball. He began to miss the other gold ball that he had shared with his younger brother. If he had had the two gold balls all to himself, he would have been richer and happier. He completely forgot the fact that it was his brother who found the balls. He regretted having shared the balls with his brother. He even found himself hating his brother, who he had cared for so much.

A few days later, the older brother went to his younger brother’s house, taking the gold ball with him. He said, “Brother, I think I should give this gold ball to you. I’m ashamed to say it, but because of this thing, I have neglected to take care of my family for the past few days. Moreover, I feel like it is putting some distance between you and me. I don’t want to lose my beloved brother just because of this little ball.”

Upon hearing this, the younger brother suddenly grasped his older brother’s hand. He was almost in tears. “To be honest with you, brother, I felt exactly the same way. I’ve been lazy and greedy all the while because of this ball. So, why don’t we just abandon these things and return to the life we had before?” The older brother nodded his head. The two brothers went to the river and threw the gold balls into the water. The balls fell into the water with a splash and vanished.

The story of the devoted brothers spread throughout the country and reached the ears of the king. The king was very impressed with their brotherly love and ordered officials to give the brothers a hundred bags of rice and ten rolls of fine silk as a reward. By letting go of the small gold balls and their greed, the brothers gained even more. Most importantly, they were able to restore their close loving relationship.