Have you ever played treasure hunt? Isn’t it exciting to decipher and follow the cryptic instructions that lead you to gifts and prizes? Well, the lazy sons of an old farmer felt the same way about hidden riches, in the below short story about finding treasure. They never liked working hard for anything. So their father taught them a lesson. Let us now read the story of the hidden treasure and find out what the old farmer did to trick his sons into finding a true treasure.
The Hidden Treasure
The Old Farmer and His Four Lazy Sons
Once upon a time, there lived an old farmer with his four sons. He used to work very hard in the fields day in and day out and every year he had a great harvest. However, his sons were not as hard-working as him, instead, all of them were very lazy. The old farmer had built a house for his sons and had sent them to the school in their village. His lazy sons were no good in school, so he asked them to help him in the fields. But to his dismay, they could not find themselves in high spirits in the fields either. They whiled away their time doing nothing but roaming about in the village. They believed that their fate would bring them a fortune.
One day the old farmer fell ill and returned home from the fields. The doctor said that he was counting his last few days. The old farmer was worried about his lazy sons and wondered how would they earn a living after his death. As his health was deteriorating with every passing day, he asked his sons about their plans for the future. However, they were indifferent to the idea of hard work and had no plans of earning a living whatsoever.
The old farmer thought about it for days. Finally, he came up with a plan to make his sons realize the necessity of hard work. One morning, he called all his sons and asked them to sit beside his bed.
The Old Farmer and His Sons Near His Bed
He said, “Your mother had inherited a thousand gold coins and a hundred precious gems from her father, twenty years ago. She asked me to keep all of it for our sons. So I had buried in our field long back. Now that I am going to die, I want to share the treasure equally among you all. I do not remember where exactly I had buried the box full of gold coins and gems, in the field. So, I request you to find it out and bring it to me.”
The Hidden Treasure
On hearing of the hidden treasure, the lazy sons of the old farmer jumped with glee. They thought that finally, it was time for them to get their fortune, but they were sad that their father could not recall where he had hidden the treasure. So they decided to go to the fields and find it. They dug and dug, but the treasure was nowhere to be found. They returned home disappointed.
The Four Sons of the Farmer Digging the Land
The next day, they went to the fields once again. This time they decided to dig a different spot, a little distant from their fields. As they dug deeper, they found water deep down the soil. That day too they returned home tired and disappointed. The next day when they went to the fields, they met a few passers-by. On seeing the fields, the passers-by suggested that they should cultivate the land. So, the four sons of the farmer planted some seeds of fruits and vegetables in the fields.
Days went by and the old farmer kept pushing them to work on the seeds that they had planted. Somehow, his sons listened to him, and finally one day their fields were full of trees bearing fruits and vegetables. They came home with all the fresh fruits and vegetables. The old farmer was overjoyed to see the fruits of their hard work.
He said, “Oh my dear sons, you have done a great job! I really appreciate your hard work. Now, listen to my words carefully. There was no hidden treasure in the fields. Your hard work is your treasure and these fruits and vegetables are its precious results. Now go and sell them at the market and enjoy your success as you have earned every bit of it.”.
The four sons of the old farmer realized that their father referred to hard work as the hidden treasure that could change their lives for good. They sold all the fruits and vegetables at good prices in the market and earned a lot of money. Thereafter, they kept up their hard work in the fields and lived happily ever after.
Moral of the Story
The moral of this short story about finding treasure is: “Hard work always pays off.”.
Conclusion
The story of the old farmer and his lazy sons thus teaches us the importance of hard work in life. There are several other moral stories and bedtime stories on Vedantu, reading which kids will learn moral values in the disguise of fun and leisure. Therefore, encourage kids with leisure reading and make the most of the time they spend on digital screens.
Want to read offline? download full PDF here
Download full PDF
