Where is the Rice from?

A rich man in the Qi Kingdom had two silly sons, but the rich man loved his sons very much and thought them as the apples of his eyes.

齊國有一個富翁，他有兩個兒子，一個比一個愚笨。可是富翁還是把兩個兒子視為掌上明珠。

One day, a man named Ai Zi said to the rich man, “Your sons are so stupid and know nothing about the world. How can they take your property over after your death?”

一天， 艾子對富翁說："您這兩位少爺整天糊里糊涂，以后怎么接管家業(yè)呢?"

Hearing these words, the rich man became a little bit angry. The father said, “Everyone says my sons are very smart and praise them for their good virtue. What you say is sheer nonsense!”

富翁聽了很不高興，說："真是豈有此理，我的兒子多聰明呀，誰不當面夸他們聰明過人!"

"Then let's test them. Ok?" Ai Zi suggested. The rich man agreed.

艾子笑道：“那我們來考考他們吧?”富翁同意了。

The father called his two sons before Ai Zi, who asked the question, "Do you know where rice comes from?"

于是富翁把兩個兒子找來。艾子問：“你們說大米從哪兒來的?”

The elder son smiled and answered, "Any one with sense knows the answer, that rice comes from the kitchen."

老大嘿嘿一笑，說：“這誰不知道!是從廚房來的唄!”

The younger son blinked and said, "You're wrong! How can you say rice comes from the kitchen! It indeed comes from the bag."

老二眨巴眨巴眼睛說：“不對!怎么是從廚房來的呢?大米是從口袋倒出來的。”

The rich man looked at his sons and turned red with anger. "You both are so silly! Why don't you ask me when you don't the right answer? You are both wrong! Rice comes neither from the kitchen nor from the bag, it comes from the barn!"

富翁看看老大，又看看老二，氣得漲紅了臉，罵道：“兩個蠢材，不知道也不問問我，怎么可以在客人面前胡說呢?告訴你們，大米不是從廚房來的，也不是從口袋倒出來的，是從咱們的糧倉來的。”

The story means that one may do foolish things when he pretends to know the things he is actually ignorant of.

這個英語小故事告訴我們，不懂裝懂，一定會鬧出笑話的。