Chapter 104: Picking River Snails
As he said this, Scholar Meng placed a bottle on the table and said with a smile, "It’s with this kind of bottle that hunters place peanuts inside and then leave. Monkeys love peanuts, so they come to find the bottle and reach inside to grab the peanuts.
"However, the design of the bottle’s opening is ingenious; if their hand is open, they can reach in and out without obstruction. But once their hand clenches into a fist, it gets stuck in the bottle, unable to escape. At this moment, the hunter appears, and the monkey has two choices."
At this point, Scholar Meng turned to Zhao Zhitong and asked, "Young girl, can you tell me what the two choices for the monkey are?"
Zhao Zhitong blinked and thought for a while, saying, "Either the monkey gives up the peanuts in the bottle, relaxes its palm, and can pull its claw out of the bottle to escape the hunter’s capture. Or, the monkey is unwilling to give up the peanuts in the bottle and is caught by the hunter, losing its freedom."
Scholar Meng patted Zhao Zhitong’s head. "Well said. That’s exactly it. However, in the end, the monkey chooses not to give up the peanuts and is eventually caught by the hunter, losing its freedom."
At this moment, Zhao Zhitong’s eyes reddened as she looked at her Teacher. "But, Teacher, if the monkey broke the bottle, could it get the peanuts and escape from the hunter?"
The Teacher chuckled. "You’re right, young girl. Today, I am telling you about Mencius’s *The Fish I Desire*, not to say that the two options are necessarily mutually exclusive, but to emphasize how we should make choices when we don’t have the ability to break the hunter’s bottle."
Zhao Zhitong blinked and looked at the Teacher. "Teacher, I understand. It’s like when I really want to play while studying. But if I go play, I won’t be able to listen to your lectures, and I value your lessons more, so I give up playing."
Scholar Meng laughed happily and nodded in satisfaction.
At this time, Qiao Muchen was still in deep thought, only snapping back to reality when the Teacher called him.
Scholar Meng said, "Qiao Muchen, come, tell us your understanding."
After pursing his lips, Qiao Muchen said, "Teacher, I believe that choosing and sacrificing are relative. For example, I want to study with you and also practice martial arts with Mr. Meng to strengthen my body. However, time at the school is limited each day. If I go to practice martial arts with Mr. Meng, I cannot attend your class at the same time. But since I don’t want to give up either, I wonder: could I give up my usual playtime to practice martial arts and exercise instead?"