THE THIRD FOX
第三只狐狸
Wang Huonan was a rich man in Huainan. His family made their fortune running a pawnshop. Business was great. They needed more warehouse space， so they bought up some of the empty houses around their pawnshop to use as warehouses.In one of the empty houses， they surprised a litter of three little foxes. The workmen chased them away， but that wouldn't do for Wang Huonan.
王获楠是淮南的一个财主。他开了一家当铺。生意十分兴隆。由于需要扩大仓库，他买下了当铺周围的一些空房子当作库房。在其中的一间空房子里，住着三只狐狸，它们被惊动了。伙计们想把这窝狐狸赶走就算了，可是王获楠另有心机。
"There'll be no end of trouble if we let them get away！ Kill them all！" They killed two of the little foxes， but one of them escaped.
"要是让它们跑了，以后会有很多麻烦的！把它们全杀了！"伙计们杀死了两只小狐狸，但是另一只却逃走了。
From then on， the Wangs never had a day's peace. Things disappeared， other things broke mysteriously， nothing could be found where it belonged. Everybody said the third fox was behind all of this.
从那以后，王家就再没有过一天的安生日子。有的东西不翼而飞，还有的东西被莫名其妙地弄坏了，所有的东西都不在原来的位置了。大家都说这一定是第三只狐狸干的。
In the winter of 1815， a fire broke out， in their warehouses， for no apparent reason. Fortunately， it was discovered in time so the damage was not too serious. Wang Huonan had a sorcerer exorcise the property， but a few months later there was another fire. Everybody knows how tricky foxes are， and if one sets its mind to mischief， there's no end of trouble.
在1815年的冬天，仓库无缘无故着了火。幸好人们及时发现，损失不算很大。王获楠请了一个法师给家里驱邪，但是几个月以后又着火了。大家都知道狐狸是很机灵的，如果它决意要捉弄人的话，麻烦就会不断。
Finally， some years and endless trouble later， Wang decided to sell the warehouses and be done with it. Zhen， a local rich man who also needed warehouses， inspected the property. They agreed on a fair price， 40，000 pieces of gold， and on a date to sign the contract and close the deal.
就这样折腾了好几年，王获楠终于决定把这些仓库卖掉，并且找到了买主。一位姓甄的财主正需要仓库，他来看了这些房子。两人谈妥了一个公平的价钱，4万块金币，并商量好了合同签字的日子。
The day before they were to sign the contract， the Zhens heard a voice telling them， "This is a feud between Wang and me. It doesn't have anything to do with you， so you'd better keep out of it." They couldn't tell where the voice was coming from， but Mr. Zhen was convinced that he ought to look elsewhere for a warehouse.
就在签字的前一天，甄财主家听到一个声音对他们说话。"这是王获楠和我之间的恩怨。和你们一点关系也没有，所以你们最好不要插手。"甄家的人不知道声音是从哪儿来的，不过甄财主还是坚信找别的地方的库房更好些。
"All my wealth is going up in flames！" This is the cry that woke up the rest of the Wangs one night during March， 1841. He rushed out of his bedroom without even putting on his pants or shoes.
"我的家产都被烧掉了！"1841年三月的一个晚上，王获楠的喊声惊醒了其他的人。王获楠冲出了卧房，连裤子和鞋都没穿。
Somehow， a fire had started in the kitchen and spread to the warehouses. By the time the family was awake， all of the warehouses were on fire， and by morning，they had burned to the ground.
不知何故，厨房里着了火，火势蔓延到了库房。当全家人醒来时，所有的库房都起火了，到了第二天早上，库房成了废墟。
The third fox had finally taken its revenge.
那第三只狐狸终于报了仇。
Animals may not have the intelligence of human beings， but they remember who has been nice to them， and who has hurt them. Clever animals like foxes may even plot revenge with single- minded determination. They cannot be persuaded by reason， and even a skillful sorcerer may not be able to quell them.
动物也许不像人那样聪明，可是它们知道谁对自己好，谁伤害了自己。一些像狐狸这样聪明的动物甚至会铁了心地设计复仇。什么也劝阻不了它们的复仇行动，甚至有道行的法师也无法把它们镇住。
The only way to reach such a soul is through penitence and mercy. Wang should have repented killing those foxes， and proved his sincerity by doing good deeds and killing nothing， Then， if he had been able to tell the fox the Buddhist dharmas that explain the balance and nature of the universe， they could have patched up their quarrel and become friends and avoided this disaster.
悔过和行善是唯一的补救方法。王获楠早就应当为杀死那些狐狸而悔过，并通过做善事和不杀生来证明自己的诚意。然后，如果他能 告诉狐狸阐释因果和宇宙真相的佛经，那么他们之间的嫌怨就会平息，他们也可以成为朋友，从而避免这场灾难。
In the end， revenge doesn't do anybody any good.
最后还要说的是，复仇对任何人都是没有好处的。
，放生故事:第三只狐狸