Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer who had a son. They owned a young stallion that helped them with the daily hard work on their poor farm. One day the horse ran away, and the neighbors gathered around the old farmer and started lamenting:
— What a pity, what a pity! What will you do now without a horse… ah… how dreadful this is!
The old farmer shrugged and simply said:
— Maybe so, maybe not…
A few days later the horse came back, followed by a whole herd of wild horses. The neighbors gathered around the old farmer once again and discussed it with delight:
— Ah, what great luck for you!
The farmer once again answered calmly with the same words:
— Maybe so, and maybe not…
A few days later, while trying to tame one of the wild horses, the farmer's son fell and broke his leg. With a broken leg the boy could no longer help with the farm work.
— Oh, how sad for you! — the neighbors lamented.
— Maybe so, and maybe not… — the farmer answered.
Soon afterwards a war was declared. The young men of the village were called up for military service. Many of them died, but the farmer's son could not join the ranks because of his broken leg.
The people gathered around the farmer once again and said:
- What great luck that your son had a broken leg and didn't go to war!
- Maybe so, and maybe not…
That was all the farmer said.
