English Original
A traveling salesman, whose feet often ached from excessive walking, was advised by his doctor that salt water was the best remedy. He decided to spend his vacation by the sea. However, as hotels near the beach were expensive, he chose a small hotel farther inland.
In the morning, he went to the calm sea with a bucket. He approached the lifeguard and asked if he could take a bucket of salt water. The lifeguard, looking surprised, agreed but charged twenty-five cents. The salesman paid, filled his bucket, took it to his hotel, and soaked his feet.
After lunch, he returned to the beach. The tide had gone out, and the sea was much lower. Seeing this, the salesman thought, "That man runs a good business. He must have sold thousands of buckets since this morning."
中文翻译
一位旅行推销员因走路过多而双脚时常疼痛。医生告诉他，盐水是最好的治疗方法，于是他决定那年去海边度假。由于海边所有的酒店都很贵，他选择了一家远离海滩的小旅馆。
早上，他提着一个水桶来到平静的海边。他走向救生员，询问是否可以取一桶盐水。救生员看起来很惊讶，但同意了，不过要收取二十五美分。推销员付了钱，装满水桶，带回旅馆，把脚泡了进去。
午饭后，他再次来到海滩。此时潮水已退，海平面低了很多。看到这一幕，推销员心想：“这人的生意真不错。从早上到现在，他肯定已经卖出去几千桶水了。”