English Original
A man in Yongzhou was superstitious, fearing that certain days brought misfortune. Born in the year of the Rat (Zi), and believing the rat to be the deity of that year, he went to great lengths to protect them. He forbade keeping cats or dogs and prohibited his servants from harming any rats. He allowed them to run rampant in his granary and kitchen without interference.
Word spread among the rodents, and they flocked to his home, living safely and eating their fill all day. The man's house was soon ruined: no utensil remained intact, no garment on the rack was whole, and even his own food was mostly leftovers from the rats.
By day, rats swarmed around him; by night, they fought, squeaked, and made such a racket that sleep was impossible. Yet, the man never grew annoyed.
Years later, he moved away, and a new family took over the house. The rats, however, continued their brazen mischief as before.
The new owner was furious. "How can we tolerate these shameless pests who steal and cause such devastation?" he declared.
He immediately borrowed several cats, shut the doors and windows, and set them loose. He also hired workers to move tiles and bricks, flooding the rats' holes to trap them from all sides.
The caught rats were killed and piled up in a remote spot like a small hill. The stench took months to fade.
Those rats likely thought their feast would last forever without disaster. How lamentable that was. One should never tolerate rats.
中文翻译
永州有个人很迷信，害怕在某些日子办事会招致厄运。他生于子年，且认为老鼠是子年的守护神，因此极力庇护它们。他不仅不养猫狗，还禁止仆人伤害老鼠。他任由老鼠在粮仓和厨房里横行，从不干涉。
消息在鼠群中传开，它们纷纷涌入他家，终日饱食，安然生活。这人的家很快被毁：没有一件完好的器具，衣架上没有一件完整的衣裳，连他自己的食物也大多是老鼠吃剩的。
白天，老鼠成群结队地围着他转；夜晚，它们争斗、尖叫，吵闹得让人无法入睡。然而，这人从未感到厌烦。
几年后，他搬走了，另一家人住了进来。老鼠却依然像过去一样肆无忌惮地捣乱。
新主人十分愤怒。他宣称：“这些无耻的祸害偷窃东西，造成如此破坏，我们怎能容忍？”
他立即借来几只猫，关上门窗，放猫捕鼠。他还雇人搬砖移瓦，用水灌洞，从四面八方围剿老鼠。
被捕杀的老鼠被扔到偏僻处，堆积如山。臭味过了几个月才消散。
那些老鼠或许以为它们能永远饱食而无灾无难。这种想法真是可悲。人们决不应姑息老鼠。