English Original
Right in the middle of Japan, high in the mountains, an old man lived in a little house. He found an old iron kettle in a corner of his room and decided to use it to boil water. To his surprise, when placed on the fire, the kettle transformed into a strange creature, then changed back into a kettle. The old man decided to sell it, and a merchant came and took it away.
That night, the merchant was awakened by a loud noise. The kettle had become the strange creature again and was running about his room. Yet, by early morning, it lay quietly in the corner once more. A neighbor, upon hearing the story, advised the merchant to travel the country and display it.
The merchant discovered he could ask the kettle to change and perform. The performances drew large audiences, and he earned a great deal of money. However, he was an honest man. Though now rich, he felt he owed some of his wealth to the old man from whom he had bought the kettle.
One morning, he placed one hundred gold pieces inside the kettle, hung it on his arm, and returned to the old man. The old man thanked him, saying few people would have been so honest.
The kettle brought luck to them both. Everything went well for them until they died.
中文翻译
在日本中部的高山上，一位老人住在一间小屋里。他在房间的角落里发现了一个旧的铁茶壶，便决定用它来烧水。令他惊讶的是，当茶壶被放在火上时，它变成了一个奇怪的生物，随后又变回了茶壶。老人决定卖掉它，一位商人前来将其买走。
当晚，商人被一阵巨响惊醒。茶壶再次变成了那个奇怪的生物，在他的房间里乱跑。然而，到了清晨，它又静静地躺在角落里。一位邻居听了他的经历后，建议他带着茶壶去全国各地展示。
商人发现他可以要求茶壶变形和表演。这些表演吸引了大批观众，他因此赚了很多钱。但他是个诚实的人。尽管现在富有了，他认为自己亏欠那位卖给他茶壶的老人一部分财富。
一天早上，他将一百枚金币放入茶壶，把茶壶挂在手臂上，回去找到了那位老人。老人向他道谢，说很少有人会如此诚实。
这个茶壶给他们两人都带来了好运。他们一生都过得顺遂如意。