Li Ting: The Running Goat

This winter was exceptionally cold. The thick clouds and withered earth created a sense of inexplicable oppression; only the scattered wheat fields seemed to hold any sign of life. A pregnant ewe stood out in the flock, always lagging behind, searching for food to satisfy her hunger.

That day, the temperature remained frigid. The ewe began to bleat softly, pawing at the damp earth; she seemed ready to give birth. About half an hour later, a lamb was born, much smaller and thinner than the others. The ewe carefully cleaned the lamb's wet coat. The little lamb trembled, struggling to lift its weak body. It pushed with its hind legs, slowly extending its front legs. , Its chest barely left the ground. Thump! It fell. Another try, thump! It fell. Another try, thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!... Finally, it stood up.

It raised its head, swaying precariously in the north wind, its body teetering, but it didn't fall again.

Time flew by. A month passed, and the weather gradually warmed. Tiny blades of grass poked their heads out of the earth. Under its mother's care, the lamb went out to graze with the flock for the first time. It was very excited, jumping and leaping. The grazing path included uneven mountain roads, complex ravines, and dangerous thickets—a second challenge in the lamb's young life. A ravine blocked the lamb's path. The other sheep leaped across it one by one and continued grazing, but the lamb bleated and hesitated, afraid. Each time it tried to jump, it pulled back its feet, pacing nervously. Its mother called to it from the other side, seemingly encouraging it. Finally, it summoned its courage, leaped, and succeeded.

An easterly wind awakened the sleeping world. Plants donned their new green attire; azaleas adorned the distant hills; the songs of birds and the murmur of mountain streams played a symphony of life. The lamb was eating tender grass on a field ridge when suddenly a sharp stone flew past, and the lamb cried out and fell. A greedy goat had been stealing corn from the field, and the shepherd had thrown the stone, accidentally injuring the lamb. The lamb lay on the ground, gasping for breath. It could no longer graze with the flock and was confined by the shepherd, who provided it with fodder. Several times it tried to escape the pen and join the flock, but the pain in its hind leg forced it to retreat. It ate less and less, gradually becoming thinner. The other sheep began to reject and even harm it. When the flock went out or returned, it hid in a corner. Even the rooster fought with it for the corn kernels the shepherd provided. The shepherd, believing the lamb would die, gave up on it.

One day, the shepherd discovered the injured lamb was missing from its pen. He found it in the village wasteland, nibbling leaves from a small tree; its will to survive had revived it. It ate more and more each day, and as its wounds healed, it became more active. It rejoined the flock, growing stronger day by day. It found its place in the flock, running along mountain paths and cliffs. After six months, it became the leader of the flock.

The lamb's growth perfectly embodies the saying: "When Heaven is about to confer a great task on a man, it will first test his will, exhaust his muscles and bones, expose him to hunger, impoverish his body, and unsettle his plans, so as to stimulate his spirit, strengthen his nature, and enhance his abilities."

It aspired to be a strong, running goat, and it overcame many difficulties to become not only a runner but also a leader of the flock.

【一工部 / 李挺】