2. Some rich and beautiful ladies were sitting on the bank of a river, enjoying their picnic. When they were washing their hands and feet in the clean water, they saw their reflections (倒影).
Seeing their reflections in the water, they started to praise their own beauty. One of them said. "How beautiful my hands are!"
Another woman said her hands were even more beautiful. A third one said the same thing. Soon, an argument (争吵) broke out among them.
They saw an old woman passing by. She was walking with the help of a stick and her clothes were dirty.
Seeing her, one lady suggested asking the old woman about whose hands were the most beautiful. They all agreed. When the old woman came near, they showed her their hands and asked, "Who has the most beautiful hands?"
The old woman said, "I am hungry and thirsty. Give me something to eat and then answer you. "
They refused and asked her to go away.
A poor woman saw all this. She went to the old woman and made her sit comfortably. She opened her lunch box and shared her food and water. Then she helped wash the old woman's hands and feet, while giving great comfort to her.
After the old woman felt a little better, she went back to those rich ladies. Pointing to that poor woman, she said, "She has the most beautiful hands."
All the ladies laughed, "What do you know about beauty?" At this, the old woman replied, "Beautiful hands belong to (属于) those who do good and serve the people who need help."