Once upon a time, there lived a woodcutter who lived in fear of his wife. He always secretly studied his wife's facial expressions and worked hard all day long. One day, he went out to gather firewood, and after walking around the mountain, he finally found a suitable tree. Just as he was about to cut it down, the fairy inhabiting the tree suddenly appeared and said,
"This tree is my house, please don't cut it down.?
"I am sorry, but if I don't cut it down I"ll l get in trouble with my wife."
"For goodness sake, please don't destroy my house!"
"I have no choice but to chop down your tree for firewood.?
After wrangling with each other for awhile, the fairy finally made a proposal.
"If you don't cut down my tree, I will grant you three wishes. Tell me whatever it is that you desire and you shall have it.?
"I am going to make a big killing!?thought the woodcutter, jumping for joy. He started to think about what to wish for but couldn't make up his mind.
"It would be better to consult with my wife first,?said the woodcutter to the fairy.
"Will you really grant our three wishes?"
"Yes, I will."
"For sure?"
"I said I would, didn't I??
"If you don't keep your promise, I swear that I'll l rip this tree out by its roots!"
"OK, do as you please."
The woodcutter's wife, incensed upon seeing that her husband had come home empty-handed, yelled,
"What's wrong with you? If you went out to get some firewood, you have to come back with some!?
"It's not what you think. Please just listen to what I have to say. To tell you the truth...?
After hearing her husband's story, the woodcutter's wife was speechless with joy. They would be able to realize three life-long wishes all at once! But what should they wish for A large and stately house? No, what good would a large and stately house be by itself? A person must be healthy, so should they wish for good health? No just being healthy wasn't good enough. A person had to have money, so should they wish for money? No- surely there was something better than money. Hmmm...what to wish for? The couple sat facing each other, thinking intently until long past lunchtime about what to wish for. The husband, by this time quite hungry, blurted out,
"I am so hungry. You know what they say, a loaf of bread is better than the song of any bird! I wish I could eat a sausage right this instant!?
As soon as these words were uttered, a sausage suddenly fell from the heavens and landed on the dinner table.
"Oh my gosh, what is this Isn't this a sausage?"
Thus was one of their precious wishes squandered in a moment of indiscretion.
"You idiot! How could you waste one of our precious wishes on a damn sausage! How can I live with such an imbecile??
As the woodcutter's wife looked at the steam rising from the piping-hot sausage, she couldn't contain herself any longer and said,
"I wish this damn sausage was attached to my idiot of a husband's nose!"
Before she even finished saying these words, the sausage flew up into the air and attached itself squarely to the woodcutte's nose. In such a fashion, the couple's second wish was wasted. The woodcutter didn't know what to do with his nose, which was now like an elephant's. After much worrying and debate, the woodcutter's wife finally made their third wish:
"Sausage, fall off my husband's nose!?

      A few years ago, one newspaper in the U.S. decided to do a follow-up story on past lottery winners who had come into enormous wealth and their present circumstances. The results were quite startling- approximately 80% of the winners were residing in mental hospitals. In today's society, an increasing number of people believe that if they just have money they will be able to do anything they want. However, what is more important for us, in my opinion, is finding "something one truly, earnestly desires."To create a healthy capitalist society, we need more people who view money as a means of pursuing their sincere hopes and dreams rather than focusing on earning money for money's sake.