Three rich ladies met every day by the river. They sat there and talked the w 71day. Once, they quarreled. One of them said, 'Look, how white and beautiful my hands are!' A 72one said, 'My hands are more beautiful.' The third one said. “Mine a 73the most beautiful.' Just then, an old woman beggar(乞丐) came up to them. 'Beautiful ladies,' she said, 'I’m old and can’t work. I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.'
But the t 74ladies gave her nothing. They only asked her to tell them who h 75the most beautiful hands.
A peasant woman (农妇) was also sitting by the river. She was poor and her hands were rough(粗糙) because of h 76work. The old woman beggar came up to her and said, 'I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.' The peasant woman took out her only cake she had and gave the beggar a h 77.
The old woman beggar ate it and drank some water. Then she took the peasant woman by the hand, brought her b 78the rich ladies and said, 'Now, I shall tell you whose hands are the most beautiful. The hands of the poor peasant woman are rough because of work, but they give us food; they are m 79more beautiful than your hands which have never d 80anything.'