Reading and Speaking The Story of Han Xin
In his youth, Han Xin was a cheerful young man. He always carded his sword, no matter where he went. One day, he went fishing. By the end of the afternoon, he returned home to sell the fish he had caught in the fish market. Now, this town was also the home to a band of wild and rude young fellows. They often caused problems to the citizens and travellers on the road. Seeing Han Xin carrying his sword and the fish he had caught that day, one of them stepped in front of Han Xin and started making fun of him. He teased Han Xin saying, "As you are carrying a sword, you must be a brave man. If you are not afraid to die, take your sword and fight me. However, if you are afraid to die, then you must go on your knees and crawl between my legs on all fours." All the guys laughed. Many people gathered around the young man and Han Xin. They were all waiting to see what Han Xin would do. After a while, Han Xin laid his sword on the ground, and put his basket down. He went down on his knees and moved on all fours under the young man's spread out legs. The action was shameful. The people watching the scene started laughing. They all said that Han Xin was stupid and lacked courage. The story became widely known.

Years later, Liu Bang, who founded the Han Dynasty, asked Han Xin to serve as one of his generals. In times of peace, Han Xin took up the post of a high official back in his hometown. The bad guys who had made his life so miserable in his youth still lived there. On taking up his post, he called them to his office for some "business".

Everyone remembered what these men had done to Han Xin in the past. When they arrived at his office, they were all afraid of what Han Xin would do to them, and what horrible punishment he was going to give them. When Han Xin heard of their arrival, he told his secretary to keep them around, while he ignored them to do other matters. By the end of the day, Han Xin called them into his office. He poured them some wine and asked them about the things that had happened in the town while he had been away. When they had finished, he just sent them home.
文本来源于在线英语听力室