In the old days， few people anywhere in the world could read or write. In China， parents hoped they could make a little bit more money so they could send their sons to a teacher to learn how to read and write. If they studied very， very hard and passed the Imperial Examinations， they could win posts in the government.This brought respect， glory， and power to the whole family. However， the examinations were extremely difficult. Many students took the examinations over and over until they were old men， but never passed.
过去，世界上很少有人能够读书识字。在中国，家长们都希望他们能多赚一些钱好让他们的儿子们跟随老师学习读写。如果他们用功读书，通过科举考试，还能在朝廷中谋得职位。这将给全家带来尊严、荣誉和权力。但是，科举考试非常难。很多人从少年到白头，考了一遍又一遍，还是没能通过考试。
One year， the brothers Song Jiao and Song Ji went to the capital together to take the examinations. On the way， they met a monk， who looked carefully at Song Jiao and exclaimed， "I can tell by looking at your features that you have saved many， many lives. According to your original fortune， you should fail in the imperial examinations， but because you have saved so many lives， this year you will win the highest place in the entire empire. Let this poor monk be the first to congratulate this future official."