谁知道刚走到山下。天竟下起雨来，俩人在空旷处被淋了个透。更为不幸的是，背棉花的樵夫背上的棉花，吸饱了雨水。重得背不动，实在不得已，只能丢下一路辛苦舍不得放弃的棉花，空着手和挑金子的同伴回家去了。
However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.

　　在人生的每个关键时刻，谨慎地运用智慧，做最正确的选择，同时别忘了及时审视选择的角度，适时调整。要学会从各个不同的角度全面研究问题，放掉无谓的固执。冷静地用开放的心胸做正确抉择。每次正确无误的抉择将指引你走在通往成功的坦途上。
This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meantime, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.

(原文: 选自小故事网；译者: 爱尔兰都柏林大学 赖小琪)