“How much do you want?” the stranger pressed on.  “One tael of silver.”  The response that slipped out of his mouth surprised even the farmer.  In all his life, he had never seen one single tael of silver.

The stranger took his money pouch from his belt, and the farmer realized that it was no joke.  He must have wanted it desperately to be willing to pay such an outrageous price for the skinny pig.  The farmer had second thoughts.  Blinking his eyes and scratching his head, he quickly calculated.  With one tael of silver he would never get rich.  A comfortable home or a choice piece of land would still be beyond his reach.  He decided to try for more.

“I have raised this pig for over a year.  Just its feed alone was worth over one tael.  I was only joking when I told you one tael of silver.  How could I sell it for such a cheap price?”

To see treasures forever flying in the sky above their heads was the punishement for this farmer and his wife for their greed. "Be satisfied with fate; excesses bring misfortune", is a backbone of Chinese traditional agricultural philosophy.

“How much do you want?  Please tell me quickly.  I am in a hurry because I still have some distance to go.”

“At least 100 taels, not a fraction less,” the farmer said firmly.

“I will pay you 100 taels, but please don’t change your mind again,” the stranger said, a little annoyed.

Inside the house, the farmer’s wife was listening, her greedy heart swept by a raging flame.  “How stupid my husband is,” she thought, “to sell the pig for only 100 taels of silver.  I must not allow this good fortune to slip through my fingers.”  Waving her arm to get their attention, she called out, “Wait a minute.  The pig belongs to me.  My husband has no right to sell it without asking me.  Why, just a few days ago a rich merchant offered me 600 taels of silver for the pig.  I didn’t sell it for 600 taels, why should I sell it to you for only 100?  You might as well forget it.”  Having had her say, she turned aside from the window, affecting an air of indifference.