拾葚异器

东汉时期的蔡顺，年幼时便失去了父亲，母亲含辛茹苦地把他拉扯成人。他对母亲非常孝顺，常说 :“ 即使肝脑涂地，也报答不了母亲的养育之恩。 ”  

当时，恰逢王莽起兵，烽火四起，天下生灵惨遭涂炭，又遇到灾荒，地里粮食欠收，人们都没法吃饱肚子，总不能让母亲饿肚子吧，蔡顺非常着急，起早贪黑到处找吃的，然而当时那种境地，谈何容易。

他只好去挖野菜、剥树皮，煮熟捣烂了给母亲吃。 看着年迈的母亲吞咽得那么艰难，他难过得心如刀绞。
      
一次，蔡顺在一处偏僻的地方意外地发现了一棵桑树，树上结满了桑葚，桑葚有红有黑，蔡顺尝了尝，发现红的味道酸涩，黑的则甘甜无比，他喜出望外，拼命地采集，又用不同的器皿分别盛装着。

这时，一个赤眉军正好路过，看到蔡顺正忙碌着，便和颜悦色地问他采葚干什么 ? 

蔡顺乐呵呵地说： “ 吃呀 ! 那边黑甜的给母亲吃，这边红涩的给自己吃。 ”  

这个赤眉军一听，敬佩蔡顺是个孝子，又怜悯他们的处境，当下慷慨解囊，送给他一条牛腿、二斗白米。

蔡顺千恩万谢，带着采摘的桑葚和赤眉兵送的东西回家了。

古人蔡顺为报答母亲的养育之恩，对待母亲的那份孝心那份体贴入微让人感动。

在这个世界上，无论伟大的或是卑微的生命，都是由父母含辛茹苦的抚养长大的，古往今来父母之爱的神圣与伟大用再多美好之词形容都不过分。


Cai Shun was a man in Runan (today's Henan) of the Han Dynasty.

His father died when he was young and he was very pious to his mother, his time coincided with the Chaos Caused Wang Mang and famine and living expenses were very high, he could not but pick mulberries as food for himself and his mother.

One day, he encountered the Red-Brow Army and the solders asked him: "Why do you put red mulberries and black mulberries into two baskets separately?"

Cai Shun answered: "The black mulberries are for my mother and the red mulberries are for myself."

The solders had compassion for his piety and gave him two deciliters of rice and one bovine hoof in respect.