Once there lived an old woman who had five sons who looked alike. It was not just that, each of the five brothers had some special characteristics. The first brother could hold the entire ocean of water in his mouth for some time. The second brother’s skin was so hard that even steel could not damage his skin. The third brother could extend his legs as much as he wanted. The fourth brother was immune to fire and the fifth brother could live without breathing air.
The five brothers never told their neighbours about their peculiar characteristics and always maintained it as a secret from outsiders.
The eldest brother who could hold the entire ocean in his mouth supported the entire family by fishing. The eldest brother went to the sea and swallowed the ocean for some time and then brought back plenty of fish. After getting the fish, the eldest brother made sure that the waters in the ocean were back at its place.
Then the eldest brother took the fish back to his home.
The neighbours saw the rich haul that the eldest brother collected every single time and they all wanted the eldest brother to teach their children how to fish.
The eldest brother refused at first. But the neighbours were relentless.
Finally having no choice, the eldest brother took some of the boys from the neighbouring houses to the sea for fishing.
When the eldest brother reached the sea, the eldest brother gulped the entire water and kept it in his mouth.
After that the eldest brother directed the other people to take the fish from the bottom of what had been the ocean.
Adapted from Chinese Folktales
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