"Fair Judgment" joke
When Duan Guangqing served as a county magistrate, he was known for his honest, upright nature. One day while passing a grain shop, he saw a crowd of people who seemed to be quarreling about something. Upon inquiry he learned that a country fellow had trampled a chick to death and the boss of the grain shop had asked for nine hundred coins in compensation. Duan Guangqing asked, "Why does a chick cost nine hundred coins?" The fellow from the country answered, "The boss said the chick, which was of fine quality, would weigh nine jin after a few months, The current price for a chicken is one hundred coins per Jin, so he asked me to pay nine hundred coins for the loss." Hearing this, Duan Guangqing asked the boss, "Is that true?" The boss of the grain shop nodded. "Yes, that's the way I calculated it." Then Duan Guangqing brought the case to a conclusion. "It seems that nine hundred coins is not too much. You just pay him that much. If you don't have enough, I'll make it up." The onlookers all complained behind his back that the judgment was unfair. The countryman dared not protest and had to pawn some of his clothes for six hundred coins. With these and three hundred coins volunteered by Duan Guangqing, the man paid the boss for the chick. Seeing the money, the boss was full of glee. He took the coins and was about to go when Duan Guangqing said hurriedly, "Wait a moment; listen to me, please. There is a saying' dou grain, jin chicken'. That is to say, to gain one jin of weight the chick will eat one dou of grain. Now that the chick has died, the nine dou of grain have been saved, haven't they? It is only fair for you to give the nine dou of grain to the countryman." Hearing this, the boss was agape and tongue-tied. He could do nothing but give nine dou of grain. The countryman went away happily with the grain. All the people praised Duan Guangqing unanimously for his fair judgment and uprightness.
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