There was a poor man who worked for a landlord. The landlord made the man work hard all day long. But he paid him very little money, and didn't give him much food.
One day, when the man was having breakfast, the landlord came and said to him, “It's too much trouble to go to work and then come back for lunch, then go to the fields again and come back for supper. So I want you to have your breakfast and lunch and supper now before you go to the fields.”
How could a man eat three meals all together? But the farmhand thought and said, “All right.” He finished his breakfast and went out.
Half an hour later, when the landlord went out for a walk, he saw the farmhand sitting under a tree and smoking. The landlord was very angry. “Why, aren't you working in the fields?” he asked.
The farmhand said with a smile, “I've already had my supper. And you know very well that after supper it's time for rest.”
一个穷人给地主干活儿。地主一天到晚叫他卖力干活儿，工钱却给得很少，也不让他吃饱饭。
有一天，穷人正吃着早饭，地主过来对他说：“你每天先去上工，再回来吃午饭，再下地干活儿，然后再回来吃晚饭，这简直太麻烦了。所以，你不如索性一口气把早饭、午饭、晚饭都吃好，再去地里干活儿吧。”
人怎么能一次把三餐都吃下去呢？最后，雇农想了想，说：“好吧。”他吃完早饭就出去了。
半小时以后，地主出门散步，看见雇农在一棵树底下坐着抽烟。地主生气极了。“怎么回事儿？你不是在地里干活儿吗？”他问。
雇农笑着说：“我已经吃完晚饭了。你应该很清楚吧？晚饭过后是休息时间呀。”
-landlord [ˈlændlɔːd] n. 地主
-farmhand [ˈfɑːmhænd] n. 雇农
贪婪如同挥霍，只会使人失去更多。