Once upon a time, a poor young man named Hans lived with his mother in a small cottage.
从前，一个贫穷的年轻人汉斯和母亲住在一间小屋里。
They had little to eat and even less to sell.
他们几乎没有食物，连能卖的东西也不多。
One day, while walking through the forest, Hans encountered a strange little man.
有一天，汉斯在森林里散步时遇到了一位奇怪的小人。
The man was short and had a long, white beard, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.
这个小人个子矮小，长着一把白胡子，眼中闪烁着狡黠的光芒。
“Hello, young man,” said the little man. “I can see you are troubled. What do you wish for most?”
“小伙子，您好，”小人说道，“我看你有些烦恼。你最希望得到什么？”
Hans, unsure of how to respond, said, “I wish for wealth and to be able to care for my mother.”
汉斯不知该如何回答，于是说：“我希望能获得财富，照顾我的母亲。”
The little man smiled and said, “I can help you, but you must give me something in return.”
小人笑了笑说：“我可以帮助你，但你必须给我一些东西作为交换。”
“What would you want?” Hans asked.
“你想要什么？”汉斯问。
The little man held out his hand and said, “I would like your first possession that you hold most dear.”
小人伸出手说：“我想要你最珍贵的第一件物品。”
Hans hesitated but agreed, not knowing what the little man meant.
汉斯犹豫了一下，但同意了，他不知道小人到底是什么意思。
The next day, Hans found a large sack of gold coins on the doorstep of his cottage.
第二天，汉斯在他的小屋门口发现了一大袋金币。
He was overjoyed and rushed to tell his mother.
他欣喜若狂，赶紧跑去告诉母亲。
However, when he reached the cottage, he noticed that his beloved dog, his only companion, had disappeared.
然而，当他回到小屋时，发现他心爱的狗——唯一的伙伴，已经不见了。
Hans realized that the little man had taken his dog in exchange for the gold.
汉斯意识到，小人用他的狗交换了金币。
Despite his sorrow, Hans continued his life, now wealthy beyond measure.
尽管感到悲伤，汉斯依然过上了富足的生活。
But soon, he began to feel lonely and wished to have his dog back.
但不久，他感到孤独，渴望重新拥有那只狗。
He returned to the forest and sought out the little man.
他回到了森林，寻找小人。
The little man was waiting for him.
小人在那里等着他。
“I wish to have my dog back,” Hans pleaded.
“我希望能要回我的狗，”汉斯恳求道。
The little man replied, “You can have your dog back, but you must give me something else in return.”
小人回答：“你可以拿回你的狗，但你必须再次给我一些东西作为交换。”
This time, Hans hesitated but finally agreed.
这一次，汉斯犹豫了，但最终同意了。
The little man then gave him back his dog and asked for something else in exchange, a price that Hans could pay.
小人把狗还给了他，要求他支付另一项代价，但这是汉斯能够承担的。
Hans learned from this experience that wealth and possessions were not as important as friendship and loyalty.
汉斯从这次经历中学到了，财富和物质并不如友谊和忠诚重要。
The little man had taught him a valuable lesson, and Hans went home, now a wiser and happier man.
小人教给了他宝贵的教训，汉斯回到家，变得更加聪明和快乐。
He continued to live his life with his mother and his dog, knowing that true wealth lay not in gold, but in love and loyalty.
他继续和母亲以及狗一起生活，知道真正的财富不在于黄金，而在于爱和忠诚。
