Old Zhang raised a flock of sheep and took them to graze every day.
张老伯养了一群羊，每天都会赶它们去山上吃草。
One day, he noticed a hole in the fence of the sheep pen.
有一天，他发现羊圈的围栏上破了一个洞。
He thought, "The hole is small, the sheep shouldn’t run away."
他心想：“洞不大，羊应该不会跑出去。”
So, he ignored it and continued his daily routine.
于是，他没有修补，继续过着每天放羊的日子。
The next morning, he found that one sheep was missing.
没想到，第二天清晨，他发现少了一只羊。
Shocked, he searched everywhere but found nothing.
张老伯大吃一惊，赶紧去寻找，结果什么也没找到。
His neighbor advised, "Fix the fence quickly, or more sheep will escape."
邻居劝他说：“快点修好围栏，否则羊还会跑掉。”
Old Zhang sighed, thinking, "One is already lost. Is fixing it still useful?"
张老伯叹了口气，想：“既然已经丢了一只，再修还有用吗？”
Then he realized that if he didn’t repair it, more sheep might escape.
可他转念一想，如果不补，其他羊可能也会逃走。
So, he took wooden planks and rope and secured the hole tightly.
于是，他拿来木板和绳子，把破洞牢牢地补好。
From then on, he checked the fence daily to prevent any more losses.
从那天起，他每天都会检查围栏，不让羊再跑掉。
Over time, his flock grew larger, and no more sheep went missing.
后来，他的羊群越养越多，再也没有丢过一只。
His neighbors praised him for making the right decision.
邻居们见了，都称赞他做得对。
Old Zhang smiled and said, "Good thing I fixed it in time, or I would’ve lost more."
张老伯笑着说：“幸好及时修补，否则损失更大。”
"Fixing the fence in time" means that even after a mistake, correcting it quickly can prevent further loss.
亡羊补牢，意思是虽然出了问题，但只要及时补救，还不算太晚。
