當(dāng)我們沉迷于追求物質(zhì)、金錢或感官享受的時候，靈魂常常會被遺忘在一旁。但是只有純潔的靈魂才是生命中最大的財富，最好的伙伴，最忠實的愛人。

【小貼士】
文中的序數(shù)詞請用阿拉伯?dāng)?shù)字+詞尾表示，如：第六 - 6th
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!" Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?""No way!” replied the 4th wife and she turned away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?""No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
至于大老婆，她是一位忠誠的伴侶，替他照料生意、打理家務(wù)，忙里忙外，可謂勞苦功高。然而，盡管她愛得這么深，商人卻偏不鐘情于她，甚至沒把她放在心上。 一日，商人得了重病，他自知將不久于人世。當(dāng)他回顧自己奢華的一生，不禁心中悵然：“現(xiàn)在我雖然有四個老婆相伴，但死后卻要孤零零一人。多寂寞?。　?于是，他問小老婆：“我最疼你，給你買最漂亮的衣服，還對你呵護(hù)備至。現(xiàn)在我就要離開這個世界了，你愿意隨我而去，與我相伴嗎？”“絕不可能！”她丟下一句話，徑自走開了。 小老婆的回答如一把尖刀插在商人心上。傷心的商人繼而問第三個老婆：“我一直對你寵愛有加。如今，我將不久于人世，你愿意隨我而去，與我相伴嗎？”“不！”她拒絕道，“人間的生活多么美好??！你死后我會改嫁他人！”商人的心倏地下沉，漸漸變冷。