Read the passage and answer questions 1-9.
Once there was a man who lived with his two young sons on a farm in Vietnam. Since the man had to tend the field, the boys took care of the house. That is, they were supposed to take care of the house.
Often the father returned home to find that nothing had been done—he even had to cook dinner.
"What have you been doing all day, Ta?" he would ask his older son.
"Studying, Father, and thinking," Ta would reply.
"And what have you been doing, Hai, my young son?" the father would ask.
"Watching the house for you," Hai would answer.
A neighbor asked the old man, "Are your sons helping you?"
"Oh, they would," the father answered, "but they are young."
Some years later, the neighbor asked, "Aren't your sons helping you in the field?"
"Oh, they would," the father replied again, "but they are still young. I will let them enjoy life now. They will help me later on.
As the years went by, it became clear even to their father that the boys were lazy. Though they sometimes tended the field with him, they always made excuses to go home early.
Finally the father grew too old to work, and he took to his bed. The sons were sad, for they not only depended on their father, but they also loved him.
One day the old man called Ta and Hai to his side and said weakly, "I have a secret to tell you, my sons. Bend close."
Hai and Ta leaned over to hear the secret.
"A while ago," the old man said, "we learned that there is treasure buried in the field. It's still there, but you must dig for it."
"Treasure in the field?" Ta said. "Where?" asked Hai.
"Dig for it, and you will find it," said their father. "But promise me that you will share it equally."
The sons promised and hurried out to begin. Day after day they dug. Their neighbor was astonished to see how long and hard the young men worked. As for Ta and Hai, they felt stronger and better than ever before.
At last, the entire field had been dug, but no treasure had been found. The brothers moped around with their heads down.
Finally an idea came to Ta. "The land is ready for planting," he said to his brother. "And our rice is almost gone. You take one half of the field, and I'll take the other. We'll tend it just as Father did."
The days passed and the seedlings grew. In due time, the field gave an abundant harvest. There was rice to eat and rice to sell.
When the sons took the rice to the marketplace, it brought a good price.
Excited, Ta and Hai ran back to the house and approached their father's bedside. They dropped coins into the old man's hands.
"Look, Father," said Hai. "We have sold rice and brought you gold!"
"Yes," said Ta. "Just as you said, the treasure was in the field."
The old man smiled. They had learned his secret.
"Treasure in the Field" by Marilyn Bolchunos, from Highlights for Children. Copyright © 2004 by Highlights for Children, Inc.