"The Woodcutter and Hermes", from "Aesop's Fables".

Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter who was collecting firewood by the river. His ax accidentally fell into the river. He sat on the bank sadly and cried bitterly. Hermes happened to be passing by and asked him why he was crying. He felt sorry for him and jumped into the river to get the axe.

The first time, he fished out a golden axe, but the woodcutter said it was not his; the second time, he fished out a silver axe, but the woodcutter said it was not his; the third time, he fished it out. The woodcutter fished out the ax and the other party recognized it. Hermes saw that the woodcutter was honest and gave him all three axes.

The woodcutter returned home and told his friends what happened. A friend also wanted to benefit, so he took an ax and went to the river to chop wood. After chopping a few times, he deliberately threw the ax into the river, and then sat there crying.

Soon, Hermes appeared and asked him what happened. He replied that he had lost his axe. Hermes picked up a golden ax and asked if it was his.

The man immediately said it was his. Hermes understood his intention, and not only did he not give him the golden ax, he even ignored the ax that he had fallen into the river.

This story shows that honest people will be helped by people, while cunning people will be despised by people.

Extended information:

The story of "The Woodcutter and Hermes" tells us:

Honest people will be helped by people, and cunning people will be punished. To the point of being despised by people. Honesty: the behavior of truly expressing the information the subject possesses (referring to the good side), that is, the behavior is loyal to a good heart.

"Honesty" is a complimentary word used to praise a person's good qualities. It has the quality of "goodness". It does not mean accurately conveying objective facts.

For example, if a criminal truthfully tells the story of his murder, we will not praise him with honesty, and if a person is forced to lie to protect innocent people, we cannot blame him with dishonesty.