Long long ago, there lived a man and a woman who had seven sons. The couple wanted a daughter very much, and finally, they had a girl She was very pretty and her parents loved her very much. One day the father needed water for the child, so he sent the seven brothers to a well (井) in the forest to get it. Once there, though, the boys began to fight and the water jug (壶) fell into the well. The boys looked into the well and thought of their father. They were afraid to go home.
Hours passed. "Where are those boys?" shouted the angry father. "They are probably playing a game and have forgotten about the water. I wish they were all turned into ravens (乌鸦) !"And when he looked up, he saw seven black birds flying away. The father was shocked. "What have I done? he thought. But it was too late. He could not take back his words.
Later, the girl grew up and discovered she had brothers. The story of their bad luck influenced her deeply, and she decided to find them. For years, she searched and did not stop. She made up her mind to find them. Finally, she found their home. To enter, she needed a special key made from a chicken bone, which she did not have. The girl thought for a moment, and then took a knife and cut off one of her fingers. With it, she opened the front door and went inside. On a table, there were seven plates and seven cups. She ate and drank a little from each of them. In the last cup, she accidently dropped a ring that her parents had given her.
Later hat day, the ravens returned for their meal. The girl hid behind the door and watched. When the seventh raven drank from his cup, something hit his mouth. The raven recognized it at once-it was his parents' ring. "I wish our sister were here, "he said, "and then we could be free." At that moment, their sister ran o them, and suddenly the ravens were human again. The brothers kissed their sister and all eight of them went home together happily.
