There was an old mule(骡子). One day accidentally he fell into the farmer's well. The farmer thought for a while and said to himself that neither the well nor the old mule was important to him. So he decided to use soil to bury the old mule in the well.
Then the farmer called his neighbours and they started to put the soil into the well together. The old mule was quite afraid in the beginning. But soon one hopeful idea came to his mind - every time when a shovel(铁铲) of soil landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up!
He said these words to himself again and again, "Shake it off and step up." This way he could fight against the panic (恐慌) and encourage himself. After some time, the mule had stepped over the well's wall. Although terribly tired, he was the winner and he saved his own life. He decided to face his difficulty bravely and not to give up, and finally he won.
