The Bamboo of a Hundred Sections
A classic Vietnamese folk tale about a poor, hardworking orphan named Anh (or Khoai) who was taken in by a wealthy but cruel landlord. The landlord promised his beautiful daughter in marriage to Anh if he worked for three years without complaint. Anh faithfully completed his service, but the landlord refused to honor his promise and instead demanded that Anh bring him a 'bamboo of a hundred sections' as a final condition — an impossible task since bamboo naturally has continuous joints without divisions. Heartbroken, Anh went into the forest weeping, where a kind spirit (or a magical old man i