Under the midday sun, a pig and a chicken were both foraging for food.
By a muddy ditch, the pig thrust its long snout into the damp soil, vigorously rooting through it to create a winding trench. Roots, earthworms, and small insects were exposed from the earth. The pig sniffed them out and swallowed them all, finding the taste delicious.
Not far away under the shade of a tree, the chicken was rapidly scratching at the ground with its two claws. Dust and pebbles flew backward, revealing ants, grubs, and tiny grains that the wide-eyed chicken devoured one by one.
Before long, the chicken was full. It glanced at the pig, who was still rooting around, and kindly advised, "Brother Pig, if you want to find food, you should do it like me. Scratch backward with your claws. It's like running in place—it exercises your body and helps you lose weight, all while finding food. It's killing two birds with one stone. The way you do it, sticking your snout into the muck, is neither hygienic nor efficient."
The pig thought it made sense. So, it tried to imitate the chicken, scratching at the ground with its front legs. However, after only a few attempts, one of the pig's hooves was worn down, and blood began to seep from the wound.
Groaning in pain, the pig went home and slept for three days.
On the fourth day, the pig and the chicken met again.
Just as the chicken was about to teach the pig the "correct" way to forage again, the pig lowered its head and said, "Sister Chicken, since ancient times, pigs have rooted forward and chickens have scratched backward. Your method is good, but I simply cannot learn it. I'll stick to my brute force and forage by rooting forward."