Describes habitual action using modal structure 'would'.
Two monks lived in temples on two adjacent mountains. A small stream flowed between the mountains, and both monks would go down to fetch water at the same time every day. Five years passed unnoticed. One day, the monk on the left mountain did not go down to fetch water. The monk on the right thought, "He probably overslept." However, that was not the case. The next day, the monk on the left still did not go down; the third day was the same, until a month later, the monk on the right thought, "My friend might be ill," and climbed the left mountain to visit him. When he arrived, he saw his old friend practicing traditional Chinese Tai Chi in front of the temple. He asked curiously, "You haven't gone down to fetch water for a month; how can you survive without water?" The monk on the left pointed to a well and said, "For the past five years, after completing my daily tasks, I have spent my spare time digging this well. Now that I have finally struck water, I no longer need to go down the mountain to fetch it, allowing me more time to practice the traditional Chinese Tai Chi that I love."
We often forget to use our spare time to "dig our own well"—to cultivate our own strengths and abilities. By doing so, in the years to come, we will still have water to drink and can enjoy it with peace and leisure.
有两位和尚分别住在相邻的两座山上。两山之间流淌着一条小溪，两位和尚每天都会在同一时间前往小溪取水。时光荏苒，五年过去了。突然有一天，左边山上的和尚没有下山取水，右边山上的和尚心想：他大概是睡过头了。然而，情况并非如此。第二天，左边的和尚依旧没有下山；第三天亦是如此，直到一个月后，右边的和尚想：我的朋友可能生病了，于是他爬上左边的山去探望这位老友。当他到达时，发现老友正站在寺庙前练习中国传统太极拳。他好奇地问道：“你已经一个月没下山挑水了，难道不用喝水吗？”左边的和尚指着一口井说：“这五年来，我每天在完成日常事务之余，都会抽时间挖这口井。现在终于挖到水了，不必再辛苦下山挑水，从而能有更多的时间练习我热爱的太极拳。”
我们往往忽略了利用业余时间为自己“挖一口井”，去培养自己的能力与底蕴。只有这样，在未来的岁月里，我们才能拥有源源不断的生命之水，能够从容、悠闲地饮用。