A man was selling medicine at a fair( 集市 ). A t first he sold bottles of a cure( 药剂 ) for colds for just a dollar a bottle. M any people wanted to buy it and the man ’ s young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure. T hen, when he had a bid crowd, the man stood up, held up a very small bottle and said, “ And now, ladies and gentleman, I am not going to charge you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine. I am not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle. I am not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle. N ow, ladies and gentleman. I am not going to charge you ten dollars, and you can live forever. Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this. One person shouted, “ If you can make you live forever, why don ’ t you drink it? ” Then the other man cried, “ Yes, you look as if you are at least sixty years. ” “ Thank you, sir, thank you, ” the man answered, “ I am so glad you said that. My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine. ” T he crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man. O ne of them spoke to the man ’ s assistant as he passed by, “ Is that true? ” he asked. “ Is he three hundred and twenty-nine? “ Don ’ t ask me, ” the assistant said, “ I have only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years. ”