Hearing this, the turtle was itching to go down to take a look. But before he put his left foot into the well, his right foot stumbled. He quickly retreated two steps and told the frog about the sea:

"Look, how happy I am to live here! When I feel glad, I would bounce for a while near the well; and when I am tired, I would return to the well to sleep and rest for a while by the brick hole. Sometimes, I would quietly soak my whole body in the water, showing only my head and mouth. Sometimes, I would stroll in the soft mud, which is very comfortable. None of those tiny crabs and tadpoles can compare with me. I am the master of this well, free and unrestrained. Why don't you come often to play in the well?"

"Have you ever seen the sea? The sea is very, very wide, over 1,000 1i. The sea is very, very deep, over 1,000 zhang (3'/3 metres). In ancient times, in nine years out of ten there were floods, but the water in the sea did not rise much. Later, in seven years out of eight there were droughts, but the water in the sea did not drop much. Neither big floods nor big droughts can affect the sea. Only living in the sea can you feel real happiness!"

A frog lived in a shallow well.

The frog bragged to the turtle:

Amazed at what the big turtle had said, the frog was dumbstruck.

One day, it met beside the well a large soft-shelled turtle which had just crawled up from the sea.