There lived one poor man. He was so poor that his wife and children could only dream of a piece of bread. One day this poor man got up, said goodbye to his family and went to look for work. He wandered around like this for a long time, looked for work for a long time, and finally hired himself out to a merchant as a farm laborer for twenty rubles a year.
This merchant loved his farmhand very much for his diligence and honesty. The poor man served for a year and said: “Count me in, master, I’ve been working for you for a year now, I need to think about my family, I left it in great need.” It’s a pity to give the merchant twenty rubles, so he says: “What can I give you?” Shall I give you twenty rubles by agreement or two lucky nickels? The farm laborer thought and said: “Better give me two lucky nickels.” The merchant said: “I’m leaving now to trade, I’ll be on your side and I’ll bring these two nickels to your family.”
The farm laborer agreed and sent two nickels with the merchant, and he himself stayed to work for another year. The merchant went. He sees a cat being sold in one city. “A cat for two nickels,” they shout, “a cat for two nickels!”
The merchant decided to buy this cat for those two nickels. I bought it and moved on. He arrived in another city and saw that as soon as people had set a rich table, filled with expensive dishes, huge rats immediately ran out, pounced on the table, and destroyed all the food. People chase them away, beat them with clubs and sticks - no, they can’t cope with the rats.
The merchant took it, released his cat, she rushed, strangled all the rats. The king of this city was very surprised, he had never seen a cat before, he began to ask the merchant to give up the cat to him.
The merchant became stubborn: “I can’t - it’s someone else’s cat, not mine!” No, the king is not far behind: “Take what you want, buy the owner another cat, just leave it to me.” They finally persuaded the merchant, gave him seemingly invisibly pearls and precious stones for the cat, put it all on donkeys and camels and sent it off.
The merchant took all this wealth to his farmhand’s wife and said: “Your husband sent this to you.” Neither the farmhand’s wife nor the children believe him; What is this, isn’t it a dream?
The merchant returned home and said to the farmhand: “I saw yours, everyone is healthy.” - He didn’t say that he brought them such wealth. The second year was over, and the farm laborer again asked to pay him back, but the merchant did not want to let such an honest and good worker go. So he says: “What should I give you - twenty rubles as agreed or two lucky nickels?” The farm laborer thought and said: “Give me two lucky nickels.”
The merchant went again to trade and took with him two nickels from his farmhand to give to his family, and wrapped them separately in a piece of paper.
A merchant is driving by, sees a mirror being sold in one city, and shouts: “A mirror for two dimes!” A mirror for two nickels! The merchant bought this mirror for his farmhand's two nickels and moved on. I arrived in the second city, and the king lives in that city.
The king is having a wedding. They also invited the merchant, as a rich and noble man. A merchant came and saw that they had dressed the king, dressed him up, brought him a basin of water, the king looked like he was in the mirror. The merchant saw this, brought that mirror to the king and handed it to him.
The king was surprised: “What is this?” And the king did not know that there were mirrors in the world. He began to ask the merchant: give me this mirror, take whatever you want for it.
The merchant gave up the mirror. For this mirror the king gave him, apparently and invisibly, all sorts of goods and livestock. The merchant took all this wealth to the farmhand’s wife, finished all his work, returned home and said to his farmhand: “I was with yours, everyone is healthy, I took them what I ordered.” But he didn’t say again what wealth he brought them. The third year passed. The farmhand decided to go home to his people and asked to pay him, and the merchant said: “What should I give you: twenty rubles as agreed or two lucky nickels?” “Two lucky nickels,” says the farmhand.
The merchant was delighted and said: “Go, I’ll teach you three things.” it will be useful to you in life, you will remember me kindly: first, you will go along the road, whatever you find, pick it up, bring it home and bury it at the doorstep; second - whoever asks, don’t say that you know where it comes from; and third, don’t open your heart to anyone. The merchant let his farmhand go, gave him a lot of gifts and said at parting: “It will be difficult for you, let me know, I’ll help.” It’s a pity even for a poor man to leave his master, but he really wanted to see his people. I said goodbye and left.
He walks and sees something colorful lying on the road. He didn’t pick it up, he forgot what his kind owner told him, but when he passed, he remembered, returned and picked it up; he looked, and this was the tail of a snake, he took it, put it in his bosom, brought it home and buried it at the threshold. Only the poor man does not recognize his home: there are mansions in his yard. He entered and asked: “What is this, where does it come from?” They told him that it was the merchant who had brought so much wealth to them. The farmhand then realized that the merchant was testing him when he asked how much he wanted for his work, that he was not only giving two nickels to his family; I understood - but I didn’t say anything to my people.
Everyone rejoices at him, surrounds him, caresses him, asks how he spent these three years in a foreign land. And the next morning, when they get up, they see that a tall poplar tree has grown overnight on their very threshold, covered with pearls and precious stones. The wife asks her husband: “What is this, where does it come from?” The husband does not say, he hides how and why this poplar tree grew on their threshold.
And in this city there lived one prince. He is very envious that this poor man, a former farm laborer, has become so rich, is the best dressed in the city, wears a silver belt that no one else has, and everyone only looks at him and talks about him. The prince decided to annoy this honest and kind man in any way he could. The prince started a big feast, called the guests, and ordered the servants: “Don’t serve a single knife on the table!” Everyone sat down at the table, brought out all kinds of food, boiled and fried, the guests looked - not a single knife on the table! Shouts were heard from all sides: “Knife, give me a knife!” No one is carrying a knife.
Then this former farmhand stood up, pulled out his dagger and handed it to the owner. The prince took the dagger in his hands, looked at it and said: “What is this?” Who gave you this dagger? Was this my father's dagger when you stole it? He disgraced the former farm laborer and glorified him in front of all the guests. But he didn’t forgive the prince for the poor man’s offense, they argued and resolved the dispute this way: the prince will find out why and how that precious poplar grew - and his dagger, and everything he lays his hand on three times, is also his; If he doesn’t find out, the dagger and all the property will remain with the poor man.
They agreed and set a deadline: both the day and the hour—everything was agreed upon. The prince bribed an old witch and sent her to the wife of this honest man to find out how and why that poplar grew, taught her what and how to say, and promised many gifts.
The witch welcomed her into this happy family, greeted the hostess with sweet words, caressed her and began to inquire why and how the poplar appeared.
The hostess’s head began to spin from the sweet words of the witch, and she promised her to find out everything from her husband. At night, when everyone had fallen asleep, the wife began to ask her husband: “Tell me, if you love me, why did this poplar grow?” “Leave me, wife, I have no time for that, and why do you need it?” “It’s none of your business,” says the husband. “How is it none of my business?” Maybe I’m not your wife at all, that you don’t even want to talk to me? Or am I your enemy that you don’t believe me that much? The wife pouted at her husband, began to quarrel with him, and drove him so far that she forced him to tell him how it all happened.
The wife was delighted and caressed her husband: “How kind and good you are, this is the kind of husband I love.” The old witch came to visit again. She began to speak just as affectionately and sweetly to the hostess and asked her about that poplar.
The wife told her everything that she had found out from her husband. The old woman was delighted and ran to the prince to tell about her luck and receive the promised reward.
The prince found out everything, rejoices, waits to receive all the wealth of the former farm laborer, and already promises the clever old woman one collection of precious stones from that poplar.
And he sent to tell the merchant about his trouble. The merchant immediately got ready and went to help his former farmhand.
This prince found out that a merchant had arrived and settled him separately so that the merchant would not help his former farmhand. The merchant only outwitted the prince so as not to offend him against the servant who had worked so honestly for him for three years. The merchant took the cat, caressed it, and said loudly, so that his former farmhand from the next room could hear: “Kisanka, didn’t I tell you, don’t open your heart to anyone?” Listen, little kitty, and remember: tomorrow, when the prince comes and asks where you got this dagger, tell him - robbers killed my father in the forest and left this dagger in his heart, and if this dagger is yours, then, apparently, you are the murderer of my father. Kisanka, as soon as the prince walks up the stairs and puts his hand on the railing three times, push him, saw off these three ladders along with the railing, throw it to him and shout: here is what you touched three times, and you are not entitled to anything else! Do you hear, little kitty, do you understand? His former farmhand listens to the merchant and remembers everything.
It's morning. The prince appeared at the appointed time. It came with him, apparently or invisibly to the people - the prince had already boasted to everyone that he would force this farm laborer to give him all the stolen goods. The prince took this expensive dagger in his hands and began: “Listen, everyone, let him say - where did he get this dagger of my father, if he didn’t steal it? The farmhand didn’t let him finish!” “My father was killed by robbers, and this dagger was left in his heart; Apparently, the prince was the murderer of my father, if this is his dagger!
Everyone made a noise, started talking, and remembered that the robbers had indeed killed the poor man’s father. The prince realized that his case was bad, he was losing, he rushed to the house, ran up the stairs and shouted: “This is my house by agreement, no one will take it away from me.” The farmhand pushed the prince away, sawed off three steps in an instant, threw it to him and said: “Here are three steps for you, that’s enough, you don’t deserve anything else!”
The prince fell and looked, and he only got three steps. Everyone surrounded him, scolded him, cursed him, that he accused an honest man of theft, wanted to disgrace him in front of all the people and planned to appropriate all his wealth. The prince was frightened, lost speech from shame and fear, forgot about the poplar and all the wealth, and does not know how to leave. They took the dagger from the prince and returned it to the owner. And the prince, barely alive from shame, ran home. He didn’t turn around as he ran away.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru