In ancient times there lived a carpenter. He became famous throughout the region for his skill and understanding. The carpenter built himself a house on a high pillar. And the house was not idle - it rotated from morning to evening, illuminated by the sun from all sides. A son was born to a carpenter. When the boy grew up, the master and his
taught me his craft. Years have passed. The carpenter grew old. The time has come to marry my son.
“Listen, son, you need a wife, and I need a daughter-in-law,” says the old carpenter. “We just need to find a smart girl.”
The father went to look for his son's daughter-in-law. No matter how difficult it was, he betrothed his son to a noble daughter. “She must be well brought up and taught everything,” the old man thinks.
A carpenter and his son were going to the city to buy gifts for the bride.
They walk home past the forest.
“Son, my legs hurt, I can barely walk,” says the father. “Bring me an assistant from the forest.”
The son did not answer and turned off the road into the forest. I went there and came back with nothing.
“I couldn’t cope with such a trifle,” the carpenter laughed. “Go ask the bride, she already knows what kind of helper I need.”
The guy went and asked the bride. And the noble daughter just gaped in surprise, she wouldn’t understand how to look for an assistant in the forest. The old man thought and said sadly:
- No, son, such a bride is not suitable for us, she will be of no use. After this, the old man betrothed the prince’s daughter to his son. Then I sent
he went to the city and punished:
- Go to the city, sell what you and I worked together. For two kopecks you can buy a horse and harness for it - the return journey will be easier to overcome.
The guy was offended:
“Don’t laugh at me, father, you can’t buy a horse and harness for two kopecks.”
- Go ask the bride, she will tell you how to buy a horse for two kopecks. And the prince’s daughter got angry and shouted at the groom:
“My father wouldn’t even look at such a lousy horse!”
“This bride, arrogant and stupid, is not suitable for us either,” said the old man, and for the third time he went to look for a girl as a wife for his son.
He walked for a long time, spent a lot of effort and married the king’s daughter to his son. We decided to harvest the crops and then have a wedding.
Here is an old man with his son going to harvest corn, and the road keeps going uphill.
“Son, our path is long and difficult,” says the old man, “let’s help each other.” First you carry me, then I will carry you.
The guy was dumbfounded - he didn’t understand his father and was offended; thinks, laughs at him again. He remained silent and said nothing.
They reached the field. The corn has grown tall, the cobs are large and plump.
- Eh, how are we going to get through the winter? After all, we won’t even bring half of the harvest home,” the old man grieves.
- What are you talking about, father! Look at the corn, it's a sight to behold!
“Again you didn’t understand my words.” Go ask the bride, she will explain it to you.
The guy conveyed his father's words to the bride. The princess became very angry:
-Are you telling me riddles? The princess is not supposed to think - her head will hurt!
A guy is killed: the princess has already taken a fancy to him, and his father orders him to abandon her.
“We don’t need someone so unreasonable and lazy,” says the old man.
“Okay, let it be your way,” the son agreed. “But now I’ll go look for myself, find a bride and marry her.”
But no matter how much the guy searched, he could not find a girl he liked.
One day he was walking late in the evening through some village. It’s dark all around, only in one small house there is a light. He came closer, knocked on the window and asked to spend the night.
The girl opened it for him and said:
- Come in, we are always glad to have a guest.
The girl fed the traveler and sat down at her spinning wheel. I fell in love with her
boy. “Here,” he thinks, “is a good bride, but my father probably won’t like her either. He refused the tsar’s daughter, so will he agree to take a peasant daughter as his daughter-in-law?” The guy is sitting, not taking his eyes off the girl and sighing heavily.
“Why are you depressed, why are you sighing?” asks the girl.
“Eh, I’m unlucky,” he replies. “I can’t find a bride that my father will like.”
And he told her how three girls did not please his father. The girl laughed:
“I see that you are not very smart, and some brides have come across stupid ones.” And your father was not so difficult to please. Now listen to me. Father asked you to bring him an assistant from the forest. You would cut a dogwood branch, make a staff, and there would be an assistant for him! For two kopecks, of course, you can’t buy a horse and harness. I would buy bread and wine - on a full stomach the long journey is much shorter, you will quickly overcome it, like on a horse! And when your father wanted you to carry each other, he suggested that you take turns telling fairy tales to while away the long journey. And it’s not difficult to understand about corn - after all, half of the harvest goes to pay off debts. How did you forget about this?
The guy threw himself on his knees in front of the girl, begging her to marry him.
“I don’t need anyone but you.” You are both beautiful and intelligent. The girl agreed and married him. The son brought his wife to his father. The old man liked her too.
They live well, neither poor nor rich.
One day the king called an old carpenter and his son to him and ordered them to build a house on a high pillar - the same as the master’s, only that it was bigger and taller.
They built the house to perfection - it rotates from morning to evening, illuminated by the sun from all sides. Everyone is surprised and praises. And the king both rejoices and fears that the carpenter and his son and others will build the same house. He decided not to let them go, and then find a reason to imprison them.
The carpenter sensed trouble and made the house stop spinning.
- That's when a reasonable daughter-in-law will help us out! - the old man says to his son. And he said to the king:
“I can’t fix the damage without a revenge chisel... Let us go home to get the tool.”
“No, I won’t let you go,” the king answers.
- Your will! Then let’s go get your son’s thing that I need, my daughter-in-law won’t trust it to anyone else. And let him tell her that the house that I built for the king has stopped turning because of injustice, injustice, and therefore we cannot return home.
The prince came to the carpenter’s daughter-in-law and said what item the master had sent him for.
“The house that was built for the king does not move, and without a chisel of revenge, injustice cannot be corrected.” If you don't help them, they won't return home.
The sensible daughter-in-law immediately understood that trouble was threatening the old master and his son, that the unrighteous king had treated them unfairly. She invited the prince into the house, locked him with nine locks and sent people to tell the king: “Right now let my father-in-law go and pay him for his work with khurjin1 gold, otherwise bad things will happen to your son. I locked the prince with nine locks, and no one can open those locks.”
What could the king do? He sent the master home and gave him a khurdzhin of gold.
The old man returned home with his son and said to him:
“Now do you understand, son, why I needed a smart daughter-in-law?” It is truly said by wise people: “A smart daughter-in-law will put the house on its feet, but a stupid one will ruin it.”
1 Khurjin (khurdzhini) - a saddlebag made of carpet fabric.1 Star
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru