A long time ago, an old man and an old woman lived on the outskirts of a village. The old woman prepared food, and the old man brought firewood from the forest. They were already very old, it was difficult for them to manage the household, but what could you do, there was nowhere to get help. There was a mango tree next to their hut, but the old men did not have the strength to climb it and pick the ripe, sweet fruits. They were content with those that fell to the ground themselves.
For several days now there was no firewood in the house, the old woman lamented that she had nothing to light the stove with; She kept asking the old man to go get firewood, but he refused - he had become completely ill. But how can you cook dinner without fire?
The old woman thought for a long time about how to get firewood, and came up with an idea. The old man loved pilaf very much. So the old woman says to him:
“If you bring a bundle of firewood from the forest, I’ll cook a delicious, sweet pilaf.”
The old man wanted pilaf, and at the mere mention of it his mouth began to water. He took an ax and went into the forest. And the old woman began to cook pilaf.
The old man, groaning and groaning, chopped wood. He chopped the wood and began to knit it, when suddenly he saw a bear. The old man was frightened, but then he gathered his courage and began to wait for the beast. The bear approached him and said:
- How will you carry such a heavy bundle? After all, you can’t lift it.
“What is true is true,” answered the old man, “I am weak in body, but as soon as I think about the tasty, sweet pilaf that my old woman will prepare for me, strength immediately appears.”
- Sweet pilaf? What is this? – the bear was surprised.
- Do you know anything? Oh, it's so delicious! Someday you will be able to try it too.
The bear's mouth began to water - he really wanted to taste the pilaf.
“And if I bring this bundle home to you, will you treat me?” he asked.
The old man figured out what was more profitable for him and said:
– Pilaf is a very expensive food. Ghee and sugar are placed in it. If you want to try it, bring it to my house for no less than ten mana of firewood.
At first the bear refused, but thought and thought and agreed. Then the old man told him to carry all the firewood, but he only took a small bundle.
The old man came first and told his wife everything.
- You should treat him to pilaf, otherwise he’s very tired - it’s no joke, carrying so much firewood.
And the pilaf was indeed very tasty. The old woman herself had eaten more than half by the time the old man arrived. She divided the rest between him and the bear. The old man was glad that now they would have enough firewood for the whole winter.
The old man really liked the pilaf, and he helped himself to some of the bear’s share. The old woman saw this and also helped herself to pilaf. So they ate all the pilaf left for the bear. The old man saw the empty plate and got scared:
- What do we tell the bear? After all, he will certainly come for pilaf. Oh, I hope he doesn’t eat you and me!
The old man looked out of the house, saw a bear carrying firewood in huge bundles, and trembled with fear. The old woman, to cheer him up, says:
- Let's hide in the kitchen. The bear will come, find no one and go home.
- What about firewood?
– I found something to worry about! After all, he won’t take them back!
The old man sighed with relief, and they went into the kitchen to hide.
Soon the bear appeared, dropped the last bundle and began to look for the old man. He puffed and snorted loudly - he wanted his owners to hear him. But there was no one in sight. Then he went to the kitchen. A pot caught his eye. The bear sniffed it - a delicious smell came from the pot. The bear decided that this was probably the pot of pilaf. But the pot was empty. The bear got angry. “I am a beast,” he thought, “but I keep my word. And the old man with a gray beard deceived me!”
The bear sniffed the pot again - he really liked the smell. “Should I grab this pot?” - he thought. Out of anger, he wanted to carry away the firewood, but he was tired - he did not have the strength to drag him back.
He took the pot and went out into the yard, growling angrily. Then he saw a mango tree, all covered in ripe fruits. The bear climbed onto the hut, bent a branch towards him, and as soon as he started shaking it, the mangoes fell down. Soon the entire Courtyard was covered with ripe fruits. The hungry bear was delighted and began to eat them.
The old man and the old woman looked through the crack to see what the bear was doing. Suddenly the old woman sneezed, and she couldn’t help it. And the bear thought that the hunter shot at him. He got scared and started running! I forgot about the pot and the mango.
And the old man and the old woman came out of the kitchen, picked up the fruits, began to eat them and praise them.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru