Three brothers went abroad to earn money. We reached a crossroads and stopped. The elder one says:
- Here we will split up. I will go up the mountain along the right road, you, middle brother, take the left, and you, little brother, go along the middle road. In three years, on Dimitrov’s Day, all three will come together at this crossroads and see who earned how much. Do you agree?
“We agree, brother,” the younger brothers answer.
They kissed the hand of the eldest and went their separate ways.
The older brother stayed to live in the same city. He opened a bakery and in three years made a full bag of chervonets. The middle brother opened a tavern near the bridge, rolled up his sleeves and began to trade - and so he lined his pockets. And the younger brother hired himself as an assistant to a good man, an old shepherd.
Three years passed, the guy went to the shepherd for payment. The shepherd counted out his earned money, put it in a pile, then took three nuts from his sash and said:
- I am an old man, sick, decrepit, with no strength.
I miss running after sheep. It’s good that at least you turned up for me, otherwise my entire herd would have been lost. Thank you very much, you herded the sheep well. The following payment is due to you: either this much money, or three nuts - those that lie in front of you. in front of you. I will give you money without blessing,
because money is like fire: it burns a person’s hand. And I will give you nuts with all my heart, with your blessing. If you want, take the money, if you want, take the nuts. The guy thought and thought, and extended his hand
to the nuts.
- I’ll take the nuts since you give them from the heart
and with blessings.
The guy took the nuts, kissed the old shepherd’s hand and set off.
And then on Dimitrov’s Day, three brothers came to a crossroads.
— Did you return with good earnings? - asks the elder
“Good,” the younger one answers.
- Let's see! Just first look how much I've made.
And the elder brother untied his bag, and the middle brother pulled out a wallet with money from his bosom.
- This is great! - the elder tells him.
Then the younger brother put his hand into his pocket and pulled out
three nuts.
- What is this?! - asks his older brother. — How much have you earned in three years?
- Yes! Only three nuts, but they were given with all my heart and with blessing,” the younger one answers.
“An old man, a shepherd, gave them to me because I tended his sheep.” He took care of me no worse than my own father.
The older brothers got angry.
“We’ve seen a lot of fools, but you can’t be found more foolish in the whole world!” - shouts the older brother. - To work for three years for three nuts - such a miracle has never been heard of, never seen! Go back and demand money from the shepherd, and without it, don’t even show your eyes to your father’s house.
The guy got sad and went back. His soul was heavy. goes and says to himself:
“I thought when someone gives you something from the bottom of their hearts, it’s the best thing in the world, but this is what happened.”
He walked and walked and reached a spring. He bent down to drink some water, took a sip once or twice, but didn’t drink any more - he really wanted to eat. I rummaged through the bag - not a crumb of bread. “Let me crack my nuts,” the hungry guy thinks, “at least I’ll kill a worm.” He cracked one nut. What a miracle! The nut began to grow; grew and grew, grew into a hundred barrel. And then sheep, lambs, rams with bells on their necks began to run out of the shell - a whole herd came out of one nut.
The guy is overjoyed and doesn’t know what to do. He gathered his flock and went home. He walked and walked and approached his native village. “Let me crack another nut,” he thinks, “and see what’s in it.”
And he cracked the second nut. As soon as the shell cracked, two young oxen with long horns came out of it, and behind the oxen there was a cart with an iron plow on it.
The guy hit himself on the forehead.
- Such miracles! - speaks.
He took the chain in his hands and led the oxen after the herd. But, before reaching the village, he decided to crack the third nut. Split. And then a girl came out of the shell, and such a beauty that a pen cannot describe.
“Take me to your father’s house,” says the girl. - I am destined to be your wife.
The guy put the girl on the cart and led the oxen. The sheep are walking and the bells are ringing. The guy came home and had a wedding. He invited nine villages to the wedding. And I was at that wedding. He ate, drank, had fun - so much so that to this day my soul is happy!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru