Once, a gentleman’s carriage broke down on the road. It’s good that there was a blacksmith nearby. The master told him to repair the carriage, and the blacksmith asked the master for a whole ruble for the work. There is nothing to do - like it or not, but you have to pay. But on the way home, the master’s annoyance began to dissipate: “For such a trifle, he tore off a whole ruble! How much did he work there? It turns out that the blacksmith earns more than the master who rides in a carriage. If you think about it, then perhaps I too can take up blacksmithing and fill my pockets with rubles. Wait, wait, I need to take a closer look at how my blacksmith works, and after St. George’s Day, I’ll drive him away - I’ll be in work at the forge."
OK. At home, the master began to go to his forge every day. He’ll come and ask the blacksmith about this and that and tell him all sorts of things, while he secretly spies on how the blacksmith works. So he learned the blacksmith's craft with his eyes, and then he drove the blacksmith out of the forge - get lost in all four directions.
The master became a blacksmith and took the coachman as his assistant: the master would forge, and the coachman would blow the bellows.
OK. The next day the owner comes from the neighboring volost with a large piece of iron - he needs to forge a ploughshare. The master with an important look took the iron bar, put it in the mine, poured a huge pile of coals on top and said:
- Come on, coachman, turn up the heat!
Here is the coachman, poor fellow, rocking the bellows with all his might until the iron is white-hot. The master threw the blank onto the anvil and said to the owner: “Hit, come on!” The owner took a sledgehammer and started hitting it as hard as he could, only sparks started flying. He beats and beats - the blank is already completely flattened, but the blacksmith does not interfere - they say, know what to do before it cools down. Finally the iron turned black. There is nothing to do - he puts her back in the mountain, sprinkles her with coal and punishes her:
- Come on, coachman, turn up the heat!
The coachman, poor fellow, strains against the bellows until the iron again becomes white hot. The owner forges and forges, he’s tired of it, so he says:
“We’ll soon completely burn up this iron—there won’t be enough for a ploughshare.”
- How is it not enough? Enough for a ploughshare, but you, fool, don’t know how to forge properly. Coachman, come here, you’ll do better - strike!
The coachman got down to business - he forged and forged, but the ploughshare just wouldn’t come out.
“Your blank is good for nothing: it won’t make a ploughshare, so I’d better forge you an ax.”
- Well, forge an ax and it will be useful in the house. Again they heated up the iron and forged it, forging it in vain. A little later the master sees that there is not enough iron left.
- See, master, what does it matter, an ax won’t work either - I’ll forge you a knife.
“At least forge a knife, and it will be useful in the house.” Again they heated up the iron and forged it, forging it in vain. A little later the master sees that there is very little iron left.
“Look, master, what’s the matter, even a knife won’t work here—I’ll make you an awl.”
“At least forge an awl, and the awl will be useful at home.” Again they heated up the iron and forged it, forging it in vain. A little later the master sees that the piece of iron has become quite tiny.
“You know, master, even the awl doesn’t come out, so I’ll cut you a chik.”
Having said this, the master took what was left from the anvil, heated it white and threw it into the water.
Chick! - the piece of iron hissed in the water - and the chick is ready.
The gentleman did it and asks to pay him properly for his work - a whole ruble. The owner responds:
“I don’t have money, but I have wheat at home.” Come, Mr. Blacksmith, I will pay you what you deserve.
The owner went home, and the master immediately ordered the coachman to lay the carriage and went after the owner in order to quickly get what he had earned. On the way, the master teaches the coachman:
“Listen, I’ll go to the cage with the bag myself, I know better how much to charge for the work, and you stay in the yard and listen.” As the owner shouts “Enough!”, so you say: “Pour in my share too - it was hard for me to beat!”
OK. We arrived to the owner. The owner leads the new blacksmith into the cage. And two hefty farm laborers hid behind the door; They grabbed the blacksmith, threw him to the ground, and the owner began to hit him with a rod steamed in hot ash. The master doesn’t want the coachman to hear him getting a beating, so he clenches his teeth and endures it. Having thrashed the master properly, the owner says to the farmhands: “That’s enough!”, and the coachman replies from the yard:
- Pour in, pour in my share - it was hard for me to beat!
The owner says to the farmhands:
- Let’s give me more!
The master's farmhands raked it up a second time, and the owner gave him the coachman's share for the chik.
When we went home, the master said to the coachman:
- Damn you! Why did you shout for more?
- Yes, master, you yourself ordered it; I always carry out your will.
- Well, yes, that's true! And as soon as we arrive home, you sleep this accursed forge. I won't do blacksmithing anymore.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru