A long time ago, there lived an old peasant in the province of Phennando. And he had four sons. One day the old man called his sons and said to them: “I heard that there are many miracles in this world.” Come see if good people are telling the truth. And after three years, return home.
The brothers bowed to their father and went in different directions: one went north, another went south, the third went east, and the fourth went west. Whether it was long or short, the brothers returned to their native lands. Their father began to ask what they saw in a foreign land, what they learned. The elder brother came forward and said:
“There are amazing people in the north: they see everything that is hidden from human eyes, they know how to get any thing. I lived among these people for three years and learned everything they know.
The second brother approached his father:
“And in the south there are amazing people who can see a small grain of sand a thousand miles away.” Now I can see everything I want too.
[Li is a measure of length equal to approximately 0.4 km.]
The third brother chuckled, bowed to his father and said:
“And I lived in the east, and they taught me to shoot without missing—I never saw any more miracles.”
“And I haven’t seen miracles either,” said the younger brother. “They taught me in the West how to sew whatever you want, so that the human eye couldn’t see the thread.” With that I returned home.
The father listened to his sons and decided to give them a test. He called his second son to him and said:
“There is a rock about a hundred years from here, and on the rock there is a tree.” What is hidden in the branches of that tree?
The young man looked into the distance and said:
“There’s a gray nest in the branches, and in the nest there are three eggs.”
“Come on, get those testicles,” the father said to his eldest son. The eldest son extended his hand, and at that very moment three testicles appeared in his hand.
The father looked at his third son:
- Well, son, now it’s your turn. Shoot the testicles so that each one splits into two halves.
The third brother took a bow and arrows, took aim, pierced all three testicles with one arrow - and each one split in half. And the younger brother is already standing ready - holding a thread and a needle to sew those testicles together.
The younger brother sewed the shell. My father took the testicles and twirled them this way and that, but he couldn’t find a seam.
The old man smiled.
“Well done,” he says. – You learned a lot of wonderful things, learned a lot. Now I am not afraid of death either: you will not be lost in life.
The sons bowed to the old man and left the house to see people and show themselves: they had not been in the village for a long time. They reached the corner, looked, there was a paper hanging on the wall: “Van* has lost countless treasures - the pride of our country. Whoever finds the treasures that he wants to ask for can - the great van will fulfill any desire.”
[Wan – king, prince.]
The brothers read the paper, returned home and told their father about everything. The father listened to them and said:
- Find the treasure, sons. They don’t belong to Vanu, they belong to our country, to our people.
The second brother began to look in all directions. He looked to the north - he saw nothing, he looked to the west - and there was nothing, and there was nothing in the east, and in the south, on a distant island that was a thousand miles from Korea, he saw countless treasures. Treasures are hidden in a high rock, and a dragon guards that rock.
“Well, son, get the treasure,” the old man says to his older brother.
The elder brother shook his head and said:
“I can’t lift the treasures alone - they are very heavy.” Apparently, we will all have to swim after them.
The brothers made a large boat and sailed to a distant island. While they were sailing, the second brother watched the dragon and studied its habits.
As the brothers approached the island, their second brother began to instruct:
– For days the dragon doesn’t eat or drink, he lies by the rock, guarding the treasure. He leaves only once every ten days to swim in the sea. Tomorrow is just such a day - let's choose the right moment and steal the treasures.
The brothers pulled the boat out to the island, hid better and began to wait. So a mighty dragon climbed into the sea, and the brothers crept up to the rock, pulled out the treasures, loaded them into the boat and set off on their way back.
The dragon returned to the rock - the treasures were gone. He looked around the sea, noticed a boat in the distance, and in it four brothers. The dragon roared in a terrible voice and set off in pursuit.
The young men saw him.
“Help me out,” they say to the third brother.
The third brother took the bow, pulled the string and shot an arrow straight into the dragon’s heart. The dragon roared, beat his mighty tail and sank to the bottom. And thunder roared in the sky, huge waves rolled across the sea. A wave hit the boat and knocked out one board. The boat began to sink, and the younger brother shouted:
“Don’t be afraid, brothers, I will patch up our boat!”
He began to patch the boat, and his brothers helped him: one held the board, the other threaded the needle.
The younger brother repaired the hole, so much so that you couldn’t see where it was. The brothers reached their homeland. They went ashore, and people were already waiting for them there, “manse” was shouting.
The brothers gave the treasure to Van, and Van said:
“Because you saved countless treasures, I will fulfill your every wish.”
Then the elder brother bowed to Van and said:
“I have no other desire than for you to give the land to the peasants.”
Then the second brother bowed and said:
“I have no other desire than that you give every peasant a new dress.”
The third brother came forward and asked to free the peasants who had been imprisoned for debts, and the fourth to appoint fair judges.
There was nothing to do, the Van had to fulfill the wishes of the brothers.
The peasants were delighted and began to thank the young men, and they answered:
“It’s not us who need to be thanked, our father.” He taught us wisdom and guided us to good deeds.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru