Once upon a time in the same village there lived an old man and an old woman - grandfather Petko and grandmother Pena. They loved to eat delicious food, sleep in the warmth in winter, and take a nap in the cold in summer. There was only one thing they didn’t like: work.
“I don’t need work,” Grandpa Petko used to say.
One day Grandma Pena cooked bean soup in a pot. The old men sat down at the table, drank the entire pot, and ate their fill.
Grandma Pena says:
- I cooked the stew, and you roll up your sleeves and wash the pot. I'll need it in the morning - I'll milk the cow.
“I won’t,” answers Grandpa Petko. - This is a woman's business. Wash it yourself!
- I won’t wash!
- Well, let them stand there unwashed.
Night has fallen. The old men went to bed, but the pot remained unwashed.
“Listen,” Grandpa Petko says to his wife, “get up early in the morning and boil some milk for me.” I’ll sip some milk soup and go to the field.
- What should I milk my milk into? An unwashed pot is worth it. If you wash it, I’ll milk it.
“I won’t wash it,” Grandpa Petko insists. - Better let's bet. Whoever loses gets washed up.
“Come on,” says Grandma Pena. - How?
- We will both be silent. Whoever can’t stand it first and says a word, let him wash the pot.
The old people fell silent and fell asleep. The night passed, the sun rose. Peasants go to work. The shepherd has gathered his flock and drives it into the clearing to graze. In the old people's yard, a cow is mooing - there is no one to milk it and drive it out to pasture.
And the old people sit and remain silent. At this point the neighbors became worried and began to look through the fence. They won’t understand what happened to Grandpa Petka - the cow is standing tied up, mooing, and there’s no one in the yard.
The neighbors came into the house and asked:
- What is it with you, Grandma Pena? Why don't you milk the cow?
Grandma Pena is silent.
- Grandpa Petko, say at least a word! Why is Grandma Pena silent?
But Grandpa Petko didn’t say a word either. He just shakes his head like a horse.
- Gee! - says one neighbor. “The old people seem to have gone numb.” Run and get a doctor and be quick! Ignatka, run, son, call the doctor.
Ignatka ran for the doctor. And he lived at the far end of the village. While the boy was running after him, the neighbors began to disperse in all directions: one was in a hurry to the field, another to the market, the third had work waiting for him at home. Only two remained with the “numb” old men - one old woman and a priest.
The priest also got ready to leave and said to the old lady:
- You, old lady of God, stay here until the doctor comes. Look after the old people. Otherwise, something bad might happen to them.
- I can’t, father.
- Why can’t you?
- In modern times, no one works for nothing. Pay and I'll stay.
- How? Do you think I should pay you? I? Where have you seen priests pay money?
The priest looked around - a torn jacket was hanging on his camp. He went to take off his jacket, and Grandma Pena screamed:
- What are you doing? Do you want to give the Moki Katsaway to this lazy girl? What will I wear?
Grandfather Petko heard his old woman scream, stood up and said:
- Well, grandma, you spoke first - you lost the bet. Now go wash the pot.
Then both the priest and the old lady guessed why Grandpa Petko and Grandma Pena were speechless. They shook their heads and went away.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru