In the old days, there lived two poor people in a village. They went to a large neighboring village to earn money.
They worked conscientiously. Two or three years passed, and the poor people each earned one hundred rubles.
“Listen,” one comrade said to the other, “you and I have a hundred rubles each, because we can be robbed.” It’s better to hide this money in a safe place or give it to some honest person for safekeeping.
They thought, wondered what they should do with the money, and remembered the mullah who lived in that village and wore bells on all his fingers.
– Mulla, why did you hang bells from your fingers? - they used to ask him.
And the mullah responded:
– Mosquitoes, butterflies and ladybugs fly here. They can sit somewhere, and I won’t see them, I’ll accidentally touch them and cause them harm. The bells warn these little creatures of danger. I dare not offend a single creation of God!
So one of our poor people decided to give his money to this righteous mullah for safekeeping. But his comrade abstained.
Time has passed. The poor people earned a little more and decided to return home.
A poor man who had given his savings to the mullah came to him and asked him to return the money. Mullah was indignant.
- Where could such a ragamuffin get a hundred rubles? - he shouted. - Yes, apparently you dreamed it!
And the mullah drove the poor man out, waving his arms, and all ten bells on his fingers kept ringing and jingling...
What should a robbed poor man do? He sat down by the road and burst into tears. Then a woman approached him. She looked at him intently and said:
– I found a place to sit and cry! Tell us better who offended you.
The poor man told how he trusted the mullah, and he robbed him. The woman thought for a moment, then said:
- Come to the mullah tomorrow morning - he will give you your money. Go ahead, be smarter, and do not be tempted by sweet speeches or bells!
The next day the woman went to the mullah and told him:
- Do me a favor: take five hundred rubles from me for safekeeping. I am the wife of a merchant, my husband left me this money, and he himself went to collect debts. I now live alone and am afraid that robbers will attack me.
“You are doing well, my daughter!” Very good! - the delighted mullah told her. “You won’t find a safer place, and you’re not the only one asking me about this.”
At this time, a poor man, who had agreed with the woman yesterday about this, came to the mullah and persistently began to demand his money. The cunning mullah thought:
“This woman will now willingly entrust me with five hundred rubles if I return him a hundred rubles, and I will not be at a loss: I will have another four hundred left!”
And the mullah gave the money to the poor man and said:
- Here is your money, take it and remember: there is no one in the world more honest and selfless than the mullah!
The poor man took the money and left cheerful and satisfied.
“Well, my daughter,” the mullah said to the woman, “you see that you were not the first to bring me your money to keep.” Give them here!
But at that very moment the woman’s son, with whom she had agreed in advance, ran in and said:
– Father has returned home and is waiting for you!
The woman, hearing this, began to dance, as if she were really happy about this news, and the cunning mullah joined her so as not to arouse suspicion. The woman grinned and said:
“I’m dancing because my husband is back, but what makes you dance?”
“Your cunning makes me dance,” answered the mullah. The woman looked at the mullah mockingly and said:
- Yes, your cunning and dishonest idea makes us both dance!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru