Once upon a time there lived an old peasant. His hut was completely rotten, and he decided to build a new one, but there was no forest. She's wondering where to get it. And in those days, peasants could only get timber for new buildings from the master. So he’s thinking about how he can approach the master. He took his goose to his master and lady for a treat. The master allowed him to visit him. The peasant says that he needs a new hut in the forest, the old one is completely rotten. Then he remembers about the goose that he brought with him and serves it to the master. And the master looked and said:
- There are five of us, how can we divide one goose among all?
“Nothing, master, tell me, I’ll split it.”
- Well, show me how it’s done!
When the goose was plucked, the old man took over the division: he cut off the head and neck and served it to the owner himself:
– To you, as the head of all respectable gentlemen, all the wisdom and power over this small creature.
Then he cut off both wings, gave them to the lady and her daughter and said:
- And this is for you and your beautiful daughter, so that your darlings can flutter in the skies.
Then he cuts off both legs and gives them to both barchuks:
- And this is for the master’s sons, so that they are diligent and dexterous. And the rest is for me to share.
The master and lady can only marvel at how cleverly the old man divided the goose! And to celebrate, they give him as much forest as he wants. The peasant—don’t be a fool—built himself a hut that looked like your master’s palace: two chimneys, high windows, wide doors. The neighbors are looking and asking how he was able to build such a mansion when he didn’t even have a penny to his name. It turned out that all this was obtained for one goose. One old man also got the idea: “Wait, I have six geese, if you take them down, then the master will give me some forest.”
He brought all his geese to the master and asked for wood for a new barn.
- Okay, okay, but what should we do, my dear? You have six geese, but there are five of us!
The old man thought, he didn’t know, poor fellow, what to do. And the master remembered that he had recently visited a peasant. who shared the goose so wonderfully, but everyone was happy. He ordered to call him to himself. So that old man comes and they tell him to divide six geese equally among five people. The peasant looked, did not think long and said:
- I’ll help if there’s a need. This is how we will divide them! Let's look at everything in threes. You, a gentleman and a lady and one goose are a trio. You, both sons and again one goose are a triple, and these two geese with the young lady are also a triple. Only two geese left! Let's do this! Me and two of them are also three. So everyone got it equally.
Everyone's mouths were wide open. For such dexterity, the master gave the forest not to the one who asked, but to the one who shared - for ingenuity. Now this man has built a new barn for himself, but the other one is left with nothing.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru