For a long time, the Chinese traded with the Koreans. Rich merchants transported goods by sea and land. And where there are money-bag traders, there is deception. One day a merchant on his sailing boats reached the Resengan River and stopped in a seaside village. He sells briskly, "praises his goods in every possible way: chintz, jewelry, various trinkets. One day a well-known beauty in those places came to his shop. The merchant was generous here, gave away the best silk cheaply, calls the beauty to come back to the shop to buy things. What the merchant had in mind, the beauty has no idea, she came. And so the merchant tries to flatter the woman, and эдак — ничего у него не выходит. Рассердилась женщина и ушла. Но купцы — народ хитрый. Деньгами не возьмут — всякими уловками одолеют. А надобно вам сказать, был купец мастер в шахматы играть. Вот и предложил мужу красавицы, крестьянину, посостязаться с ним. Сели они играть. Выигрывает купец и выигрывает. Потом вдруг сделал два неверных хода и проиграл. Сгреб крестьянин в кучу денежки и еще the game begs to be played, the merchant agreed and lost twice as much.
“Then, perhaps, you’ll sell off all your goods,” says the peasant.
“I love desperate players,” the merchant answers, and he himself arranges the pieces and wants to play the third game. The game has just started, and the merchant announces checkmate.
“I made a little mistake,” says the peasant. - Let's have another game.
So, game after game, the peasant lost all the money with which he came to the market. And a bull with a cart to boot. I started playing on debt. It’s already night outside, and they’re all playing. And for every move, the merchant brings vodka to the beauty’s husband. He gave him a drink and said:
- You know what, friend, put your wife on the line! If you win, I’ll forgive all your debts and give away the shop in addition.
“I agree,” answers the trusting husband, and he himself barely moves his tongue.
The merchant sacrifices pawn after pawn, giving up both bishops. The trusting husband rejoices. Greed in the eyes. Wealth is imagined, own trade, his wife is sitting at the cash register in the shop... But then the merchant unexpectedly rushed into the attack. Those who were nearby gasped.
“An agreement is worth more than money,” says the merchant. - You lost your wife. Now she's mine.
All the hops left the peasant. He lowered his head and sang a sad song about his misfortune.
Meanwhile, the merchant orders the servants to bring the peasant’s wife to him, a beauty...
The merchant sold the goods, took the beauty and sailed home. But the beauty doesn’t come to him, she hits him in the face, scratches him... The ship is sailing in the middle of the blue sea. Suddenly the beauty broke away from the villain, ran out onto the deck, turned towards her native land, raised her hands to the sky and sang in a gentle voice.
The waves carried her sad song to the Lord of the Sea himself. The Lord became angry with the merchant, stirred up the sea, and sent a storm. There was an old man with gray hair on the merchant's ship. The sailors said to the old man:
— There is no wind, but the storm broke out at sea. Answer me, why?
The sage pointed to the beauty and said:
“Because of her, the sea is raging.” The owner took the wife from the peasant and wants to dishonor her. And if she doesn’t come to her senses and give her husband her wife, the ship will sink...
The merchant got scared and ordered to swim back.
The beauty saw her husband, rushed to him, and sang a song. Song about the Resengan River. In that song she poured out her resentment, the sadness of separation and the joy of meeting.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru