Many years ago there lived in a certain city a man named Ko Pwei Lee.
One day he went to the market and, passing by a tea shop, suddenly heard his name. He stopped and listened. It turns out that several people were just arguing about it, and a certain firewood seller said with irritation:
- Well, you each praise this Ko Pwei Lee in your own way! What's unusual about it? I haven’t seen him, but if I ever happen to meet him, I will certainly try to teach him a good lesson!
Ko Pwei Lee pretended that this did not concern him and went on his way.
Meanwhile, everyone in the city knew that Ko Pwei Lee did not tolerate injustice, and if he found out about someone’s unfair act, severe and inevitable punishment awaited the culprit. And it was unlikely that in the whole city one could find a person who could compare with him in cunning and resourcefulness.
Returning from the market, Ko Pwei Lee came face to face with the same firewood seller who had insulted him in the tea shop earlier. Ko Pwei Lee stopped and asked insinuatingly:
- Tell me, please, my dear, how much do you sell your firewood for?
The firewood seller had never seen Koh Pwei Lee and couldn’t even imagine that he was talking to him, so he immediately named the price. Ko Pwei Lee immediately agreed.
“I’m ready to buy all your firewood, but only on one condition - if you take it to my home.”
The merchant figured that it would be profitable for him to sell all the firewood at once, and agreed.
“Hands by hand,” he said, “I’ll carry the wood, and you show me the way.”
They walked and walked and finally came to a large, elegant house surrounded by a high stone fence. The gates were locked. The gate too. Then Ko Pwei Li slapped his forehead with his palm and exclaimed:
- What a problem! I forgot the key to the gate in the teahouse! Well, nothing. I’ll have to run to the tea shop, and in the meantime you throw firewood over the fence. I'll come back and pay you right away.
Ko Pwei Lee left, and the merchant began throwing log after log of firewood over the fence.
Some time later, when the zealous simpleton had moved almost all the firewood, the gate suddenly swung open and the angry owner of the house appeared. He was shaking with uncontrollable anger.
-Are you crazy? – he screamed heart-rendingly. - Why did you need to throw firewood into my garden? Look how many beautiful flowers you have ruined with your stupid logs!
“Well, there’s always nothing but trouble with you rich people,” the merchant babbled in response. “Some guy just bought firewood from me and told me to throw it over the fence.” After all, I do what I was ordered, and instead of thanking me, you scold me. Oh, by the way, will this guy pay me for the firewood? – the merchant caught himself.
“I didn’t buy firewood from you and I don’t know you!” And you pay for the losses! – the homeowner became incensed again.
Entering the garden and seeing what he had done, the unfortunate firewood seller began to apologize and told in order everything that had happened to him.
– This is the work of Ko Pwei Lee, nothing less. No one else would have thought of this. But if he did this, it is clear that he had a serious reason for it. Have you really annoyed him for an hour? – asked the owner of the house, somewhat softening.
“It happened,” the merchant admitted. “Even before I met Ko Pwei Lee, sitting in a teahouse, I spoke badly about him and threatened to teach him a lesson when we met.
“Well, that serves you right,” the owner of the house interrupted the merchant. “There was no point in meddling in someone else’s business: you were jealous of Ko Pwei Li, and that’s what you got.” And pay now for the flowers you ruined.
There was nothing to do - the merchant had to shell out his entire day's earnings. So he paid for his boasting, but this incident served him as a good lesson for the future.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru