One day Zhagisha, the father of little Malechipha, went with the sledge Shuzhey on a campaign against the one-eyed giants.
Malechipkh's mother needed some salt, and she sent the girl to her neighbor, Shuzhey's wife.
Several Nart youths were sitting in Shuzhey’s house. Ashamed to express her request in front of the guests, daughter Malech did not utter a word for a long time.
- What do you want? - the neighbor asked the girl unfriendly.
“Mother sent me for something that turns sweet into bitter, and bitter into sweet,” answered Malechipkh.
- God bless you, you devil! What is it that turns sweet into bitter, and bitter into sweet? With such cunning, you will probably give birth without a husband! — the neighbor got angry, not understanding what Malechipkh needed.
The girl left with nothing. The neighbor's words seemed very offensive to her.
“I’ll say something to the gouache in revenge,” she decided.
Having waited for dawn, Malechipkh again went to Shuzhey’s wife.
“My father fell ill and returned at night. “Your sledge, he says, bowed to you and ordered you to prepare sano without grapes for his arrival,” Malechiph said and went home.
Shuzhey’s wife became alarmed and began to rack her brain: how to make a grape drink out of nothing?
A few days later, Nart Shuzha returned with Zhagisha and dismounted near his house.
- What a riddle you told me! - the neighbor reproached her husband.
- What did I wish for you? - Shuzhey was surprised.
“I ordered sano to be prepared without grapes!”
- Hey, wife, are you crazy? I can't understand what you're saying! — Shuzhey answered.
Then the wife conveyed Malechipkh’s words to her husband.
Shuzhey called Malechipkh along with her father and asked:
“Why did you come and lie to my wife that I ordered sano to be prepared without grapes?”
“She reproached me, saying that I would give birth without a husband. So I wanted to see how she made a grape drink out of nothing! - Malechiph answered the Nartu.
- Why did your wife say such words to you? - Shuzhey continued to ask.
“My mother sent me to her to ask for some salt.” And I, finding several young men here, was ashamed to say that we had no salt, and asked gouache to give me something that makes sweet things bitter, and bitter things sweet! To this she answered me: “May God take you away, you little devil! Apparently, you will give birth without a husband!” - Malechipkh told the audience and added: - If your guasha can cook sano without grapes, then she told the truth!
Shuzhey became thoughtful. He really liked Malechiph's wise answer.
“You’re right, but my wife is to blame!” - he said and, having bandaged Malechiph’s hand above the wrist with a forged ribbon, he sent her home.
“If my gua sha doesn’t know what turns sweet into bitter and bitter into sweet, she’s not fit to be my wife!” - Shuzhey decided and sent her to her parents, hoping to marry little Malechipkh.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru