Once upon a time there lived in the mountains a lonely young man named Dulin. On the mountain slope he cultivated his field and sowed rice. The sun burned mercilessly, large drops of sweat, like soybeans, rolled down the face and chest of the young man and flowed into the crevice between the stones.
Soon, in this crevice, right on the stones, a lily with a flexible stem and bright green leaves grew. The blossoming flower, beautiful as white jasper, shone brightly in the sun and, swaying in the light breeze, gently sang: “E-and, I-I!” Dulin stood leaning on a hoe and was surprised:
- What a miracle! A flower grew on a stone and it sings songs! Day after day the young man worked in his field, and an amazing flower from a crevice sang a gentle song to him. And the more tired Dulin was, the more tenderly the lily sang.
One morning Dulin came to the field and saw that the flower had been crushed by wild animals and was lying on the ground. The young man helped him up and said:
- Poor lily! Wild boars roam here and a strong wind blows. I'll take you to my hut!
He dug the flower out of the crevice, brought it home and planted it in a rice mortar. In the morning the young man went to the mountains to work, and in the evenings he weaved baskets by the light of a lamp.
He inhaled the aroma of a wonderful lily, listened to its quiet song, and the smile did not leave his face.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived. That evening, the moon was shining brightly outside the window, and the room was illuminated by the red light of the lamp. Dulin, as usual, was weaving a basket. Suddenly the lamp flashed brightly, and a large red lily flower bloomed in it. A beautiful girl in a white dress jumped out of the flower and sang loudly:
The lily burns red with fire, It became as light at night as if it were day. Young man, you work day and night, the Flower Fairy wants to help you!
The girl laughed, and the white lily flower was gone!
Dulin and the flower fairy became husband and wife. During the day they worked merrily in the field, in the evening they sat by the lamp: he weaved baskets, and she embroidered. Their life was sweet as honey!
On market days, Dulin sold rice, baskets, and his wife's embroidery. Two years later, instead of a bamboo hut, they had a large brick house, the granaries were full of rice, and there were cows and sheep in the pens. Dulin lived richly! He no longer wanted to work in the fields and weave baskets. Now he importantly lit his pipe and, taking the cage with the bird in his hands, went for a walk around the neighborhood. His wife asked him to buy a hoe, a sickle or silk for embroidery, and he bought wine and drank all night. If she called him to the mountains to work, Dulin complained that his arms and legs hurt. And if she suggested working by the lamp, his eyes suddenly began to dazzle. Often his wife said to Dulin:
“We don’t live so well.” I have to work hard, but it’s hard for me alone. Help, Dulin!
But Dulin only sniffed and looked away, and then lit a cigarette and went for a walk or to play dice in the neighboring village.
One evening, Dulin's wife sat alone by the lamp and embroidered. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dulip went to the village to have fun. Suddenly the lamp flashed brightly, and a large red lily flower bloomed in it. A motley peacock flew out of a flower and, spreading its tail, sang:
The lily burns red with fire, It became as bright at night as during the day. The husband is lazy, doesn’t want to help, the Flower Fairy flies away!
The peacock put Dulin's wife on his back and flew out the window.
At this time, Dulin ran into the room. He wanted to grab the peacock by the tail, but did not have time. Only one feather remained in his hands. Dulin looked at the sky and saw that the peacock was carrying his wife straight towards the moon.
Dulin was left alone. There was no one to look after him, and he became completely lazy. I just drank, ate, smoked and walked. He ate all his supplies, sold his cattle, and wore out his clothes.
And then the day came when he had nothing to eat, nothing to sell, nothing to buy with. He began to rummage through old rags and suddenly found a rug embroidered by his wife. It showed Dulin and his wife working in a field, a slope covered with rice sprouts, a field glistening like gold. On the other side of the rug, they were depicted working in the light of a lamp: Dulin weaves baskets, and his wife embroiders.
Dulin looked at this rug and thought. And then tears flowed from his eyes, like a mountain spring, and he grabbed his head:
- Eh, Dulin! It's all my own fault!
He turned away, clenched his teeth, then grabbed his pipe and threw it into the fire, broke the cage and released the bird. And the next morning Dulin put a hoe on his shoulder and went into the field. From that day on, as before, he began to work in the fields during the day and weave baskets in the evenings by the light of a lamp.
One day he picked up a peacock feather from the window. He looked at it, sighed, and stuck it in a rice mortar where a lily had once bloomed. Dulin remembered the wonderful flower, remembered his wife, and tears dripped into the stone mortar. Suddenly the feather disappeared, and in its place a fragrant lily appeared; a light breeze blew, and Dulin heard the familiar: “E-and, I-I!”
A year has passed. The Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived. In the evening, the moon was shining brightly outside the window, and a red lamp was burning in Dulin’s room. He sat next to her and weaved a basket. Suddenly the lamp flashed dazzlingly, and a large red lily flower bloomed in it. A beautiful young woman in a white dress jumped out of the flower and sang loudly:
The lily burns red with fire, It became as light at night as if it were day. Young man, you work day and night, the Flower Fairy wants to help you!
She laughed, and the flower in the mortar disappeared. Dulin recognized his wife and was very happy.
From that time on, they began to work together in the field during the day, and in the evening to work by the light of a lamp: Dulin weaved baskets, and his wife embroidered. And their life again became sweet as honey!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru