There lived one man with his daughter. She was so beautiful that people could not take their eyes off her face, and many young men were not averse to wooing the young beauty.
One day two of them came to the girl and said:
- And we’re coming to you. The girl asked:
- What do you need? The young people replied:
“We like you, that’s why we came.” The girl was confused. She ran to her father and whispered to him:
- Help. I can’t be the wife of two. The father thought for a long time, then came out to the young men and slowly said:
“Today I cannot decide which of you to give preference to, I will only say that my daughter’s husband must be hardworking and smart at work. Come tomorrow and show in practice how each of you knows how to work.
The young people left, and the old man took the money, went to the market and bought a piece of blue silk there.
In the morning, just before light, both young men were already standing on the threshold of the hut.
The father came out to meet them, called his daughter and said to all three:
- My children, I only have one daughter, and there are two of you. Let's see which of you is more worthy of it.
He tore the silk into two equal parts and then added:
“Each of these pieces of material is enough to sew a dress for my daughter.” So, whichever of you finishes this work first will become my daughter’s husband. You won’t be bored, because my daughter will work with you: she will spin threads for both of you.
The old man left and the three got to work. “But the girl was the smartest of all.” In addition, she knew what neither her father nor both of her suitors knew: she knew which of the two she loved and wanted to have as her husband.
So, the girl brought them scissors and needles and began to diligently weave threads. She did not say a word, so as not to interfere with the work, but for the young man she liked, she spun short threads, and for the second, threads twice as long.
The young men worked with equal diligence and skill, but while one with a short thread managed to make two stitches, the second did only one. He pulled and pulled his long thread endlessly - the thread got tangled, he bit it off and tied the knot again, and at the same time his friend put stitches one after another, and his work moved twice as fast.
At noon my father came and asked:
- My children, is the work ready?
“Not yet,” both young men answered without straightening their backs.
Three hours passed.
The father came out again and again received the same answer.
When the father came out for the third time, the first young man, the one who sewed with short threads, jumped up and, beaming with joy, handed his father a well-made blue dress.
- Fine! - the old man congratulated him. - You finished your work first! - And with a smile he placed his daughter’s hand in his hand.
And then he turned to the second young man:
“But you, my friend, didn’t waste your energy in vain.” You won't be offended. You will receive a dress that you sewed with your own hands as a souvenir. The time will come and you will give it to your bride.
That was the end of the matter.
Both young men were satisfied, and the girl became the wife of her loved one.
But she never, even much later, confessed to him about her trick.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru