One man had two wives and a daughter from each wife. He loved both daughters equally, and peace and harmony reigned in the family.
But when the older wife died, the younger one began to care only about her daughter and treat her stepdaughter poorly. Her own daughter ate deliciously and dressed beautifully, and her stepdaughter worked from morning to evening and even listened to scolding for it.
The father felt sorry for his eldest daughter, but did not dare to stand up for her because he was afraid of his wife.
One day a girl started playing with her friends and returned home late. The evil stepmother locked the doors and did not let her in. The stepdaughter kept asking to open it until she became hoarse, but the stepmother insisted on her own.
The girl had to spend the night outside and sleep on dew-covered grass.
She caught a cold from the cold and dampness and became seriously ill.
The saddened father abandoned everything and looked after his daughter, but as soon as he left, the stepmother and younger sister began to shower the poor girl with abuse and insults.
One day my father needed to leave for a long time. Before leaving, he cooked a pot of rice and boiled an egg for his eldest daughter. The younger sister noticed this and immediately told her mother about everything. The enraged stepmother came running, knocked over the pot of rice, threw out the egg and kicked her stepdaughter out of the house.
Not knowing where to look for protection and help, the poor thing wandered off randomly.
The women in the village sympathized with her and tried to help in whatever way they could - some with food, some with medicine.
When the girl recovered, she went into the forest, made herself a hut there and dug up the earth near it. Kind people helped her, and soon rice began to sprout in her field and corn grew. She got pigs and chickens, worked hard and felt happy.
Wild boars often came from the forest and spoiled the crops. Hearing noise and grunting one night, the girl gently said to them:
- Boars! If you want corn, eat the cobs, but don’t touch the green sprouts: they haven’t grown yet.
The boars obeyed her and since then have not spoiled the crops.
And one day a tiger crept up and wanted to grab the pig. Feeling his approach and hearing how frightened the pigs were rushing about in the barn, the girl said:
- Tiger, if you come for a pig, take the big one, but don’t touch the small piglets. They still have to grow up.
And the tiger, subdued, returned to the forest. But one night he appeared again and threw something out of his mouth near the house.
“In three days, fill this place with earth, and after six days, remove it,” he said.
The girl obeyed the tiger. Six days later, she raked the ground and saw a whole heap of shiny gold. Since then, life has become even easier for her.
The girl's father was very sad when he returned home and did not find his daughter.
One day, while he was working in the field, a crow appeared above his house and croaked:
- Karrr, karrr... take the black chest and the red chest, go get your daughter’s gold! The stepmother heard this, was very surprised and drove the crow away. And she said to her husband, as if a crow had croaked: “Take a shovel with a black handle and a shovel with a red handle, go bury your daughter!” The father was scared, and the next morning, just before dawn, he took shovels and went into the forest to look for the girl. He cried all the way. That’s why he was surprised and delighted when he saw that the girl was healthy and her house was full of kindness! Rejoicing at the meeting, father and daughter shed happy tears.
When he returned, the father told everyone the story of his daughter. And the stepmother, having learned about the wealth, felt envy. She immediately took her daughter to the forest, built a house for her, drove pigs for her, and brought her grain. She helped her cultivate the field, and when shoots appeared on it, she left her daughter alone and returned home.
At night, forest animals came to the field to feast on them. The girl scolded them as best she could, but she was afraid to drive them away. Seeing this, the animals became bolder, and soon there was no trace left of the crops.
Then, smelling the smell of pigs and chickens, the tiger came. And he began to come every night. The girl was trembling with fear, huddled in a corner, and was afraid to fall asleep. And the tiger, having dealt with the cattle, made its way into the house, tore the girl to pieces and went to bed.
The next morning, a crow flew to the house where the husband and wife lived and, sitting on the fence, croaked:
- Karrr, karrr... take a shovel with a black handle and a shovel with a red handle, go bury your daughter!
The wife thought that the crow was lying, took a stone and drove it away. When her husband returned, she told him, as if a crow had cawed: “Take the black chest and the red chest, go for your daughter’s gold!” The husband believed, prepared the chests and went into the forest with his wife. But it was quiet near the house, the cattle had disappeared. The father rushed to look around, and the stepmother immediately ran into the house. Seeing something yellow on the floor, she poked the tiger with a stick. He woke up, attacked his stepmother and tore her to pieces.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru