In the province of Gai Nguyen there lived a widow. She had a stupid son named Viet Soi. One day Viet Soi noticed a very beautiful girl at the door of a hut. Viet Soi came home and said:
- Mother, on the outskirts of our village I saw a very beautiful girl. Let me marry her.
“Marry if she marries you,” said the mother.
- How can I find out if she agrees to become my wife?
— Give the girl some betel. If she doesn't reject him, it means she likes you. If she rejects you, look for another bride. This is the custom of our land.
In the morning, when Viet Soi prepared betel, the mother said:
— Show respect to the bride’s parents. Don't be lazy, do what the father of the bride will do. Warn me - all his desires.
“I will remember all your words, mother,” promised the stupid son.
And so Viet Soi came to the hut where the beauty lived. Viet Soi offered her betel and the girl accepted it. Viet Soi was delighted and thought: “Now we need to follow mother’s second advice - not to be lazy, do everything that the father of the bride will do, prevent all his desires.”
And when Viet Soi saw that the bride’s father took the ax and left the hut, he jumped up, grabbed the second ax and hurried after the old man. The old man reached the forest and stopped near a withered palm tree. As soon as he swung the axe, Viet Soi grabbed his hand and exclaimed:
- Let me cut down this palm tree myself!
- Ruby! - said the satisfied old man and approached the bamboo tree.
But as soon as he took up the ax, Viet Soi stopped him again:
- Let me cut down this tree myself!
“If you can’t cut down a palm tree, cut down bamboo,” said the old man and headed back to the palm tree.
Before he could hit the tree with the ax, Viet Soi appeared in front of him again.
“No, no,” said the stupid groom, “I know my duty.” Now I will cut down this palm tree.
"He seems to be mad!" - the old man thought in alarm, and said out loud:
into a pungent betel leaf.
“Okay, chop down this palm tree, and I’ll cut down this bamboo.” And he headed towards the bamboo tree. And again, as soon as he touched the ax, Viet Soi grabbed his hand and said:
- Don't bother yourself! I will cut down this tree myself.
"Of course he's crazy!" - the frightened old man decided and rushed home.
“Do whatever the father of the bride will do,” Viet Soi remembered his mother’s words and ran after the old man.
When the old man saw that Viet Soi was chasing him, out of horror he stumbled into a bush, and his hat remained hanging on a branch of the bush. As soon as Viet Soi reached this bush, he tore off his new hat and put it on the bush.
It was hard for the old man to run with the ax, and he threw
him into the grass. Then Viet Soi threw his ax into the grass. Finally, barely alive from fear, the old man rushed to the village, jumped into his hut and shouted:
— Viet Soi has gone crazy. He's running after me with an axe, he wants to kill me! He will kill you too! Hide from the madman!
Hearing such words, the girl and her mother hid in a dark corner. The old man went to hide in a rice bag. At this time, Viet Soi ran into the hut. He saw that the bride's father was reaching into the bag, and he also reached into this bag. Then the wife and daughter shouted:
- Save me! Help! They are killing! And the old man also screamed:
- Save me! Help! They are killing!
Viet Soi remembered his mother’s words and began, along with everyone else, to shout at the top of his lungs:
- Save me! Help! They are killing! Well, of course, the whole village came running to these screams. People pulled the frightened old man out of the bag. The old man shook himself off the rice husks and said angrily to the groom:
- Get out of my house!
Stupid Viet Soi went home. All the way he thought about why he was driven away. But I never thought of anything. They say that Viet Soi still hasn’t gotten married: he keeps thinking about how he displeased the bride’s father.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru