Once upon a time, there lived a peasant with a large family, a bunch of children, some small. He was so poor that he could even go and beg. He worked from dawn to dusk, and his earnings were not enough to feed his family. One evening a peasant says to his wife:
- Listen, wife, tomorrow morning I will set off to travel around the world. I’ll look for a job, maybe I’ll earn enough for you and your children to eat.
He walked for five days and five nights and reached a rich city. He didn't have a single friend in this city. A peasant had been wandering around the streets for a long time when he suddenly saw a richly dressed woman standing on one of the balconies.
“Hey, guy,” she tells him, “come on up to me, let’s talk.”
The peasant was delighted and thought: “There is probably work in this house!”
He went upstairs and stopped on the last step.
- Why are you standing there? - the woman invites him. - Don't stand there, go into the rooms.
The peasant was embarrassed.
- Khanum, why am I going to the rooms? If you have a job, let's come to an agreement here.
- Come in, don’t be shy, you’ll be a guest.
A peasant came in, and this woman sat him down on the pillows and began to treat him with wine and various dishes. And she added powder to the wine, from which the peasant forgot everything: that he was poor, and that he had a lot of children - a little less. They ate and drank, and when they had eaten and drunk, this woman said:
“Marry me, we’ll live and live well, I have a lot of goods, ten shops in the market, ten houses in the city, ten chests of all kinds of goods.”
“Well,” says the peasant, having forgotten about everything in the world, “let’s get married.”
“Go get the priest,” the woman orders. - Just before we get married, I’ll tell you, and you remember: I don’t eat meat. Therefore, never bring meat into the house. If you feel like it, eat shish kebab or kabab at the market.
“Let it be your way,” says the peasant. They got married and lived together for three years.
One day a rich merchant from Istanbul came to their city and brought all sorts of things from there, apparently and invisible. A peasant entered the merchant’s shop and said:
- Give me something good from what you have, I want to give my wife a gift.
“Here,” says the merchant, “you can’t imagine anything better: a silk shirt embroidered with pearls.”
The peasant brought the shirt home.
“Look,” he says, “wife, what a wonderful gift I brought you.” Take this shirt embroidered with pearls.
“No way,” says the wife.
- Why? - the husband was surprised. - Do you think it’s too expensive? Don’t be afraid, I don’t mind the money, put it on, I ask you.
The wife frowned.
“Do you want me dead?” she says. “Okay, then, I’ll put it on.”
- No no! - The peasant waved his hands. - If so, don't.
And he carried the shirt embroidered with pearls back to the merchant.
“What,” asks the merchant, “is it too small for your wife?”
“No,” he says. “She’s somehow afraid of this shirt.” - Oh, yes! - says the merchant. - So your wife is a snake!
- What are you saying! How can a woman be a snake?
“You are a naive person,” says the merchant. “I’ve already traveled all over the world, I know.” Tell me, does your wife eat meat?
“No,” says the peasant, “he can’t even stand the smell.”
The merchant shook his head, groaned, and then said:
- And there is no doubt that it is a snake. I heard about this woman from one wanderer. You lived with her for three years, and she gave you another three-year sentence. She has tormented many men like this. He lives with them for six years, and then destroys them. This is how she acquired wealth for herself: she took for herself the property of her ruined husbands.
“Save me, good man,” the peasant prayed. - Teach me what to do now?
“Okay,” says the merchant, “I’ll teach you.” Go to the market, buy a piece of good, fatty lamb and bring it home. Tell your wife to make a barbecue. And when you eat, beg her to eat at least a piece for company. As soon as she leaves the house for something, drink all the water you have, and leave some in one small jug and hang it near the ceiling. And see what happens. And the next morning come to me again.
That's what this peasant did. And at night he woke up and saw: his wife was fumbling in the dark, looking for water, she was tormented by thirst. Suddenly she saw a jug right above the ceiling. She stretched out here like a snake, and her head immediately became like a snake, reached right up to the ceiling, got drunk and pulled back in. The peasant was convinced that the merchant was telling the truth.
He went to the merchant in the morning and told everything as it happened.
“Didn’t I tell you that she’s a snake?” - the merchant answers. - Now listen. You will come home and tell your wife: “Bake me some gata, dear wife.” It’s been three years since you and I have been married, and you’ve never baked gata, treat your husband at least once.” As soon as she melts the toner and begins to sculpt gata on the walls of the toner, grab it by the legs, throw it into the toner and close the lid. After an hour, open it and you will get two charred pieces of dough. Take one for yourself and bring the other to me.
The peasant came home. Says:
“Wife, my soul is asking for some sweet gata, bake me a couple.”
“Okay,” the wife answers.
I prepared everything as needed. And as soon as she began to sculpt cakes onto the hot walls of the tonir, her husband grabbed her by the legs, threw her on the hot coals and closed the lid. An hour later he began to take out the charred pieces of dough and was all dirty with ash. He washed his hands, and what does he see? And the water in the basin turned into gold, and the basin became golden.
The peasant realized what wealth had come into his hands. And then he saw his house, his wife and children in a golden vase, he grabbed his head and immediately remembered everything. He gave the merchant a large piece of gold, kept the other for himself and went home.
He arrived home at dusk, his wife opened the door and asked:
- What do you, traveler, want from the poor widow?
- What kind of widow are you? - exclaimed the peasant. “Don’t you recognize me?”
The wife looked, and it was her husband.
“Welcome,” he says. - Where have you been for so long?
The peasant answers her:
- Been there for a long time and made a lot of money. Gather your children, stop suffering in the village and bending your back. Let's move to the city.
“What are you saying,” says the wife, “how can we live in the city with our poverty?”
“Don’t worry, wife,” the peasant tells her. “Now I have so much gold that there’s enough for you and me, our children, and our grandchildren.”
They got ready and left for the city, bought a new, rich house, and lived calmly and happily.
Three apples fell from the sky: one to the one who told the story; another - to the one who listened to the fairy tale; and the third - to the one who wound it all up.
1 Gata - rich pie with filling.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru