There lived a husband and wife. They had an only son.
One year there was a crop failure, and the entire village lived in great need. And this family was in great need. The owner of the house decided to go on a journey to earn money. He walked a lot of roads, but could not find work,
One day he saw a man with a large mustache. He was richly dressed and sat importantly on a bench near the house.
“Be a guest,” he invited the traveler. - I see you are tired from the road, you need rest.
– I have gone down many roads - I want to hire myself as a worker to earn some money. I have a wife and son. There is a crop failure in our region, and our entire village is starving. So I went to work, I can do any kind of work.
“I’ll help you,” said the mustachioed man. “If you do what I say, I’ll pay you well.”
So the man found a job. He did not refuse any business - he was both a herdsman and a shepherd. Three years passed like this. Thoughts about his family began to overcome him. The owner noticed this.
- Why are you sad? – asked Bysym.
– I was overcome by thoughts about my wife and son. Three years have already passed since I left the village. I work well, you feed me well. But food doesn’t do me any good – I keep thinking about home.
“Then,” said the mustachioed one, “in the morning I will pay you for your work, and you come home.”
In the morning, the owner gave the worker three rubles in gold, ordered him to prepare provisions for the journey, and released him. The worker sets off on his way back, but he still thinks that he was not paid enough for his work.
The journey was long, and soon all food supplies ran out. The worker decided to bring the money home intact, and although he was very hungry, he did not buy anything.
Passing through some village, he entered the market. I no longer have the strength to endure hunger, and I don’t want to spend money. He sees a tall man walking around the bazaar and shouting loudly:
- I sell, I sell, I sell!
The worker took a closer look - there was nothing in the seller’s hands. What can he sell?
He came closer to him.
- What are you selling, I don’t see any goods!
- I sell my mind.
– Is intelligence bought or sold? – the worker was surprised and stepped aside. He walks around the bazaar again, sees all sorts of tasty things, and hunger pesters him even more.
And the seller of the mind keeps shouting to the whole market:
- I sell, I sell, I sell!
- I’ll go up to him again! - the worker decided.
- How much do you want for your brain? – he asked the seller.
– ONE GOLD.
The worker took out one gold piece and gave it to the seller.
“Give me your mind,” he says.
“When you are on the road,” said the seller, “and you come across a river, do not enter it until you recognize the ford!”
- Is this all for a gold ruble?
- Everything I told you costs a ruble.
“My earnings for a whole year are gone,” the worker thought and stepped aside. But wherever he went, he heard the voice of the seller of the mind:
- I sell, I sell, I sell!
He approached the tall man again and gave him the second gold piece.
– What else will you sell me?
– When you meet a person busy with business, do not interfere until he asks you.
- And all this for one gold piece?
- All.
“My earnings for the second year of work have disappeared,” the worker thought and stepped aside again.
He had the last ruble left in his pocket. He grieved bitterly that he had so recklessly spent two gold pieces, but again a voice reached him:
- I sell, I sell, I sell my mind!
For the third time he approached the tall man and handed him the last gold piece.
“Sell me some more intelligence,” he asked.
– When you get very angry, so much that you want to hit a person, quickly, quickly start counting from one to one hundred. By the time you count to one hundred, you will calm down, then make a decision on what to do next.
Without a penny in his pocket, a worker left the market and headed home. He walked and came to the river. It was so wide that the other shore was not visible. He looked around - there was no bridge across the river nearby. The worker wondered how he could get across the river. While he was thinking, some horseman drove up to the river. He was richly dressed and sat on a beautiful horse.
- Why are you standing there? – the rider turned to the worker.
“I don’t know where the ford is, so I’m standing here, thinking about the best way to get across the river.”
– If you are a real man, you can go anywhere.
With these words, he pulled out a whip, whipped his horse with it and entered the river. In an instant, the rider and horse disappeared under the water. Then they emerged from the water, but were immediately overwhelmed by a wave again. The bottom of the river turned out to be muddy, and the horse’s legs got stuck in it. The rider and his horse drowned. And the worker stood on the shore and saw everything.
At this time, a group of horsemen rode up to the river. Seeing the traveler on the river bank, Thamate - the leader of the horsemen - sent a young horseman to him.
- Why are you standing here? - asked the horseman.
“I don’t know a ford across this river, and the horseman who tried to swim across it drowned along with his horse,” answered the worker.
The young horseman returned to his friends and relayed to them the conversation with the worker. A little time passed, and he again drove up to the worker:
“Our thamate sent me for you - he wants to help you.”
The worker approached the thamata.
“There is no ford in the place where you are standing,” said Thamate. - There is a ford across the river not far from that village. - And he pointed downstream.
The worker listened to the advice and crossed the river where he showed him the thamate.
He came to some village. Seeing a yard with good, solid buildings, the worker stopped. A man was sitting at the gate.
“Welcome, be our guest,” the man turned to the worker.
“I’m just looking for a house where I could stay.”
“Then let’s go,” said the owner. He led the guest into the courtyard and brought him to the kunatskaya, sat him down and sat down himself. They sat like that for a long time - the guest was silent, as is customary, and the owner was silent, as if he were a guest.
When evening came, seven covered ane were brought to the kunatskaya - one treat was better than the other.
The worker sat down with one ane and ate a little - he didn’t even touch the other ane.
After some time, the owner returned to the kunatskaya.
– You are our guest, why didn’t you touch the food? he asked.
- I’m alone, how can I eat what is served at seven ane? - answered the worker.
The owner went to the door, opened it, took the last one by the leg and threw it into the yard. Following him, he threw away all the other ane, without saying a word to this guest.
The owner's sons removed all the ane.
After this, the owner sat for a long time in the kunatskaya, entertaining the guest with conversation until it was time to go to bed.
When it was time to go to bed, seven beds were prepared in the kunatskaya - one better than the other.
“Good night, our guest,” said the owner and went into the house. The worker lay down in one of the beds and fell fast asleep. In the morning, when everyone got up, the owner came to the kunatskaya.
“Good morning, our guest,” he said. - Why were these beds empty, and you slept on only one?
- Honorable master, I’m alone, how could I lie in seven beds at once? - answered the worker.
“That’s also true,” said the owner, opened the door and threw all the beds into the yard.
The owner's sons came and removed all the beds.
The host’s behavior seemed strange to the guest, but he didn’t say a word or ask anything.
In the morning, when it was time to drink tea, six ane with refreshments and a seventh with tea were brought to the kunatskaya.
“Eat well and drink tea,” said the owner and left.
The guest tasted the treats from one ane, drank tea and began to wait for what would happen next. A little time passed, and the owner returned to the kunatskaya.
– Our guest hasn’t eaten anything again! - he said, opened the door and threw everything into the yard.
What should a guest do? It’s time for him to hit the road, but he doesn’t dare tell the owner about it. After sitting for a while, the owner himself said:
– Our guest, perhaps it’s time for you to return home?
“It’s time,” answered the guest.
The owner wished him a happy journey and led him out of the kunatskaya. The guest walked almost half of the yard, not daring to look back. Suddenly he heard the owner’s voice:
– Come back for a minute, our guest!
The frightened guest returned to the kunatskaya. The owner sat him down and said:
- Now listen to what I say. I had a mother and father. When I got married, I decided to live separately from my parents and built myself a house. When the house was ready, people began to come to look at it, and everyone gave advice: either the window was not there, or the door was not in place. I got angry, took an ax and destroyed the house. Soon I built a new house as advised by those who did not like the first house. I was just about to move into the house when people started coming again, and everyone said what had been done wrong. I destroyed this house and took an oath to kill anyone who interfered in my affairs, be it a resident of our village or a guest from the most distant places. I swore to give a pouch full of gold to anyone who will not interfere in my affairs.
After that, I built this house, but none of the residents of our village or the neighboring village comes into my yard, no one talks to me. You have freed me from my oath, and I give you a pouch of gold.
The guest thanked the owner and went back.
He returned home late at night. He saw through the window that his wife was sitting at the weeds. A man was pulling out a circle of smoked cheese from a smoker.
The wife was sitting with her back to the smoker, and the husband decided that it was a thief stealing the cheese. He took aim to fire the gun, but before pulling the trigger, he remembered the third tip of the mind seller and began to count to one hundred.
Having counted to one hundred and calmed down, he knocked on the door of his house. The wife stopped spinning the straw and said:
- Boy, open the door, your father has returned.
From that day on, that man and his family lived richly and happily.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru