One day he took a jug, poured wet clay into it, put half a circle of oil on top - for show - and went to sell at the market.
A little before reaching the market, he sat down to rest under a tree, and placed the jug next to him.
At this time, another such cunning man was going to the market. He also carried a large jug. He filled the jug with swamp mud and poured thick white honey on top.
He also stopped near a tree, put his burden on the ground and also sat down to rest in the shade.
First, both exchanged greetings, and then the first sly one asked:
- What are you selling?
“I’m bringing pure white honey to the market!” - answered the second sly one.
Then the first one said:
- I just need white honey! I brought oil to sell to buy honey for my sick wife. Do you need some oil? I just knocked him down.
The honey seller thought:
"Well, lucky me! I can exchange a jug of dirt for a jug of fresh oil."
And he said:
- Okay, let's switch. I was just on my way to sell honey and buy butter. I'm giving my daughter away in marriage, there will be a lot of guests at the wedding. Oil is needed for both frying and baking. And I also have my own honey - don’t worry. Today I collected from my hives.
The oil seller thought:
“For a jug of clay, getting a jug of honey is not so bad!”
They exchanged their jugs, and each, rejoicing at the profitable deal, went home.
Having walked away a little, the first cunning man, the one who exchanged his jug of clay for a jug of honey, thought:
“What if the honey seller deceived me? What if he cheated just like me?”
He opened the jug. No, the honey is real, pure, fragrant.
“On the outside, my oil is real,” thought the sly man. “But what’s inside?”
He took a piece of wood, stuck it deep into the jug and pulled it out.
This is true! There was sticky dirt in the jug.
And at this time another cunning man was thinking the same thing:
“Let me see what kind of oil is in the jug that I took. Did the seller, whom I myself so cleverly deceived, deceive me?”
He opened his jug and saw clean, fresh oil.
“I know how to cover up a deception,” thought the sly man.
He took a sliver of wood and stuck it deeper into his jug.
I took it out, and the sliver was covered in clay.
When both cunning men realized that they had deceived each other, they rushed back to the market and again collided at a large tree.
- Woe to you! - shouted the one who exchanged a jug of clay covered with oil for a jug of mud covered with honey.
- Woe to you! - shouted the one who gave a jug of mud covered with honey for a jug of clay covered with oil.
- Wicked man! Who are you? - one shouted.
- Who am I? Yes, I will be no worse than you! - shouted another. Here they both laughed.
One said:
Let's be friends!
Another said:
- Right. It is better for us to be friends with each other than to deceive each other.
And so the two cunning men built houses next to each other and began to trade together and cheat together.
After consulting with each other, they dressed up as merchants and went to the city bazaar. It was a three-day journey to the market, and everyone had to take food with them for three days on the road.
And although the cunning men were now friends, not one of them could do without cunning. Therefore, each of them decided to himself that he would eat what his friend took with him. And both ordered their wives to pour white ash into their travel bags instead of white flour.
The wives did just that.
And so the two cunning men set off on a journey together.
They walked all day and spent the night where all the merchants were camping.
They hadn't eaten anything all day and now decided to bake a golden eagle for dinner.
They collected branches for the fire, brought water from the well to knead the dough, and lit a fire.
When all preparations were completed, the first cunning man said to his friend:
— Your bag is very heavy, it’s difficult for you to carry it. Let's bake a golden eagle today from your flour. And tomorrow we will bake from mine.
“No, no,” the second sly man answered his friend, “my bag is not heavy at all.” But you really were exhausted while carrying your bag. Let's bake with your flour today, and with mine tomorrow.
- What are you, what are you! - said the sly one to the sly one. — My bag is very light. And you could barely drag yours. I saw it well!
So they argued all night and the next morning, hungry, they set off again.
At noon they approached the river, where the merchants always stopped. They had to stop too. All the merchants baked golden eagle for themselves, and they spent time arguing.
Each felt sorry for the other because his bag was so heavy. Each wanted to outwit the other so that his own cunning would not be revealed.
And again they set out hungry, bending from weakness under their burdens.
In the evening they again came to the resting place.
One said:
- Let's bake golden eagle for dinner.
“Come on,” said the other.
“Untie your bag,” said one.
“No, untie it,” said the other. So they argued and bickered for a long time, until finally one gave in.
He opened his bag and pretended to be very surprised.
- What's happened? In my bag there is ash instead of flour! It was my stupid wife who probably decided to play a trick on me! Well, good! She will pay for these jokes! And you,” he said to his friend, “will have to feed me!” When we return home, I will settle accounts with you.
Then the second sly man untied his bag.
- Woe is me! Woe is me! - he shouted. “My wife probably conspired with yours and also poured white ash into my bag instead of flour.”
Then they both looked at each other and laughed. And both confessed to each other their cunning.
Since then, people have been saying: “In the travel bags of the two cunning men there is nothing but white ash.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru