One man sewed hats and sold them at the market. As time passed, he grew old, and it became difficult for him to walk on the roads.
He called his son and said:
- Now you will have to go around the villages and sell hats. I don't know if you can handle this matter?
The son reassured his father, saying that he could rely on him.
After some time, his father sent him to the fair with a bag full of hats. Leaving the house early in the morning, the guy walked a considerable distance. The sun was hot, and he decided to rest under the shade of a tree. After eating a little, he fell asleep.
The curious monkeys climbed down from the tree and pulled out all the hats from the bag. When the guy woke up and discovered they were missing, he was very upset because he could not justify his father’s trust. He didn't know what to do and was in despair. The hats could not be returned, and, besides, the unscrupulous monkeys made faces at him and laughed.
Luckily for him, a venerable old man passed by. Seeing a despondent guy and monkeys with hats on a tree, he immediately understood everything and said:
- Don't worry! Do you have at least one hat left?
“Yes,” answered the young man.
And then the elder advised him:
-Put it on your head.
The young man put on his hat. The monkeys immediately began to put hats on their heads. Then the elder said:
- Now take it off and throw it aside.
The guy did just that. The monkeys exactly repeated his actions, throwing all their hats to the ground. The young man collected them in a bag, thanked the elder and went on his way.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru