The Tale of the Poor Man and His Wife

Once upon a time, there lived a husband and wife, both incredibly poor. The wife would go around the village, hiring herself out for daily work, and they barely scraped by, often going hungry. They didn’t even have enough to feed their only son.

One day, the wife said:
"Oh, my dear husband, there’s no way for us to escape this poverty and need! Why don’t you go to other towns? Maybe you’ll find work and earn something for us to live on."

The husband agreed and set off to look for work. He found a job in a wealthy village, guarding an apple orchard. He built himself a tiny hut and settled there. A stray cat found its way into his hut, and with it, he spent the entire summer, having no one else to talk to. In the fall, the orchard owners paid him with a sack of apples.

One day, a merchant from his village happened to pass by. The poor man bowed to him and said:
"I’ve earned a sack of apples and also have this cat—that’s all my wealth. Please take it to my wife."
"Very well," said the merchant. "I’ll deliver it. But first, I need to sell my goods in foreign lands."

The merchant traveled to distant lands, where everything was abundant, but apples never grew. The locals begged him to sell them the apples. At first, he refused, but then agreed. He earned a heap of gold coins from the sale and continued on his journey.
He arrived in another country and brought his goods to the royal palace to sell them. There, he saw that the palace was overrun with mice, and no one could get rid of them.

"What will you give me," the merchant asked the king, "if I rid you of these vile creatures?"
"A sack of gold," replied the king.
The merchant then released the hungry cat from the sack, and it quickly killed all the mice.
The king paid the merchant, and he set off on his return journey. He delivered a heap of gold to the poor man’s wife and said:
"Your husband sent this to you."
"Did he say what I should do with this wealth?" asked the astonished woman.
The merchant laughed, remembering the cat and the apples, and said:
"No, do as you please."

The wife built a luxurious house with the money and sent her son to study. Fifteen years passed. The poor peasant had managed to earn only three gold coins during that time. With them, he set off for home. On the way, he had to spend the night at a peasant’s house, where a family celebration was taking place. He saw that all the guests at the table were eating, drinking, and chatting merrily. Only one man sat silently, neither eating nor speaking to anyone.
"Why is that guest so quiet?" he asked the host.
"Oh, forget him," said the host. "Every word he speaks is worth its weight in gold."

The poor man was amazed and took out one of his gold coins.
"Here," he said, "a gold coin. Let him say something."
The silent man looked at him and said:
"Until death comes, you won’t die. And don’t fear the depths."
The poor man was even more astonished and took out a second coin.
"Here’s more gold. Speak," he said.
"The one you love with all your heart is the best," the silent man uttered.
"Well, whatever happens!" said the poor man. "You speak so wisely. Here’s my last coin."
"When you sneeze, pause and think," said the silent man.
The next morning, the poor man, still poor, continued on his way. He reached a village and saw a crowd gathered around a well.
"What’s going on here?" he asked.
"We’re in terrible trouble," they said. "There’s only a little water left at the bottom of the well. And anyone who goes down to fetch it never returns. Soon we’ll all die of thirst. Try, traveler, to get the water. If you succeed, we’ll each give you a gold coin."

The poor man remembered the silent man’s words and said:
"I won’t die before my time. And I’m not afraid of the depths. I’ll go down the well!"
He climbed down, fetched water from the very bottom, and was about to climb back up when someone grabbed his hem and said:
"Come here."
He turned around—and what did he see? At the bottom of the well, human heads were piled up, and beside them stood a large table with a raven and a frog sitting on it.

The raven said:
"Since you’ve come here, answer my question. If you answer wrong, I’ll cut off your head."
"Ask," said the poor man.
"Do you see this frog? Is she worthy of me marrying her?"
"The one you love with all your heart is the best," he replied, repeating the silent man’s words.
As soon as he said this, the raven and the frog began to swell up, bigger and bigger, until their skins burst, and they turned into a handsome young man and a beautiful maiden.
"You’ve freed us from the spell," said the young man. "Thank you, and here’s your reward—a heap of gold."

The poor man (who was no longer poor) climbed out of the well, brought up a jug of water, and the villagers generously repaid him for saving them from death. The well immediately filled to the brim with water.

He finally reached his village. Where his hut once stood, there was now a luxurious house surrounded by a lush garden. He peeked through the window and saw his wife talking to a young man.
"Ah, so!" he thought. "She’s remarried a rich man in my absence? I’ll show them!"
He drew his gun and was about to shoot when he suddenly sneezed. Remembering the silent man’s words, he paused and thought. Just then, he heard the young man say:
"Mother, why hasn’t our father returned? I miss him so much!"
And the wife replied:
"Oh, my dear son, I’ve cried so many tears for him! I long for him to come back and see what a fine son he has!"

At that, the husband flung open the doors, rushed into the house, and embraced his wife and son. He thanked himself ten times over for not regretting spending his last coins on those wise words. And so, happiness came to them. May it come to you as well.

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The Tale of the Poor Man and His Wife

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