Two Brothers

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. One was clever, and the other was a fool. The clever one managed things in such a way that the fool had to work not only for himself but also for his brother. Exhausted and desperate, the fool finally said:
- I don’t want to stay with you anymore. Give me my share of the property, and I’ll live on my own.
- Alright, said the clever brother, today you’ll drive the herd of cows to the watering hole, and I’ll feed them when you bring them back. Then, the part of the herd that enters the pen will be my share, and the part that stays outside will be yours.

It was winter at the time. The fool agreed and drove the herd to the watering hole. When he was returning, it became very cold. The cows, sensing warmth and the smell of feed, quickly went into the pen. Only one sick bull, barely dragging its feet, lingered outside, lazily scratching itself. This bull became the fool’s share.

The next morning, tying a rope around the bull’s neck, the fool led it to the market to sell. Along the way, he kept urging the lazy bull:
- Hey, bull, move your legs, hey!...
Their path passed by some old ruins. The walls of the ruins echoed the fool’s words:
- …Hey!...
The fool thought the ruins were saying “Hey” to him. He shouted:
- Are you talking to me, huh?
The ruins echoed back:
- …yeah…
- Do you want to buy my bull?
- …bull…
- How much will you pay? Will you give me ten rubles?
- …ten rubles…
- Will you pay now or tomorrow?
- …tomorrow…
- Alright. I’ll come back tomorrow. I hope the money will be ready.
- …will be ready…

The fool, thinking the deal was done, tied the bull near the ruins and returned home, whistling joyfully.
The next day, waking up early, he went to collect the money. But during the night, wolves had torn the bull apart. When the fool arrived at the spot where he had tied it, there were only gnawed bones left. The fool said:
- So, you slaughtered and ate my bull, huh?
- …yeah…
- Was it tasty or not?
- …no…
- Well, that’s none of my business, but you bought my bull, so pay up. And until you pay me, I’m not leaving!
- …leave…

When the fool heard this, he got really angry: he grabbed a thick stick and started hitting the crumbling wall. Several stones fell to the ground. It so happened that someone had hidden a treasure in that wall long ago. When the stones fell, golden coins poured out in a heap at the fool’s feet.
- Great, exclaimed the fool, but what should I do with this? You owe me only ten rubles, and this is just one gold coin. So here’s the deal: I’ll take only my money, and you keep the rest.

He took one gold coin and returned home.
- So, did you sell the bull? asked the clever brother with a smile.
- I did.
- To whom?
- The ruins.
- And did they pay you?
- Of course! At first, they tried not to pay, but I beat them with my stick, and they showed me all their wealth. I took only one coin as payment and left the rest where it was. Saying this, the fool took the gold coin from his pocket and showed it to his brother.
- Where is this place? asked the clever brother.

His eyes widened in surprise.
- Oh no, I won’t tell you where it is. You’re greedy. If I show you, you’ll take everything for yourself and make me carry it home on my back. The clever brother swore that he would carry the treasure himself if the fool showed him where it was.
- Give me your gold coin and take me to the ruins. I’ll buy you some new clothes.

As soon as the fool heard about new clothes, he immediately gave his gold coin to his brother and led him to the ruins. The clever brother carried all the gold home and soon became rich, but he never bought his brother any clothes. The fool reminded his brother of his promise more than once, but it was all in vain. So, he decided to complain to the judge.

- Oh, judge, he said, first I had a bull, then I sold the bull to the ruins…
- Enough, that’s enough, interrupted the judge, Where did this fool come from? “Sold the bull to the ruins,” mocked the judge, and he threw the fool out of the court. The fool started complaining to others, but everyone just laughed at him. They say that this fool still wanders the world in rags, complaining to everyone he meets, but no one believes him and only laughs. And the clever brother laughs along with them.

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Two Brothers

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