How the Peasant Dined with the Master

Once upon a time, some peasants were sitting under the willows, smoking their pipes and chatting about the landowner. They said he was a grumpy and stingy man; they claimed you couldn’t even ask him for a ladle of water. But one peasant spoke up:

“Ah, you lot! If I wanted to, I wouldn’t just ask for water—I’d have lunch with the landowner!”

The peasants shouted and argued:

“If you’re not lying, and you really have lunch with our landowner, we’ll give you a pair of oxen.”

They made a proper bet.

The peasant went to the landowner, bowed low, and whispered:

“Gracious sir, I haven’t told anyone anything, I came straight to you to ask: please, sir, could you tell me how much a piece of gold like this would be worth?”

And he showed the landowner his sturdy peasant fist.

The landowner’s eyes lit up at the mention of gold.

“Come in, come in, little peasant,” he said. The peasant entered the room and kept repeating:

“But tell me, gracious sir, if there were a piece like this, what would it be worth?”

He clenched both fists and showed them. The landowner trembled with greed and said:

“Sit down, little peasant, sit down, have a drink.” But the peasant replied:

“Well, gracious sir, a drink is better with a snack. But tell me, sir, if there were a piece like this…” And he pointed to his head. The landowner turned pale, clapped his hands, and shouted to the servants:

“Bring vodka, some liqueur, borscht, and dumplings! Sit down, little peasant, let’s have lunch.” The peasant sat down with the landowner and ate. The landowner was burning with curiosity, eager to know where the gold was.

The peasant ate the landowner’s food, smacking his lips—he had never tasted anything like it in his life.

As soon as he finished eating, the landowner grabbed his hat:

“Well, lead the way, little peasant. Where is this gold?”

But the peasant lit his pipe, shook his head, and said:

“Well, gracious sir, I don’t actually have any gold… I just asked what it would be worth, if it existed.”

The landowner got angry and yelled at the peasant:

“Get out, you fool! You idiot!” But the peasant replied:

“Ah, gracious sir, I’m not so foolish or senseless, since I’ve gotten a pair of fine oxen out of it.”

More fairy tales

• The Lion and the Wolf
• How Vasil Defeated the Serpent
• The Magic Pipe
• The Wolf and the She-Wolf
• The Sparrow and the Mouse