The Clever Lad

Once upon a time, there lived an old woman. She was very greedy and foolish, like a sheep. She had two sons, but one of them had died, and the other lived with her and worked in the fields.

One day, when her son was in the fields, a soldier came to their house and knocked on the door. He was very tired from his journey and as hungry as a wolf. The old woman let the soldier in and asked:

— What do you need?

— Granny, let me spend the night here! — the soldier replied.

— Oh, my dear, I have no place to put you.

— Granny, then at least give me something to eat.

— Oh, my dear, what can I give you when I have nothing to eat myself?

The soldier shook his head and prepared to leave. Then the old woman asked him:

— Soldier, where are you headed from?

— From the other world! — the soldier replied.

— From the other world? My son died there last year—did you happen to see him?

— How could I not see him? He’s my best friend. We slept on the same bunk.

— And what is my son doing there?

— Granny, he’s herding cranes in the other world.

— Oh, poor thing! — the old woman sighed.

— Your son hasn’t been lucky, granny, because the cranes keep running into the thorn bushes, and he chases after them, gathers them in one place, and tears all his clothes on the thorns.

— Oh, poor thing!

— Your son has become completely ragged.

— Listen, soldier, I have a piece of woolen cloth. Do me a favor: take it to the other world and give it to my son so he can make himself some new clothes.

— Alright, granny! — said the soldier, took the cloth, and left the village.

In the evening, the old woman’s son returned from the fields.

— Oh, my son, — she began to tell him, — I just had a young man here from the other world. I sent your late brother a large piece of cloth with him.

— Mother, what have you done? I’m going to leave you! I’ll go out into the wide world and see if I can find a woman more foolish than you. If I find one, I’ll come back and take care of you for the rest of my life, but if I don’t—don’t expect me, because I won’t return.

The old woman’s son went out onto the road and soon disappeared from sight.

The young man walked and walked until he came to a wealthy house. He looked into the yard: a sow with twelve piglets was wandering around. The young man entered the yard and began bowing to the sow.

The mistress of the house was standing on the porch. Seeing what the young man was doing, she laughed and ordered her maid:

— Run, Mary, and ask that fool why he’s bowing to our sow.

Mary ran out into the yard and asked the young man:

— Hey, fool, why are you bowing to the sow?

— Please, — he replied, — tell your mistress that I’ve come to invite her sow to a wedding. She’s the sister of our sow, and our sow is getting married. That’s the thing. I ask your mistress to agree and let the sow go to the wedding with her piglets.

Upon hearing why the young man had come, the mistress laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

— I’ve never seen such a fool in my life, — she said through tears. — Alright, I’ll let the sow go to the wedding so people can laugh at him. Listen, Mary, quickly dress up the sow: put my hat on her, give her my beads, and tell the farmhand to hitch up the cart. Let the neighbors see that my sow doesn’t walk to weddings.

Mary dressed up the sow, and when the farmhand placed her and the twelve piglets in the cart, the young man grabbed the reins and whipped the horses.

Meanwhile, the master of the house was out hunting. By evening, he returned home. His wife met him on the porch and burst into laughter:

— Oh, husband, it’s a shame you weren’t home and couldn’t see what happened here! A young man came into our yard and started bowing to the sow. He said your sow is the sister of theirs. He asked to invite her to their wedding because their sow is getting married.

— And you agreed? — asked the husband.

— Of course! I gave him the sow and the piglets, and even ordered them to be placed in the cart. What a laugh it was!

— And where is this young man now?

— I don’t know, husband!

— Oh, wife, you’ve turned out to be even more foolish than that fool. Where am I supposed to find him now?

And, jumping on his horse, the angry master rode off in pursuit of the cart. After two or three hours, he began to catch up. The young man, realizing what was happening, jumped to the ground, unhitched the horses, and hid them in the bushes. Then he returned to the road, took off his cap, and covered a rotten log with it. The rider approached him and shouted:

— Hey, young man, did a cunning fellow pass by here with a cart carrying a sow and piglets?

— How could he not pass by? He did, but he’s already far away, three hours ahead of me.

— Which way did he go? Can I catch up to him?

— Unlikely. There are many roads ahead, and you don’t know this area. The master thought for a moment.

— Listen, good young man, — he pleaded, — catch that thief for me. If you catch him, I’ll reward you.

— I can’t, friend. I’m guarding my master’s falcon.

— And where is this falcon?

— Under my cap. — Well, fine, I’ll guard it.

— No, friend, you’ll lose it, and this bird is valuable. My master is a stern man; he’ll skin me alive.

— How much is this bird worth?

— A thousand leva.

— Let’s agree that if I lose it, I’ll pay you a thousand leva.

— You say that now, but later you’ll hold me responsible.

— How distrustful you are! Here’s a thousand leva, take my horse and catch that scoundrel, and I’ll guard the falcon because I can’t go any further—I’m exhausted.

The cunning young man took the money, jumped on the horse, and disappeared into the forest, while the master sat on a stump and stared at the cap. The sun set, it began to grow dark, and the young man still hadn’t returned.

— Let me see what kind of precious falcon this is, — thought the master.

He lifted the cap and saw a rotten log.

— Ah, the scoundrel! This must be the same fellow who tricked my wife and took the sow and piglets, and the cart too.

Late at night, the deceived master returned home. He smiled at his wife and said:

— Listen, wife, your sow is my sow too. Let her have fun at the wedding. Enough arguing!

And the cunning young man brought the horses, the sow, and the piglets home, and shouted:

— Mother, I’ll feed and care for you for a hundred more years. There are people in this world more foolish than you. And they all live in wealthy houses. Look, they’ve given me three horses, a cart, a thousand leva, and a sow with twelve piglets.

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The Clever Lad

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