What the Old Man Does Is Always Good
Fairy tales in Romanian. What the old man does is always good.
Once upon a time, there was an old farm in the countryside. It had a thatched roof and various plants growing on the land. Inside, an old peasant couple lived. They were very poor. Their only source of income was their horse. The two would lend the horse to merchants and receive seeds or clothes in return. They never asked for more. They were happy with whatever they received.
A Hole in the Roof
— Oh, dear! There's a big hole in the roof! — Oh! But look on the bright side! All the windows in our house are rusty and stuck. With the hole in the roof, we'll have light and air without having to fix the windows. — You're right! Um, but what do we do in winter? Or when it rains? — Mmm... We'll have to find a way to make some money. — Oh, I know! There's a fair in town today. How about selling this horse? We could get a nice sum for it. Five silver coins, maybe? Or maybe seven? — Maybe? I hope I get at least that much. — Oh, you surely will! What my old man does is always good. Mmm!
The Horse for a Cow
The old man left with his horse. On the way to the fair, he came across the milkman's house. Wow! Phew! Wow! That's a lot of milk!
— Yes. Maybe. — You don't seem too happy. — Oh, how do you know? You have a very good horse. I wish I had one too. — Hmm, well, if having this horse makes you happy, why don't we trade? — Trade? You mean, give my cow for your horse? — Yes, why not? I would be very happy to have a cow. — Alright then. Thank you very much.
The Cow for a Sheep
Pleased with the trade, the old man happily headed towards the fair. As he stood in the long line to enter the gate...
— Hello, Harry! — Hi! — What's with that face, friend? — Oh, do you remember what a healthy cow I had? My wife asked me to trade it for something better and more useful. I thought, what's better than a sheep? But she wasn't satisfied. And she sent me back to trade the sheep for something better. I don't know if I'll make a better deal. — Is that all? You're in luck, friend! I just traded my horse for a cow. And if I think about it, my wife would love to have a sheep. The wool will keep us warm in winter. Would you like to trade your sheep for a cow? — A sheep for a cow? Are you sure? — Oh, yes! Absolutely!
The Sheep for a Goose
And the trade was made. The old man kept thinking about how happy his wife would be.
— Harry is right! What's better than a sheep? — Who am I to believe now? All I asked for was 12 apples. Since when are three eggs not enough? — Oh! Madam! Are you alright? — Oh dear! I can't even breathe today! First, I'm bothered by the cawing of the crow. Then, by the mooing of the cow. Then by the trotting of the horse. Then by the honking of the goose. And now by the shouts of an old man. What do you want from me? — Oh! I didn't mean to shout. Wait! Did I shout? I mean, you seem like such a wonderful lady. Uh, why would anyone shout at you? I apologize. But, if you'll allow me, why are you so unhappy? — My goose laid three eggs today. One more than two. One, two, three. And all I wanted in return was 12 apples. People say three eggs aren't enough. Since when are three eggs not enough? — Oh! This goose laid three eggs today? Ho ho! Wonderful! Anyone would be lucky to have this goose. — Oh, yes, I know. Fine. I'm tired of standing here and talking to you. Goodbye! — Wait! Would a sheep make you happy? I could give my sheep for the goose. — A sheep? For a goose? That's it! How dare you make fun of me? I'm not in the mood for such nonsense! — No, I don't intend to make fun of you. My wife would love to have this goose. Please, at least think about it. — Really? Hmm. It's a strange trade. Fine! If you want the goose so badly, then I'll take your sheep and give you my goose.
The Goose for a Hen
The trade was made. Although the old man lost his sheep, he seemed happier than the shouting woman.
When it got dark, the old man decided to go home. On the way, he saw a man talking to a hen. He was talking to it very harshly.
— Why is it so hard for you to give me just one egg? I've had you for four years, and still, not even one egg! — Oh! Does this hen understand what you're saying? — Very funny, sir! — Can I talk to this beautiful hen too? — What's it doing? Do you think it's beautiful? You surely have problems in life. — Ha ha ha! Problems are only problems if you think they are problems. — Exactly. What do you want? — You seem upset about having the hen. Would a goose make you happy? I can give you the goose in exchange for the hen. — What? That goose for this skinny hen? Are you sure? — Oh, absolutely! My wife asked me to make a useful trade today. — Your wife will find this useful? — Of course! She'll kiss me on the forehead and say: "What my old man does is always good!" — Oh, well, who am I to say no?
The Hen for a Bag of Rotten Apples
The old man took his new hen and went home.
— Oh! Behave! I don't like to shout! — Hmm, I'm hungry! — Hot Chocolate's has six marshmallows and mine has five. It's not fair. — But, sir, we don't have any more marshmallows. — That's not our problem. — I can help you! — There, now you can each have five. — That's right, he really solved our problem. — What are you doing here, Dave? Get up and clean up that mess! — It's your fault! Look at me and look at the size of the bag! I shouldn't be dragging it out. This bag should be dragging me! — Ah! Ah! Ah! Come on, stupid bag! — Oh! What do you have in that bag there? — Rotten apples. I have to throw them away. — Oh! Oh! I just remembered! We once had a wonderful apple tree. But it dried up. What was left of it was a single rotten apple. My wife still has it! I wonder how happy she'll be if I give her this bag full of rotten apples! Let me take it from you. You can take my hen in exchange. — Wait, wait, wait! What did I hear? You want to trade this hen for a bag of rotten apples? — Well, of course! That's all I have to offer! — And, and your wife will be happy with that? — Absolutely! She'll kiss me on the forehead and say: "What my old man does is always good!" — That's the funniest thing I've heard all day. Listen, old man. You should sell this hen for some money instead. A bag of rotten apples won't bring you luck or happiness. But money certainly will. — Oh! But, it seems you have a lot of money. Yet, you got upset over a marshmallow. Eating that extra marshmallow cost me nothing. Still, you were happy. I don't see how money can bring you happiness. But this bag of rotten apples, it certainly can! — Impossible! I don't believe you! — Hmm. Yes, I know. Let's make a bet! — A bet? — Oh, you know in a bet. When he bets on one situation and you bet on the opposite situation, then he loses if the opposite comes true and then you pay if the opposite of the opposite you bet on... Oh! — How do you manage to complicate everything, Henry? — It's simple. I'm ready to bet 100 gold coins. We'll come to your house and you'll tell your wife everything in front of us. If she kisses you on the forehead and says: "What my old man does is always good," then we'll pay you 100 gold coins. — But I have nothing to give you. — I don't care, because we have no chance of losing. — But it won't be a good bet if I have nothing to give you in return. — Hmm. I know! If I lose, you can take this bag of rotten apples! — Yes, agreed. — Agreed.
The Return Home and the Moral
The husband returned home with the two Englishmen. His wife happily invited the guests inside.
— How was your day, my dear? — Oh! It was strange! I went to ask Mrs. Ericsson for some herbs. She laughed at me and said: "I don't even have a rotten apple to give you!" Can you believe it? She has so much money and yet she doesn't even have a rotten apple! — Did you manage to sell the horse? What's in the bag? — Oh, I sold it! I traded the horse for a cow on the way. — Oh, dear! Why is the poor cow in the bag? — Oh, no, no, no! I don't have the cow. I traded it for a sheep. — Oh, how well thought out! Its wool will keep us warm in winter. But how does the sheep breathe in the bag? — No, no, I don't have the sheep. I traded it for a goose. — A goose? Even better! I can ask the neighbors to give us some food for the goose. — No need! I traded the goose for a hen. — Oh, you think of everything! Now we can have eggs! But no animal should be in the bag. Let me... — No, no, my dear! I traded the hen for a bag full of rotten apples!
The Englishmen were ready to laugh at the old man. They knew his wife would be very angry with him.
— Oh! A bag full of rotten apples? You remembered our old apple tree, didn't you? You remembered how much I cried when it dried up? And how I kept the last rotten apple it left us? Oh, I'll show Mrs. Ericsson! She doesn't even have a rotten apple? I have a bag full of them! Who's rich now? — Oh, my dear husband! Mmm! I knew it! What my old man does is always good!
The Englishmen kept their promise. They gave the old couple 100 gold coins and said goodbye.
— Ah, poor people! They lost a horse, a cow, a sheep, a goose, and a hen. All in one day. — Oh! You really haven't learned anything today, Henry? The old couple are very wise. They taught us a very important lesson. You see, their horse is gone. So is the cow, the sheep, the goose, and the hen. But they don't cry over spilled milk. They taught us to be happy with what we have. Isn't that the key to a good life? — Oh, that's easy. A key can open a lock, but what is a key without a lock? So, once you've found the lock that you made for the key you have, then you can open the lock to a good life. So, you'll have to find the lock first. — Oh! You're quite a character. Quite a character. Remind me never to ask you anything again, alright? — Oh, but what if I forget to remind you? You have to remember to remind me to remind you. Oh, but you asked me to remind you because you might not remember either. So you'll have to remember to remind me to remind you to remind me not to ask any more questions. — Bo!
And so, the old couple lived a happy life. For the old man always did what was right.
