The Golden Plate
Once upon a time, in a place called Seri, two sellers of pots and pans and other handmade ornaments arrived. Because they both had the same products for sale, they wondered how they could sell them in the same village and earn a good living.
— Oh, Sandar. How can we sell the same product to the same person? If they buy from you, why would they buy from me again? — May I interrupt? I have an idea. Why don't the two of you divide this little town in half? You take your goods to sell in one half, and you in the other. When one of you has finished selling in an area, the other can try to sell their goods there. — That's a brilliant idea! Thank you so much for helping us!
The Sellers at Work
And so, Mahesh and Sandar set off on different routes and began to attract the locals.
— Pots and pans, pots and pans, come get your shiny ornaments!
Not far away, a little girl listened to the sellers shouting. She quickly ran inside to call her grandmother out.
— Grandma, someone is selling shiny ornaments! I want a bracelet, please buy me one! — Oh, my child, I wish I could, but we don't have any money. How can we buy anything? — Um... Can't we sell that ugly plate to buy the bracelet? — Oh, that old thing? It's black with soot. Who would take it in exchange for a bracelet? — Oh, let's try, Grandma, please! — Ah, alright. We can try.
Mahesh and the Plate
Soon, Mahesh approached the little girl's house.
— Yes, here! I want a bracelet!
Mahesh noticed the little girl's ragged clothes and decided to ignore her.
— Don't waste my time, little girl. You can't afford it. — But, you have to tell me the price first, don't you? — Fine, it costs four coins. Give them to me and take your bracelet. — Um... Four coins? — We're sorry. We don't have any money to give you. But, if you'd like to come in, I have something to give you in exchange. — Ah, alright. But quickly! I need to go sell these goods to those who have money to buy them.
The house was in a miserable state. The walls were crumbling, the roof was patched to cover the holes, and there were mice everywhere.
— What? They're so poor! What could they possibly offer me? Mice? — Sir, I only have this sooty plate to trade. My granddaughter really wants a bracelet. Please accept it. — Ah, this ugly black thing. How covered in ash is it? Let me wipe it a bit. I hope it's at least copper.
Mahesh wiped the plate, the ash came off, and a piece of the plate began to shine.
— Huh? What? It was a golden plate! — What happened? Is something wrong? Can you buy it?
Mahesh was a greedy man. He thought to himself then:
— This is pure gold! It must be worth hundreds of thousands! I should leave quietly and come back later. They'll be convinced the plate is worthless and will even give it to me for free! — Um... I was wondering how you could offer me this useless plate? It's worth nothing! It has no value! I don't want it! — Oh, please don't say that! It will break my granddaughter's heart! Can't you find a way to give us a bracelet? — Ha-ha! A bracelet? I couldn't even give you half a bracelet for this useless thing! You've wasted enough of my time! I'm leaving now! — He's so rude! I don't want anything!
Sandar and the Plate
Mahesh disappeared from the market, and Sandar came to the same spot to try his luck.
— Pots, pans, and ornaments! Pots, pans, and ornaments! Hello, little girl! Would you like to buy something? — I don't have money to buy anything from you. — Oh, you must have something! Don't be sad. Let's do this: you tell me what you have, and I'll try to trade. Agreed? — Um... Alright. I want a bracelet, but I don't want it for free. I have an old plate I can give you. Would you like to look at it? — Ha-ha! Of course! How else would we make a trade? — I don't know if it will be of any use to you, but here it is.
Sandar knew the plate wasn't worth much. But he was a generous and honest man. He didn't want to break the little girl's heart. He had already decided to take the old plate in exchange for a bracelet. To make the trade seem real, he decided to examine the plate first.
— Hmm, alright. Let me try to wipe this black ash off it. What? This is a golden plate! Madam, this is worth more than everything I own! It costs thousands! I don't have enough to buy it! — Oh, really? I am old. I don't understand money. You seem honest and kind. Why don't you take the plate and give my granddaughter a bracelet? — A bracelet? You could buy more than a thousand bracelets! Wait a moment! I can give you all the pots, pans, ornaments, and all the coins I have in exchange for the plate. But please, let me keep eight coins so I can cross the river, and my scale with its cover where I can put the plate.
The old woman was overjoyed. Now she had many clay pots and pans, and her granddaughter had many shiny ornaments. The two said goodbye to Sandar.
Mahesh's Regret
Sandar, too, was very happy to have found a golden plate. He knew his life would change forever. Not far behind him was Mahesh, who was also thinking the same thing. But he didn't know that his dream would not come true.
— Gold! Gold! I'm going to be rich! I'm sure the old woman has no hope left. She'll give me the golden plate for free right away! That's what I call sales talent! — Hmm... I knew you'd be waiting outside? Hmm. So, I've changed my mind. I can't bear to see a little girl like you sad. I'll buy the go... I mean, that ugly plate, but I can't give you a bracelet. Let me think. — What is there to think about, sir? We don't need anything from you. We've already sold the golden plate to a wise and honest seller. — What? Where? How? To whom? — You're rude! Besides, you're too late! He gave us everything he had, except for eight coins and his scale. I think he's crossed the river by now. — What? No! My money!
But the little girl was right. Mahesh was indeed too late. Sandar had already crossed the river. Mahesh became terribly angry and started jumping up and down, waving his hands. He was full of hatred for Sandar. He was shouting, but Sandar was far away from him. He couldn't hear anything.
— Come back now! That's my money! — Oh, it's Mahesh! He's jumping for joy! He's waving at me. Maybe he knows what happened. Look how happy he is for me. — He-he, thank you! I'm happy too! Goodbye! — My money!
Sandar had left, and Mahesh was there, on his knees, regretting his actions. If he hadn't been so greedy, the golden plate would have been his.
Remember: honesty is the best policy.
