Lazy and Tsarevna
Centuries ago, In the past, a tsar reigned in a certain country. Once he called together astrologers and wise men and asked them a question:
– tell, on whom the success of the family depends – from a man or a woman?
Nobody dared to answer, then the Tsar ordered:
– Get out of my sight. I give you forty days. If you don't know by then, don't expect anything good from me.
For thirty-nine days, astrologers searched for an answer to the Tsar's question, but to no avail. And on the fortieth they roam the palace weeping, cruelly concerned, they didn't invent anything. They were met by the Tsar's younger daughter.
– Why are you crying and whining so much?? – she asked the scholars.
They told her about their poverty with great sorrow.
– Is it crying over such stupidity?? – the Tsarevna was surprised. – The answer is very simple.
The wise men rejoiced greatly, when they heard these words, and they stopped crying.
The next day the Tsar summoned them, Tsarevna also came.
– So what do you tell me? – asked the Tsar.
Instead of the wise men, the tsarevna spoke up:
– The prosperity and happiness of the family depend on the woman.
– And how do you know that?? – shouted the Tsar angrily.
– I know! – daughter raised her head proudly.
– No, You do not know anything. I'll prove it to you! – and the Tsar clapped his hands. The guard came running. Tsar ordered:
– Go and fetch me the laziest slacker in all my realm.
Servants scattered all over the empire to look for a lazy person. And they came across a rubble, where the lazy lazy one lived, that he did not even want to turn from side to side. People have forgotten, what was his name, they just called him Leni.
Tsar's servants brought Lenio to the palace, and the czar said to his daughter:
– Here is your husband. Go and live with him in his chicken coop. In day, when your bread will run out and you will starve to death, you will understand, on whom the success of the family depends.
The daughter obeyed and lived in Lenia's rubble. She soon found out, that the husband was more lazy, than he was told. But she did not waste time in vain. She noticed, that Leo likes apples the most. She borrowed ten from her neighbors. One apple she put to Lenia's mouth, the other next to his hand, the rest lined up. And she hid herself and began to observe. A lot of time has passed, and maybe not much, when Lazy opened one eye lazily. He noticed an apple. He ate them. He watches, and here's the second, right next to the hand. He took it lazily and ate it too. Third, he had to stretch out, and fourthly, it was time to crawl…
The next day the tsarevna again begged ten apples from her neighbors and arranged them, however, increasing the distance between them. And the last one, tenth, she held in her hand. Leo had to get up, to eat that apple. The third day was the same, but when Leń got up lazily, to eat the tenth apple, the Tsarevna began to flee. Husband, who tasted apples, he ran after her. And thus the tsarevna taught her husband Lenia to crawl first, then walk, and finally do something around.
Once a caravan came to their village. Her path led through an uninhabited desert, where there was only one well, but this one was enchanted. If the waterskin has been lowered – only the string was pulled, if a man has been lowered with a wineskin, the bottle was whole, but the man was dying.
The wanderer found out about Lenio and thought to himself:
"If Leń dies, no one will regret it". He came to him and asked:
– You wouldn't hire me as a camel driver?
Carewna, who knew nothing about the enchanted well, decided for her husband:
– He agrees.
The caravan set off and reached the enchanted well.
– We'll let you down for water – said the wanderer to Lenio.
– if it's required, drop it, but on condition, that you tie me upside down. I want to see, what awaits me there.
The wanderer agreed. Lenio was lowered into the well, head down. Lazy is watching, and at the bottom Dew sits. He is holding a frog on one knee, and on others – beautiful peri* and looks at them both. Len greeted Dewa politely, and he tells him:
– If you hadn't greeted me, I would rip you in half and eat you. But now tell me, what is better – peri or frog?
– Mhm, what is the use of peri? – Leń replies. – Frog better, is a useful creature, eats insects.
Dev liked this answer.
– So take water, how much do you want.
Lazy began to fill the waterskins and pass them up one by one. When people drank, and animals, the wanderers pulled Lenia out of the well, and Dew gave him two more large grenades as a farewell.
The wanderers were very surprised, that Leń miraculously saved himself. Another caravan drove up to the well, who was heading this way, where the tsarevna lived. The people of this caravan collected ten gold coins each and gave them to Leni, that he would draw out water for them also. He granted their request. Dew gave him two grenades again.
He sent Leń back gold and garnets to his wife, and he walked on.
The Tsarevna was very pleased with this gold, and the guest decided to taste it. She broke the grenade, and in it – precious stones. All grenades were filled with sparkling stones. She sold the Tsarevna these valuables, She bought animals with the money she earned, Earth, pumpkin seeds, watermelons, wheat and barley. She sowed the field. She rented shabans**. She also brought in builders, who removed the old hut and built a large house in its place.
A lot of time has passed, and maybe not, and the caravan returned. She welcomed the tsarevna to her Lenio, brought him to his new home, she bathed, clothed in expensive and beautiful garments. And then she told him, what she found in the pomegranates and how she disposed of this wealth.
One day the tsarevna dressed up, she painted and invited her father to visit. He did not recognize his daughter. And drunk, hosting him, she asked:
– On whom depends the well-being of the family?
– It is obvious, from a man – replied the Tsar, without thinking.
Then the daughter revealed everything. she reminded, how severely he punished her, marrying Lenio, the greatest in the empire. And then she told about her ideas, patience and current success.
* Peri – a fairy creature that protects people from evil spirits.
** Chaban – shepherd of sheep or oxen.