Lazy and Tsarevna

Centuries ago, before the old days, a tsar ruled in a certain country. One time he called astrologers and sages to him and asked them:

- Tell me who determines the prosperity of the family - on a man or a woman?

No one dared to answer, then the tsar ordered:

- Get out of my sight. I give you forty days. If you don't find out during this time, don't expect anything good from me.

For thirty-nine days the astrologers searched for an answer to the Tsar's question, but to no avail. And on the fortieth, they wander about the palace, crying, cruelly concerned that they hadn't invented anything. The Tsar's younger daughter met them.

- Why are you crying and whining? She asked the scholars.

They told her about their poverty with great regret.

- Are you crying for such folly? The tsarevna was surprised. - The answer is very simple.

The wise men were overjoyed when they heard these words and stopped crying.

The next day the Tsar summoned them to him, and the Tsarevna also came.

- So what will you tell me? The tsar asked.

Instead of the wise men the tsarevna spoke:

- The prosperity and happiness of the family depend on the woman.

- And how do you know this? The tsar shouted angrily.

- I know! The daughter proudly raised her head.

- No, you don't know anything. I'll prove it to you! - and the tsar clapped his hands. The guards came running. The tsar commanded:

"Go and bring to me the laziest lazer in my entire empire."

The servants scattered all over the empire looking for a lazy. And they found a rubble in which lived a lazy man so lazy that he did not even want to overturn from side to side. People forgot his name, they just called him Lenie.

Lenia's tsarist servants brought him to the palace, and the tsar said to his daughter:

"Here is your husband." Go and live with him in his chicken coop. On the day when the bread runs out and you start to starve, you will understand on whom the prosperity of the family depends.

The daughter obeyed and lived in Lenia's rubble. She soon found out that her husband was lazier than he was said to be. But she did not waste time in vain. She noticed that Leń likes apples the most. She borrowed ten from her neighbors. She placed one apple by Lenio's mouth, the other by his hand, and arranged the others in a row. And she hid herself and began to observe. A lot of time had passed, and maybe not much, when Lazy opened one eye lazily. He noticed an apple. He ate them. He looks, and here's the second one, right next to the hand. He took it lazily and ate it too. Thirdly, he had to stretch out, and fourthly, he had 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, the tenth, she held in her hand. Lazy had to get up to eat that apple. The third day was the same, but when Lazy got up lazily to eat the tenth apple, the tsarevna began to flee. Her husband, who had a taste for apples, ran after her. And thus the tsarevna taught her husband Leny to crawl first, then to walk, and finally to do something in the yard.

Once a caravan came to their village. Her path led through a deserted desert in which there was only one well, but this one was also enchanted. If the wineskin was lowered - only the string was pulled out, if the wineskin was lowered, the wineskin was intact, but the man was lost.

The wanderer learned about Lenie and thought to himself:

"If Leń dies, no one will regret him." He came to him and asked:

"Would you like to hire me as a camel driver?"

Tsarevna, who knew nothing about the enchanted well, decided for her husband:

- He agrees.

The caravan was on its way and reached the enchanted well.

"We'll drain you for water," the wanderer said to Lennie.

- If you have to, lower it, but on the condition that you tie me upside down. I want to see what awaits me there.

The wanderer agreed. Lenia was lowered head down into the well. Leń is watching, and Dew is sitting at the bottom. He has a frog on one knee, and a beautiful peri on the other, and looks at both of them. Lazy greeted Deva politely, and tai said to him:

"If you hadn't greeted me, I would have torn you in two and devoured you." But now tell me which is better - peri or frog?

- Mhm, what's the use of peri? - replies Leń. - The frog is better, it is a useful creature, it eats insects.

Dew liked that answer.

- So take as much water as you want.

Leń began to fill the skins and pass them upwards one by one. After both people and animals had drank, the wanderers dragged Lenia out of the well, and Dew gave him two more large grenades as goodbye.

The wanderers were very surprised that Leń was so miraculously saved. Another caravan drove up to the well and headed in the direction where the tsarevna lived. The people of this caravan collected ten gold coins and gave them to Leni so that he would draw water for them. He granted their request. Dew again presented him with two grenades.

He sent Leń back the gold and grenades to his wife, and he went on.

The tsarevna was very pleased with this gold, and she decided to taste the inn as well. She broke the pomegranate, and in it - precious stones. All grenades were filled with sparkling stones. She sold these valuables to the tsarevna, and with the money obtained she bought animals, land, seeds of pumpkins, watermelons, wheat and barley. She sowed the field. She hired the chabans**. She also brought in builders who removed the old hut and built a large house in its place.

Much time has passed, or maybe not, and the caravan has returned. She welcomed the Tsarevna her Lenia, brought him to his new home, bathed him, and dressed him in expensive and beautiful clothes. And then she told him what she found in the pomegranates and how she disposed of the wealth.

One day the tsarevna dressed up, painted it and invited her father to be guests. This one did not recognize his daughter. And she, hosting him, asked:

- Who determines the well-being of the family?

"It is obvious from a man," the tsar replied, without thinking.

Then the daughter revealed everything. She recalled how severely he punished her by marrying Lenia, the greatest in the tsarist empire. And then she talked about her ideas, patience and current success.

* Peri - a magical creature that protects people from evil spirits.

** Czaban - a shepherd of sheep or oxen.