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A Thousand Ryo(*) for a Story
*Ryo: Edo period currency. 1 Ryo is roughly equivalent to 100 US dollars.
Once upon a time, there lived a man who loved to talk. Whenever he found a good companion, he would keep talking for a day or so without doing any work.
One day, his wife, being out of patience, said to him,
"What are you thinking, just staying at home talking and talking day after day? Aren't you supposed to work? "
"It's not that I don't have any intent to work. It's only the matter of willingness."
"Then please pull yourself together and go to work."
"All right, maybe I'll go to town and look for a job."
And so the man went off to town, promising his wife that he would never waste his breath until he earned a round sum of money.
He worked for a good three years, repressing his impatience to talk and was finally able to get a thousand Ryo.
With the money he earned, he headed towards his hometown. On the way, he met an old man who said, "Let me ask you something. Do you like stories?"
"Yes, I do, I do."
"I'm thinking of telling you a story which will do you good, but do you mind buying it?"
"Do I have to pay for a story?"
"Yes"
"How much is it?"
"A thousand Ryo..."
"A thousand Ryo !?"
The man was just about to walk away thinking it was too expensive, but he realized that he was beginning to get impatient to hear it as he'd hardly talked satisfactorily for three years.
"I can pay you half of it."
"So you want to make a bargain. Fine, but you must pay in advance."
The man paid five hundred Ryo in advance.
"Well, let's begin. 'A small tree would be better than a big tree for a shelter from the rain.' That's all."
"What? Is that all?"
"The phrase I just told you will do you good."
As soon as he said that, the old man disappeared.
Thinking he had been cheated, the man started walking again. Then he met another old man, who asked, "Do you like stories?"
"Yes, I do"
"I want to tell you a story which will do you good, but do you mind buying it?"
"How much is it?"
"A thousand Ryo"
Having only five hundred Ryo left in his pocket, the man thought is was no good and was about to walk away.
"How much can you pay?"
"Five, no, three hundred Ryo at most."
"Three hundred will do. But you must pay in advance."
The man paid three hundred Ryo in advance.
"Now, let's begin. 'Be careful after being treated to dinner.' Well, that's it."
"Is that it?"
"The phrase I just told you will do you good."
As soon as he said that, the old man disappeared.
Feeling he had been cheated again, he met another old man, who asked, "Do you like stories?"
"Well, yes."
"I want to tell you a story which will do you good."
"I don't have such money as a thousand Ryo any more."
"Then how much do you have?"
"Two...two hundred Ryo."
"Oh, that's enough young lad, I don't intend to be too greedy."
So the man paid him all the little money he had.
"Now let's begin. Listen carefully. 'Out of temper, out of money. Don't lose your temper.' Well, that's it. Don't be so disappointed, what I just told you will do you good."
As soon as he said that, the old man disappeared.
Breaking down in disappointment over turning penniless, the man started walking again. Then, suddenly, it started raining. He saw a big tree in front of him so he ran towards it to take shelter but he found two more people already taking shelter there.
The man suddenly recalled the phrase the old man had told him; 'A small tree would be better than a big tree for a shelter from the rain', so he left the big tree and went to a small tree which was a little distance from the big one.
That moment, with an enormous flash and rumble, a thunderbolt fell on the big tree, and the people who were taking shelter there were struck dead. On the other hand, the man had a narrow escape.
Now, as the man headed towards his hometown, it became dark. As he had no money, he found a house which would put him up.
To his surprise, he was warmly welcomed there and was treated to a good dinner.
Then he suddenly recalled the phrase the second old man had told him; 'Be careful after being treated to dinner', and so he kept his ears strained without sleeping a wink. Then, he heard a kind of a hissing sound. Hiss, hiss, hiss..
The man looked carefully towards the sink and there he saw the son of the house grinding a big knife.
"Mom, his fresh liver must be crunchy and delicious", he said to his mother.
The man was terrified. If he had fallen asleep, his liver would have been taken out! He took out an oil from the family Buddhist alter, poured it on the threshold so that he could open the sliding door without making any noise, and ran away.
"One tough problem after another. But the old man's story really helped," he thought, and finally reached home.
"Since it's been three years, I might as well surprise her."
So, instead of entering the entrance, he crept towards the back door. It was already dark and the Shoji (paper sliding screen) was lit by the dim light of the Andon (paper shade lamp). Then he saw shadows of two people on the shoji.
"Oh, there's somebody else besides my wife..."
The man peeped inside through the opening of the shoji. There he saw the richest man in town flirting with his wife. The man was furious at this sight and held an axe which was nearby.
But then he recalled the phrase the third old man had told him; 'Out of temper, out of money. Don't lose your temper', and put the axe back where it was and said out loud,
"I'm back."
Now, the two inside were all in a fluster and the rich man hid himself inside the water pot since there was no where else to hide. After making sure of that, the man went inside.
"Welcome back, dear. Were you able to concentrate on work without chatting?"
"Oh yes indeed. I worked and worked and earned a thousand Ryo."
"A thousand Ryo! Good job!"
"But it's all gone."
"All gone?"
"Don't worry, I'll make money again."
The man put a rope around the water pot and went out carrying it on his shoulder.
He put it in front of the rich man's house and said out loud,
"Oh I'm thirsty. Maybe I'll go and have a drink", and left for a while.
Meanwhile, the rich man got out of the water pot and ran into his house. After making sure of that, the man knocked on the entrance door, and had the rich man buy that very water pot for a thousand Ryo.
Whether or not the man went back to his home after that with a new thousand Ryo...I wonder. Do you want to know? Well, you'll need a thousand Ryo for that please!
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