In a village there lived a poor, poor man named Kuzma. He had no fields, no proper house, no livestock. All he had was an old, dilapidated hut and a folding knife. Kuzma sat on the porch, wondering how he was going to live.
Then a little fox-sister comes running out from behind the hedge, wagging her tail. «Why are you sad, Kuzma?» «How can you not be sad, little fox: I am poor, I have nothing, I don’t know how to get through the winter.» And the fox’s eyes sparkle with intelligence: «Don’t be sad, Kuzma. If you listen to me, you will become rich, and you will even marry the princess. Just do as I say.».
Kuzma agreed. And the fox ran into the forest, caught all kinds of animals in her bag - both hares and martens, and carried them to the royal palace. She came, bowed: "Great lord the king, accept a gift from my master - Mr. Kuzma the Rich." "And who is Mr. Rich?" - asks the king. "But the richest lord in our land.".
The king accepted the gifts and was surprised - where did such a gentleman come from? The next day the fox came again with gifts. On the third day. How many times did she come? Rumors had already spread around the royal court - about Mr. Kuzma Skorobagaty. The king became interested: "And you, fox, bring that gentleman to me.".
«"He will come, he will come, my good king," said the fox, "but there is a misfortune. My master was riding to you, and when he crossed the river, the carriage overturned, all his goods went into the water, even his expensive clothes drowned. Now he is sitting in the bushes, naked." The king took pity on him: "But take out some clothes from my treasure for him, the best!"»
The fox hurried to Kuzma. He was sitting, as always, in a torn shirt, barefoot. «Quick, Kuzma, put this on!» she held out the royal robes—a silk shirt, a gold belt, and red boots. Kuzma changed his clothes—and was unrecognizable: young, handsome, and dignified.
The fox brought Kuzma to the palace. Kuzma bows low to the king, says nothing, for he is afraid of betraying himself. And the fox tells everything for him - about the great estates, and about the numerous servants, and about the countless treasures. The king liked Kuzma, and even showed him his daughter. The princess is young, beautiful, with eyes like forget-me-nots.
The young people liked each other at first sight. The king said: "Okay, Mr. Kuzma, I will marry you my daughter. Just show me your estates first." Kuzma hesitated, but the fox winked at him: "Let's go, Mr. Tsar, let's go!" They got into the carriage and set off.
The fox runs ahead of the others. She runs to the shepherds: "When the king asks whose fields these are, tell them that they belong to Mr. Kuzma the Rich. Otherwise, the Serpent will eat you, because he is already close!" The shepherds were frightened. Both the shepherds with the sheep and the reapers with the rye - they all said the same thing. The king is surprised: "You have great estates, Mr. Kuzma!"«
The fox ran to the Snake's castle. And that Snake really lived in those parts, but he was a poor man. "You cursed snake, run away, because the king's army is coming for you!" She scared the Snake so much that he turned into a mouse and climbed into his den. And the fox went there - boom! - and the Snake was gone. The castle was left empty. The fox brought the king and Kuzma - and there were gilded chambers, chests full of treasures. The king was delighted, and they immediately held a wedding. And so poor Kuzma became Mr. Kuzma the Rich, and he also took the princess as his wife. And the fox-sister was respected until his very old age, as a close relative.
💛 Friendly help and cleverness are worth more than gold in a chest.