There lived two brothers in the same village. The elder was rich, had horses and oxen, and a large field. And the younger was poor, had only one old mare and a small field. They were neighbors, border to border.
One day, the younger brother harnessed his mare and went to the elder brother to borrow a cart, because he didn't have his own. The elder brother gave him a cart and put it in his stable along with the mare. And at night, a miracle happened - the mare gave birth and brought a beautiful foal.
In the morning the younger brother came - and the foal was lying in the straw. He was happy: "Here is a gift for me!" But the older brother said: "No, my foal, because it was born in my stable, not in your yard." The brothers argued. They did not know how to decide. They went to the judge.
The master listened and listened, and then he said: "I will tell you three riddles. Whoever guesses them will take the foal. The first: what is the fastest in the world? The second: what is the fattest? The third: what is the sweetest?" The brothers went home, scratching their heads.
The older brother ran to his rich friend. He advised: «There is nothing faster than our white stallion. And my boar is the fattest. And the honey in the apiary is the sweetest.» The older brother was delighted, ran home, and was getting ready to go to the master. And the younger brother was sitting on the porch, crying—he had no one smart to advise him.
And the youngest had a daughter, about fourteen years old, named Palazhka. The girl was smart, with bright eyes. She went up to her father: "Why are you sad, dad? Tell me." The father told her everything. Palazhka just smiled: "Don't be sad, dad. Go to the master and tell him this.".
And she whispered the answer in her father's ear. The father remembered it well, and went with his brother to the lord. A whole crowd gathered - it was interesting to see who was smarter. The eldest brother spoke first: "The fastest is my neighbor's horse, the fattest is my neighbor's boar, the sweetest is the honey from our apiary.".
The gentleman smiled: «Good answers, but did you come up with it yourself?» «Yourself, mister!» said the elder. Then the younger one spoke up: «The fastest thing in the world is a human thought, because it can fly halfway around the world in an instant. The most satisfying and fattest thing is Mother Earth, because she feeds everyone. And the sweetest thing is sweet sleep, because without it even honey is not sweet.».
The master's mouth dropped open. "Who told you that, man?" The younger one didn't want to betray his daughter, but the master pulled it out anyway: "My Palazhka, daughter." The master was filled with curiosity: "Call her here!" Palazhka came - in an embroidered dress, in a wreath of daisies, so simple, but with intelligent eyes.
The master wanted to test her again. «I’ll give you a riddle, girl. Come to me tomorrow, not hungry, not full, but bring me a gift that neither I nor you have.» Palazhka came the next day — she had porridge for breakfast (a little, so as not to be hungry), but she was not full. In her hand she held a pot with emptiness inside. «Here’s a gift for you, master — emptiness. I had a lot of it, because we are poor. And now that I have given it to you — you have less, and I have less too.» The master was delighted: «You are as smart as a whole village.» He gave the foal to his younger brother, and also gave Palazhka a gift, because she deserved it for her cleverness. And from that day on, the younger brother always asked his daughter for advice. Because a wise daughter is the greatest treasure for a father.
💛 A smart head is more expensive than a tight wallet.