The Clever Old Woman

As far as the eye could see, a pea crop was spread across the land. In the surrounding fields, the harvest had already been completed, and in fact, a second crop had begun to grow. However, this particular field had not yet been harvested. Irfan was passing through this area for the first time. When he saw the fully grown crop, he decided to negotiate a deal with its owner.

First, he made inquiries about who owned the field. He found out that it belonged to an elderly widowed woman.

Irfan was on his way to attend a wedding. He decided that he would meet the woman on his way back and make a deal for the crop. Although he attended the wedding, his heart and mind remained stuck on the pea field. Again and again, he thought that he should have finalized the deal earlier. He feared that someone else might strike a bargain with the woman in the meantime.

After the wedding ceremonies ended, he wasted no time and contacted the woman. He asked,

“Have you sold this crop to anyone?”

She replied,

“Many people have come, but no deal has been made.”

Irfan felt relieved and happy. He said,

“Mother, I am a contractor. I take contracts for harvesting crops. Tell me, what price do you want for this crop?”

The old woman replied,

“Son, I am a widow. Whatever this land produces is what sustains me throughout the year. Give whatever you think is fair.”

Hearing this, Irfan was pleased and thought to himself that the old woman did not know the market rate and that he could set the price himself.

He said,

“Mother, I will take this crop far away. I will have to pay high transportation costs. I will give you eighty thousand rupees.”

The old woman responded sharply,

“What nonsense are you talking about? The village chieftain is offering me one hundred and twenty thousand rupees, and I am not selling it to him. Why should I sell it to you for eighty thousand?”

Irfan replied,

“If someone is offering you more, then sell it to him. This crop is not worth more than eighty thousand. In fact, I am already offering more than its value.”

The woman said angrily,

“Have you come to cheat me because I am a widow? I will not sell it for one hundred and twenty thousand, not even for one hundred and forty thousand. I will take one hundred and fifty thousand.”

Irfan realized that she would not agree easily, so he immediately changed his strategy. He said,

“Since you are a widow, I can give you ninety thousand—not as the crop’s price, but to help you survive for the year. Honestly, the crop is not worth even this much. Now the decision is yours.”

The old woman thought that if she lost this buyer, she might face difficulties. She said,

“I have already told the people of my village that I will not sell this crop for less than one hundred and fifty thousand. If I sell it for less, they will humiliate me.”

Irfan said,

“Mother, who will tell the villagers what deal we make? You and I are the only ones involved. Neither you nor I will tell anyone. I will bring laborers, have the peas harvested, load the goods, and pay you.”

The woman firmly replied,

“I have decided. I will not sell it for less than one hundred and fifty thousand. If I wanted less, I would have sold it long ago and planted another crop by now.”

Irfan warned her,

“There is a proper time to harvest crops. If it is delayed, it becomes unfit for consumption and pests destroy it. If you don’t want to sell, then don’t. The loss will be yours. I’ll look elsewhere.”

As Irfan began to leave, the woman stopped him and said,

“Alright, do this: give me ninety thousand now and start harvesting the crop. If anyone asks how much the deal was for, say it was one hundred and fifty thousand—ninety thousand paid now and sixty thousand to be paid when the crop is taken away.”

Irfan asked,

“What will that achieve?”

She replied,

“It will ensure that the villagers know I did not sell the crop for less than one hundred and fifty thousand. Otherwise, they will be angry and shame me.”

Irfan agreed and said,

“Fine, if anyone asks, I’ll say exactly that.”

The harvesting began. Many villagers asked Irfan about the deal, and he repeated the same statement:

“The crop was sold for one hundred and fifty thousand rupees—ninety thousand paid, sixty thousand to be paid later.”

The crop was harvested, the peas were filled into sacks, and Irfan arranged transportation. As the goods were being loaded onto the vehicles, the old woman arrived and said,

“Pay me the remaining amount first, then load the goods.”

“What remaining amount?” Irfan asked in shock.

“I have already paid you everything.”

The woman replied,

“You said you would pay ninety thousand first and sixty thousand when the goods were taken away.”

Irfan panicked. An argument broke out. People gathered around. Many villagers testified that they had heard Irfan say the deal was for one hundred and fifty thousand, with sixty thousand remaining.

The old woman began to cry, saying,

“I have no protector or supporter. He is cheating me because I am a widow.”

Irfan was left helpless. More people gathered, and the woman refused to let the sacks be loaded onto the vehicles. In the end, Irfan had no choice but to pay the additional sixty thousand rupees.