The Foolish Wife

The Foolish Wife

A farmer knew that his wife was not very intelligent, so he believed that arguing with her was useless.

A poor farmer lived in a village. He worked in his fields all day and earned just enough to manage two meals a day. He himself was simple and honest, but the wife he had married was extremely foolish. Their marriage was still new. One morning, before leaving for the fields, the farmer said to his wife, “I will be plowing all day and will be very tired and hungry. Please cook a good meal for me by the time I return, and also bring a glass of vinegar that I bought last year.”

After he left, the wife began cooking near the time of his return. To please her husband, she put a piece of meat on the fire to roast. When it was almost cooked and smelled delicious, she thought she would quickly fetch vinegar from the storage room. Leaving the meat unattended, she placed a jug under the vinegar drum and opened the tap.

While watching the jug fill, she suddenly remembered that the dog was roaming freely and might eat the meat. She ran back to the kitchen and saw her fear had come true. The dog had taken the meat and was running toward the forest. She chased the dog, but it was faster and disappeared. Tired and disappointed, she returned home and rested, forgetting that the vinegar tap was still open. The jug overflowed, and all the vinegar drained out until the drum was empty.

When she realized this, she panicked. Fearing her husband’s anger, she noticed a large sack of flour nearby and thought foolishly that spreading flour on the floor would absorb the vinegar. While doing so, she accidentally knocked over the jug, spilling even more vinegar. She spread all the flour, believing the problem was solved.

When the farmer returned hungry and asked about food, she explained everything proudly. Hearing this, the farmer held his head in despair but chose not to argue, knowing her nature. They boiled potatoes and ate quietly. From then on, the farmer became more careful and explained everything clearly before leaving.

One day, while cutting an old tree, the farmer found gold coins hidden in the roots. Afraid his wife might cause trouble, he told her they were “yellow buttons” and buried them, strictly warning her not to touch them. She agreed

A few days later, while the farmer was away, a pot seller passed through the village. His wife admired the pots but said she had no money. She offered the “yellow buttons” instead. When the seller asked to see them, she pointed out where they were buried. The seller dug them up, discovered gold, gave her pots in exchange, and fled quickly.

The wife was delighted, believing she had made a great bargain. When the farmer returned and saw the pots, he was shocked. She explained proudly. Furious, he scolded her, but she innocently replied that she had not touched the coins, only shown the place. Realizing the thieves might still be nearby, they decided to chase them, taking sweets for the journey.

On the way, one sweet fell down a hill. While searching, she dropped the second one, thinking it would lead her to the first. Both were lost. Later, when the farmer asked for food, she told him everything calmly. He was speechless.

He then asked if she had locked the house. She said no, because he had not told her. He ordered her to return, lock the door, and bring food. She did so, but fearing her husband might not believe her, she uprooted the entire door and carried it with her as proof.

As night fell, they rested in a banyan tree. The thieves arrived beneath it, boasting about cheating a foolish woman. The farmer dropped fruits on them. Then his wife poured water, followed by almonds, and finally dropped the heavy door. Terrified, the thieves ran away, believing the sky was falling.

The couple climbed down, recovered their gold, collected the abandoned goods, and returned home safely.

The farmer understood that his wife was not clever—but sometimes, even foolishness can defeat clever thieves.