The Greedy Milkman

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived Henry and his wife Gloria. Henry was a milkman, and together they owned a cowshed. They took excellent care of their cows, feeding them good hay and tending to them well. Consequently, Henry’s cows produced top-quality milk, and everyone in the village bought from him. Henry and Gloria lived comfortably, but Henry was not content. He longed for a big house, luxurious clothes, and numerous servants.

One day, Henry said to Gloria, “I saw a grand house on the outskirts of our village. We should buy it. We could get a fancy car and many servants. We would wear the finest clothes, and all these poor villagers would envy us.”

Gloria responded, “This greed will lead you nowhere. We earn enough and should be satisfied with what we have. How can you be content in this small house and with the smell of these cows?”

Henry retorted, “But this is our livelihood. Not for long, mark my words. Someday, I will be the wealthiest man in this village.”

As Henry went about selling milk each day, the villagers praised him. “Henry, this milk is so good and healthy. You must take great care of your cows.”

Henry replied, “Oh yes, yes I do, but not for long. Once I am rich, I will sell these cows. I don’t like the smell they bring.”

A villager said, “But these cows are your livelihood. You shouldn’t complain about your work. It helps you survive. I sell eggs, which is also a smelly job, but I don’t mind it.”

Henry dismissed him, saying, “Maybe you were meant to sell eggs, but I am meant for greater things – expensive items and clothes. This greed will lead you nowhere. The sooner you understand that, the better.”

Determined to get richer, Henry looked for ways to increase milk sales. He thought, “My cows are healthy. I could push them to produce more milk. But this is a small village. Even if I get more milk, who will buy it?”

Then he had an idea: “I can sell to the neighboring village. There are many families there. But I will need another cow, which I can’t afford right now. I need to do something.”

Henry came across a river and thought, “What if I mix a little water with the milk? That way, I won’t need another cow, and I can sell more milk.” He began to add water to the milk daily.

The next morning, Henry filled his containers halfway with milk, then added water. The villagers continued to buy the milk and paid him the same amount. Henry sold the diluted milk to the neighboring village as well. He was thrilled: “This is fantastic! If I keep this up, I’ll become very rich soon.”

Days went by, and Henry grew richer. He bought a car and renovated his house. He became so accustomed to adding water to the milk that he never thought about buying another cow. As the demand for milk increased, so did the amount of water added.

Eventually, the villagers noticed that the milk was watery. They gathered outside Henry’s house to complain. “What’s the issue, Henry? We have complaints about your milk. It tastes like water.”

Henry responded, “How dare you say that! We pay for milk, not water. If you don’t like it, buy from elsewhere.”

The villagers were taken aback by Henry’s rude response and decided to investigate. They followed Henry to the river one morning and saw him adding water to the milk. The truth was uncovered.

The next day, Gloria bought pulses but found stones mixed with them. That night, Henry and Gloria went to bed hungry. Henry later tried to buy eggs but discovered that 10 out of 12 were rocks. The same happened with a silk shirt that turned out to be jute when it rained.

Frustrated, Henry realized that the vendors were cheating him in the same way he had deceived his customers. His greed had come full circle. The neighboring villages also stopped buying his milk. With no money left, Henry had to sell his possessions.

In the end, Henry was a poor milkman with only a few cows and customers. Reflecting on his actions, he told Gloria, “Now I see what I’ve done. My greed made us poor. I should have listened to you. I lost not only my money but also the respect and trust of the people.”

Henry learned his lesson and returned to selling good milk. From that day on, he never diluted the milk and remained content with what he earned.