Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived two brothers, each with his own family. The older brother was intelligent, hardworking, and careful with his money, so he became wealthy. The younger brother, Daniel, was careless and lazy, so he stayed poor despite having a pair of strong, healthy oxen. Since he had no cart of his own, every few days he had to borrow his brother’s cart to grind grain or carry firewood from the forest. Each time Daniel borrowed the cart, his sister-in-law complained loudly, sparking small disputes with her husband. The constant quarrels frustrated the older brother.
One day, tired of the repeated inconvenience, the older brother told Daniel, “You must take responsibility for yourself. Sell your oxen in town, buy a smaller pair, and get a cart of your own.” Daniel was thrilled and hurried home to follow the advice. On the way to the market, he saw a man effortlessly rolling a brand-new cart down a slope. Amazed, Daniel thought it would be perfect and impulsively traded his strong oxen for it. The man agreed, joking at the unusual trade, and Daniel felt he had made a brilliant deal.
But soon, Daniel realized the cart was much harder to handle than he imagined. Rolling it down the hill almost tipped it over, and pushing it up another slope required all his strength. Each struggle taught him that impulsive decisions could backfire. Frustrated, he traded the cart for a lively goat, then the goat for a squawking goose, and finally the goose for an empty cloth bag. By the time he reached the market, Daniel understood for the first time that thoughtless trades could leave him worse off than before. He had started with two strong oxen and now only had a simple, empty bag.
Returning home, Daniel told his older brother everything. His brother scolded him for being foolish, but seeing Daniel’s misery, he allowed him to borrow the oxen and cart again. Daniel went into the forest to chop wood but forgot to unhook the oxen. Excitedly, he tried to chop wood so that it would fall directly onto the cart. A tree fell unexpectedly, crushing the cart and killing the oxen. This harsh lesson taught Daniel the importance of planning carefully and paying attention to details.
Feeling discouraged, Daniel wandered deeper into the forest until he reached a large pond with a flock of playful ducks. He attempted to throw his axe into the water as a gift for his brother, but the ducks flew away, and the axe sank. Through these repeated failures, Daniel began to learn patience, foresight, and the consequences of careless actions. Exhausted, he ran back to his brother’s house and asked for a horse to pull the cart from the mud. His brother, though frustrated, gave him the horse and warned him not to make more mistakes.
Determined to succeed, Daniel returned to the forest carrying a hammer, this time with a clear plan: he would build a chapel and dedicate himself to God, carefully choosing each piece of wood. When a demon emerged from the pond to challenge him, Daniel stood his ground. The demon offered him a bag of gold and silver if he stopped building the chapel. Daniel cleverly accepted, knowing he could use his wits to navigate any danger.
The demon challenged him to tests of strength, speed, and shouting. Daniel carefully observed each challenge and used strategy rather than brute force. He raced a slow rabbit and an ancient bear, tricking the demon by understanding each competitor’s weaknesses. In the shouting contest, he cleverly wrapped the demon’s ears and eyes, striking at the right moment. With every challenge, Daniel applied lessons he had learned from past failures, growing wiser and more confident each time.
Finally, Daniel returned home safely with the treasure. Through a series of missteps, trials, and clever strategies, he learned caution, patience, and the value of thinking ahead. From that day on, he lived a prosperous, happy life, wiser and braver than ever, having truly earned his intelligence through experience.