The Little Purse with Two Half-Pennies
Old man and woman's egg quarrel sparks events with a clever rooster finding a purse with two half-pennies, helping the man gain wealth.
Once upon a time, in a small, quiet village, there lived an old man and an old woman. The old woman had a hen that laid two eggs every day. She enjoyed eating the eggs and never shared them with the old man. One day, the old man asked her, "Can you give me some eggs? I want to try them too."
"No!" replied the selfish old woman. "If you want eggs, make your rooster lay them! My hen lays eggs because I gave her a good beating!"
The old man, also stubborn, hit his rooster and shouted, "Lay eggs for me or leave!" The rooster, scared, ran away but soon found a small purse with two coins on the road. Happy, the rooster started heading home.
On its way, it saw a carriage carrying a rich man and his family. The rich man saw the purse in the rooster’s beak and told his driver to take it. The driver took the purse and gave it to the rich man, who kept it. Angry, the rooster followed the carriage and cried out:
"Rooster-a-doodle-doo! Give my purse back to me!"
The rich man became annoyed and told his driver to throw the rooster into a well. The rooster fell in, but it drank all the water and flew out of the well. Again, the rooster followed the carriage, asking for its purse.
Tired of the rooster, the rich man ordered the driver to throw it into a fire and cover the fire with a stone. But the clever rooster spat out the water from the well, put out the fire, and escaped. It tapped on the rich man’s window and demanded its purse again.
"Get rid of this annoying rooster!" yelled the rich man. "Put it with the bulls; maybe one will kill it!" But the rooster swallowed all the bulls, its belly becoming huge. It returned to the rich man’s window and said:
"Rooster-a-doodle-doo! Give my purse back to me!"
The rich man was running out of ideas. He locked the rooster in his treasure room, hoping the gold coins would choke it. But the rooster ate all the gold! Finally, the rich man gave the purse back. The rooster, happy, walked away with its purse and all the gold it found.
When the rooster returned home, it gave the old man the gold. The old man was overjoyed, and the old woman was jealous.
"Can you give me some gold?" she asked.
"Just like you gave me your eggs? No!" replied the old man. "Maybe you should hit your hen again; it might give you gold!"
The old woman angrily beat her hen, and the hen ran away. It came back with a shiny bead. The old woman thought it was a precious jewel, but it was only a glass bead. Furious, she hit the hen again, and this time the hen died.
The old man lived happily with his new wealth, while the old woman stayed poor. The rooster, now wearing a golden collar and boots, lived like a king, teaching everyone a lesson about being kind and not greedy.
Audio available for B1 version
Once upon a time, in a small, quiet village, there lived an old man and an old woman.
The old woman had a hen that laid two eggs every day.
She enjoyed eating the eggs and never shared them with the old man.
One day, the old man asked her, "Can you give me some eggs?
I want to try them too."
"No!" replied the selfish old woman.
"If you want eggs, make your rooster lay them!
My hen lays eggs because I gave her a good beating!"
The old man, also stubborn, hit his rooster and shouted, "Lay eggs for me or leave!"
The rooster, scared, ran away but soon found a small purse with two coins on the road.
Happy, the rooster started heading home.
On its way, it saw a carriage carrying a rich man and his family.
The rich man saw the purse in the rooster’s beak and told his driver to take it.
The driver took the purse and gave it to the rich man, who kept it.
Angry, the rooster followed the carriage and cried out:
"Rooster-a-doodle-doo!
Give my purse back to me!"
The rich man became annoyed and told his driver to throw the rooster into a well.
The rooster fell in, but it drank all the water and flew out of the well.
Again, the rooster followed the carriage, asking for its purse.
Tired of the rooster, the rich man ordered the driver to throw it into a fire and cover the fire with a stone.
But the clever rooster spat out the water from the well, put out the fire, and escaped.
It tapped on the rich man’s window and demanded its purse again.
"Get rid of this annoying rooster!" yelled the rich man.
"Put it with the bulls; maybe one will kill it!"
But the rooster swallowed all the bulls, its belly becoming huge.
It returned to the rich man’s window and said:
"Rooster-a-doodle-doo!
Give my purse back to me!"
The rich man was running out of ideas.
He locked the rooster in his treasure room, hoping the gold coins would choke it.
But the rooster ate all the gold!
Finally, the rich man gave the purse back.
The rooster, happy, walked away with its purse and all the gold it found.
When the rooster returned home, it gave the old man the gold.
The old man was overjoyed, and the old woman was jealous.
"Can you give me some gold?" she asked.
"Just like you gave me your eggs? No!" replied the old man.
"Maybe you should hit your hen again; it might give you gold!"
The old woman angrily beat her hen, and the hen ran away.
It came back with a shiny bead.
The old woman thought it was a precious jewel, but it was only a glass bead.
Furious, she hit the hen again, and this time the hen died.
The old man lived happily with his new wealth, while the old woman stayed poor.
The rooster, now wearing a golden collar and boots, lived like a king, teaching everyone a lesson about being kind and not greedy.
Something went wrong. Please try again.
Word Finder
Village:
Small group of houses; smaller than a town.Selfish:
Only thinking about yourself, not sharing with others.Stubborn:
Refusing to change your mind or behavior.Purse:
Small bag used for holding money or coins.Carriage:
A vehicle pulled by horses, used long ago.Annoyed:
Feeling a little angry or bothered by something.Well:
A deep hole to get water from underground.Clever:
Smart, finding creative ways to solve problems.Treasure:
A collection of valuable things, like gold or jewels.Greedy:
Wanting too much of something, especially money or food.
Understanding Questions
- What did the old woman do with the eggs her hen laid every day?
- How did the rooster find the small purse with coins?
- What did the rich man do when he saw the purse in the rooster’s beak?
- How did the rooster escape when it was thrown into the fire?
- What happened to the old woman’s hen after she tried to make it bring her gold?
Reflection Questions
- Why do you think the old woman didn't want to share her eggs with the old man?
- How did the rooster show its intelligence and determination when its purse was taken?
- Can you recall a time when you had to be determined and clever to overcome a challenge, just like the rooster?
- What does the story teach us about the consequences of being greedy and unkind, like the old woman?
- How can we use the lesson from this story in our own lives to be more sharing and kinder to others?
Fable Quotes
Wanting too much can lead to losing what you have.
Take care of what's yours; treat it well, and it'll treat you well.
Actions driven by greed and selfishness lead to their own downfall, while kindness reaps its own rewards.
Just One More Fable
- Sacrifice
- Gratitude
The Crane's Return of a Favor
A kind old man rescues a trapped crane, which later transforms into a young woman and weaves beautiful cloth for him to repay his kindness.
- Regret
- Responsibility
The Green Frog
A disobedient green frog learns to obey too late, resulting in his mother's grave being washed away by rain.
- Patience
- Consequences
The Broken Pot
A poor man saved rice in a pot, dreamed of a prosperous future, but neglected the present and lost everything.
- Gratitude
- Friendship
The King's White Elephant
Carpenters aid a wounded Elephant who then helps them; his son follows suit until the king claims the white Elephant and cares for it.