SHREWD BUSINESSMAN

There lived a salt merchant in a village. He had a lazy donkey. Every day the businessman loaded salt on his donkey and went to the city to sell it. There was a small river on the way to the city. There was not much water in it. Both the businessman and the donkey used to cross that river every day and go to the city to sell salt.

Because the city was quite far. By the time he reached the city, the lazy donkey got tired of carrying salt on his back. That is why he was fed up of going to and from the city every day. One day, a businessman was going to the city after loading sacks of salt on his donkey. While crossing a small river on the way, a stone came under the donkey’s foot. Due to which the donkey staggered and fell into the river. Due to the presence of water in the river, a lot of salt in the sacks got washed away in the water. In this way the donkey’s load became lighter. And that day the donkey reached the city comfortably and without getting tired.

The businessman got very angry at his donkey. But what could the poor fellow do? He took as much salt as he had left and went to the city. But in all this, the donkey understood the trick to lighten the burden on his back. The next day the merchant brought more salt on the donkey. When the businessman reached that river with the donkey, he thought of trying his trick again and deliberately fell into the water.

Now the donkey started trying this trick almost every day, but the businessman understood the cunningness of the lazy donkey. He thought of teaching the donkey a lesson.

The next day the businessman loaded a lot of cotton on the back of the donkey. As soon as they reached the river, the donkey deliberately stumbled and fell into the water. But all the cotton got wet in the water. Due to the cotton getting wet in the water, the donkey’s weight suddenly increased ten times.

Now by the time the donkey reached the city, the evening had come. And at the same time his intelligence also came to a standstill.​