Maung Tig Thun - Tolstoy Stories for Children

Large empty barrel

Once upon a time, there was a worker named Emilian. One day, as he was passing through the fields to work, he heard someone calling him. Emilian turned to the direction of the voice and saw a very lovely woman. The woman asked him, “Emilian, why aren’t you married yet?”

Then Emilian said, "How can I marry? I have only one suit of clothes to wear, and nothing more. Who would want to marry me?"

Hearing Aemilian's words, the woman said, "Marry me as your wife."

Emilion ' liked' the woman. But he said to her, "I love you very much,

"But where will we live and how will we eat and live?" he replied.

Then the woman said to Emilion, “Why worry about this? If we work more and sleep less, we can find food and clothing anywhere.” Emilion asked, “Very well, let’s get married, but where will we go?”

"We're going to town," the woman replied.

So Emilian and the woman set out for the city. They found a small house on the outskirts of the city. The two got married and lived in the small house.

One day, the king was riding in a carriage and passed by Emilien's house. At that moment, the king saw Emilien's wife.

"Where is such a beautiful woman?" he asked, stopping the carriage. Then he called Aemilian's wife and asked, "Who are you?"

Then Emilian's wife replied, "I am the wife of the great worker Emilian."

"Why would a beautiful woman like you marry a worker like Emilian? You are worthy of being a queen," said the king.

Hearing the king's words, Aemilian replied, "I am very grateful to hear your kind words. But my daughter's servant is the most suitable husband for me."

The king spoke briefly with Emilian's wife and then left. The king returned to the palace, but he could not forget Emilian's wife. He remembered her. At night, he thought about Emilian's wife and could not sleep all night. He only thought about how to win Emilian's wife. But he could not find a way.

Thus, finally, the king called his servants and ordered them to find a way to obtain Aemilian's wife.

Then the king's servants advised the king, "Your Majesty, summon Aemilian to come to the palace and work. We will put him to very hard work, and then he will die, and when his wife is left alone, the king will easily have her."

The king, following the advice of his servants, ordered Aemilian to come to the palace and work. He also ordered that Aemilian's wife should be with him while he was in the palace.

The king's messengers came to Aemilian and delivered the king's orders. Then Aemilian's wife said to Aemilian, "Go to work at the palace all day. Only come back at night."

Thus Aemilian left for the palace. When Aemilian arrived at the palace, the steward asked him, "Why don't you bring your wife?"

Then Emilian replied to the steward, "Why did I come to work and bring my wife here? She should have stayed at home."

At the palace, the king's servants gave Aemilian tasks that would have required two men to do. He began the work. Aemilian expected that the tasks would not be completed in one day.

But when evening came, all the work was finished.

When the steward saw that Emilian had finished his work, he gave Emilian four times as much work the next day as he had the first day. Emilian finished the work.

Then he returned home at dusk. When he arrived home, he found the house clean and tidy. Dinner was already cooked and ready to eat. His wife was sitting at the table, sewing, waiting for him. She greeted him and served him dinner. Then she asked him about his work.

"They were really bad jobs," said Emilian. "They gave me jobs if I couldn't get them. It was like they were trying to kill me with work."

“Don’t worry about work. Don’t look back while you’re working to see how much work you’ve completed or how much is left. Just keep working. If you have the time and skill, you’ll get it done.”

Then Emilian lay down and slept. The next morning Emilian went back to the palace and worked hard. In this way, by evening, all the work was finished and he returned home.

The steward also gave Emilian more tasks one after another. Emilian was able to complete the tasks within the specified time. They then asked Emilian to do another task that required skill. The servants gave Emilian various skills such as bricklaying, stone cutting, roofing, and carpentry. However, Emilian was able to complete all the tasks they asked him to do. When the evening came, Emilian returned to his wife.

And so the second week ended.

The king called his servants and said, "You have been fed for nothing. Nothing has happened now. Only two weeks have passed. What has happened? You said that you would force Emily Lian to work until she dies. Now I see Emily Lian going home every evening happily and singing. Why are you making fun of me?"

"Are you completing all the tasks you are skilled at?" he scolded.

The royal servants gave the king various excuses.

“Our goal is to give him so much hard work that he will tire himself out, but he can complete any task without getting tired, like throwing away garbage.”

But it's not like that with us, we keep asking him to do skills he thinks he can't do, but he can easily complete those tasks, and we think he and one of his wives are using magic.

"We are very disappointed in him, and we are trying to find him some work to do. Now we have decided to ask Aemilian to build the church in one day. If he cannot build it in one day, we will cut off his head."

The king summoned Aemilian. When Aemilian arrived at the palace, the king said to Aemilian, "Now...obey my orders. I will build a new church for me on the vacant land opposite my palace. I will give you until tomorrow evening. If you can finish the church by tomorrow evening, I will give you a reward. If you do not finish it, your head will be cut off."

After Aemilian heard the king's sudden order, he returned home very sad. He thought that his life was almost over.

When he returned home, he said to his wife, "Wife, we are ready to flee from here, or I will be killed without any fault."

Then Emilian's wife asked him anxiously, "Why are you afraid? Why do you have to flee from this place?" Emilian replied, "How can I not be afraid? The king has ordered that a church be built tomorrow in one day. If I cannot build it, he will cut off my head."

"So there's only one thing we can do, and that's to get out of here while there's still time," he said.

But Aemilian's wife did not agree with Aemilian's words. His wife said, "The king has many soldiers. Wherever he runs, he will be captured by them. There is no way he can escape. Therefore, as long as we have the strength, we must listen to the king."

Then Emilian said to his wife, "How can I listen to him, since I have no strength to do the work he asks me to do?"

"You have to be brave. Now, go eat and sleep. Get up early in the morning. All your work will be completed on time," said Elemiyan's wife.

So Emilian lay down in bed and fell asleep. The next morning, Emilian was awakened and told, "Go quickly, finish the church. Here is the hammer and the iron. There is still a day's work to be done."

Thus Aemilianus went out into the city. When he reached the palace square, he saw a large cathedral opposite the palace. The cathedral was almost finished. Aemilianus began to work on the necessary parts of the cathedral.

The king woke up and looked out the window of the palace and saw a large cathedral. Aemilian was hammering nails into the necessary parts of the cathedral. The king saw that the cathedral was finished and was very happy.