The Fisherman's Wife And the merchant' Wife
once upon a time, long ago, there lived a very poor couple. The husband was a hard-working fishman. Each evening he would sed in the river his traps
made ofbamboo and reeds and then, the next morning, he would collect the fish caught in them . His wife was a very pretty woman but careless and untidy.
Their small hut on the river bank was never clean and as she was too lazy to mend their clothes both of them warlked around in latter.
Every morning, the couple would go out toghter to collect the fish caught during the night. The husband would put them in a big basket his wie carried
on her back while he gathered in the traps. The basket had a hole in it which the lazy woman never bothered to repair so that as she followed her husband along the river's
edge many fish fell out. This meant that although the market and so could not earn much money to buy vegetables, rice and cloths.
Another couplr lived on the riverside the husband was a trander who bought and sold cloth and household good up and down the river. One day the merchant's
wife saw that about half the fisherman's who worked so hard and and whose fish wrere lost because of his wife's carelessness. with only a littereffort both
both of them could be much better off she thought, so she said to the woman why don't you take some reeds and grass and mend basket? it wouldn't take you long.
when her husband heard her speak like this he was very angry why do you interfere? he said what they do is none of your business then he saw that although
the fisherman's wife was very untidy she was very, very pretty. If you care so much for that poor man, he told his wife you can go and live with him and I'll
take his wife to live with me. And the more he locked at the fisherman's wife the prettier she seemed. shall we exchang wives, fishman? he asked.
the poor fishman didn't know what you say. It doesn't semm right. I have so litter how could I keep a woman who is used to having everything she wants?
she's so concerned about you she must like you replied the merchant I am happy to exchange her for your wife And so the fisherman agreed and the merchant's
wife went to live with him and the fisherman's wife became the mistress of the trading boat.
