The liar Cuội

A boy named Cuoi had lost his parent when he was child he lived with his uncle and aunt. He was co clever but used to lie and he always had his fun whenever people had been cheated. A landlord had heard about him but he didn’t think that he could lie him so he called him came and asked.

“I hear you are very well in cheat. Now I sit at here, if you can make me go to the door I will give you this pocket of coins. People here will be witnesses for my words.”, said the landlord.

Cuoi expressed as if he was feeling embarrassed.

“You have prepared before you sit here so I can not make you go to the door. Now if you stand at the door I can make you come in.”, said Cuoi.

The landlord thought what Cuoi had said was true so he stood up and sprinted to the door. But when he came to the door he saw Cuoi was laughing and clapping his hand.

“I’ve cheated you.”, said Cuoi.

The landlord lost for words and was forced to give him the pocket of coins.

vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com

Cuoi’s aunt and uncle had a fat pig that made him gloat. One day, when his aunt and uncle went out he called a butcher to come and sold the pig in low price. He asked the butcher to keep the thing on secret and to get the pig’s tail. He found out how to make the pig disappeared front of his aunt’s eyes. He dug a hole next to the stable and put a part of the tail into the hole buried and pressed down ground round the tail. When his aunt came home he expressed a nervous face.

“My aunt, he… he take our pig… he is pulling our pig to go to the hell with him… hurry up.”, said Cuoi

Then he pulled his aunt to come to the stable.

“OMG, the pig’s almost sunk into the ground but the tail. Now you have to hold the tail and I will find a shovel and dig. If the god feel sorry we can save our pig.”, said Cuoi.

His aunt thought what he said was true so she held the tail and asked him to hurry up. He sprinted to find the shovel and started digging. Then the tail was drawn out of the ground.

“OMG, so wretched for us. Our pig has gone to the hell.”, screamed Cuoi.

Another day, Cuoi took a pannier went to market with his uncle. Suddenly he ran and left his uncle after him and put his pannier upon a pile of buffalo shit. When his uncle came to he held the pannier so hard and said: “Fortunately, I have caught a big bird but if we put our hand into it can escape and fly away. Uncle, you go back home and took the snare to here. We will have the bird for our meal.”

His uncle thought what he had said was true so he came back home and took the snare and cover around the pannier that attracted many people they grouped to see what happened. But when Cuoi took the pannier up people had their joy when they didn’t see the bird but a pile of buffalo shit. His uncle was very angry he pulled him back home and beat him.

Another day, while Cuoi and his uncle were working in farm his uncle felt thirsty so he asked Cuoi to come back home and take water. Cuoi expressed a painful face as he came home. He said into sobs.

“Uncle…uncle has been gored by a buffalo. He has died and was lying…”, his aunt didn’t let him end his words she sprinted toward the farm. The poor woman ran with many tears dropped from her eyes that looked like very very painful. Cuoi, in other side found the shortcut way sprinted to his uncle. He showed a painful face front his uncle’s face.

“Uncle…aunt I don’t know when she climbed up stair but she has fallen and died without people’s noticing.”, said Cuoi.

His uncle thought what he had said was true he drummed his chest the sprinted toward home. He cried very bitterly on his way. Then on his way he crashed into his wife. They two realized that they had been cheated by their nephew. They were very very angry so the took a cage and forced their nephew entered in and his uncle brought the cage to the riverside and nearly to rolled it down the river.

“Uncle, aunt”, he screamed, “I know that I have done bad thing that I deserve to die but you know I can cheat people to life because I have a book which is hidden in the kitchen. Now I am forced to die so pray you to come home and take to me the book. I want it to go to the hell together.”

His uncle thought what he had said was true, thinking Cuoi couldn’t get out the cage, he went to home to take the book.

While Cuoi was in the cage I saw a leprosy-guy coming toward him.

“Hey guy. I have had leprosy as you. Fortunately, people put me into this cage, rolled me down the water then the pulled me up. Now you can see I have cured.”, said Cuoi merrily.

The leprosy-guy thought what he had said was true he helped Cuoi get out the cage to have a look.

“Magically, you really have been cured. Now, can you help me enter the cage and roll into the water, I give you this money for your kindness.”, said the leprosy-boy cheerfully.

Cuoi took the money then went away. His uncle came home and found no book he knew that he, another time, was cheated he was so angry and sprinted to the riverside, rolled the cage into water immediately.

Cuoi went along the riverside and was burned by the sun he felt hot and wanted to bath. He took off his clothes, brought the coin-string with him and jumped into the water. While he was bathing a mandarin rode cross and saw a boy was swimming in water and in his hand had something which looked like a coin-string. The mandarin stopped.

“What are you doing, boy?”, said the mandarin.

Cuoi pretended as if he was finding something.

“I bring a gold bar, a silver bar and some coin-strings to my father but when I come here I take a rest, staying at that bridge, unfortunately they pour from my hand. I have found coin-string. I have to find the gold bar and silver bar or my father will hit me.” sai Cuoi then he burst into sobs.

The greedy mandarin wanted the gold bar and the silver bar he took off his clothes.

“Go away boy, I want to bath. Away, noww.”, said the mandarin.

When the mandarin just had been into the water Cuoi had taken the mandarin’s clothes and wore.

“What are you doing?”, said the mandarin.

I felt cold so I borrowed it a little while.

“What is your name? Where are you from?” asked the mandarin.

“My name is Bai Dung, I lived in Bong Long, Ba La district.”, answered Cuoi.

Then Cuoi waited the mandarin dived into the water he mounted on the mandarin’s horse then rode away. When the mandarin rose up and didn’t see both his clothes and horse he realized he had been cheated. Therefore, he had to take the ragged clothes Cuoi had left to wear. He asked people about Bai Dung who lived in Bong Long, Ba La district but nobody answered him but giggled till met a woman who thought that the mandarin teased her and beat him. Meanwhile he knew he should shut up. Therefore, he stopped finding and strolled to his home.

Cuoi, after wearing nice clothes, rode toward his uncle’s house. His uncle and his aunt were very surprised they didn’t know how Cuoi could survive and came back with nice things. They asked him so he answered.

“I come to the hell and meet all family, my father, mother, grandfather, grandmother. My parent was so wealthy but I missed you so much. Therefore, I took the clothes, a horse, some coin strings and rode up immediately”, said Cuoi, “my parent also missed you two so much so they invited uncle and aunt to come their house.”

They thought what Cuoi had said was true and felt so delighted.

“How could we go ti the hell?”, said his uncle.

“It is so easy. You only need to enter cage as I have done and roll into the water. But I can not bring you two to the riverside you and aunt have to came the riverside then enter cages then I will roll them into water.”, said Cuoi.

Then they went toward the riverside together. His uncle entered before his aunt he asked Cuoi to tie then roll him into water. When Cuoi and his aunt, sanding on the riverside, saw the water was foamy.

“Aha, he was taking something from my parent’s house.”, yelled Cuoi.

“Hurry up, help me down.”, insisted his aunt.

Then his aunt entered the cage. He threw her down the water. Course they died and Cuoi was their heir but assets, fallen into his hand, had no long time to dissipate. So he decided to have a travel. He sold all remaining assets to get money, food then started his travel.

He came to a forest which had many elephants and he wanted one. He dug a large and deep hole where elephants usually crossed and covered it by boughs and leaves. Three days later, an elephant fell down into the hole its head was down and its ass was up that it couldn’t move. Cuoi covered its body by land but its ass. He made a hole on its ass and left the elephant at that and sometime he came back to have a look.

“I will have a fly-elephant to travel.”, he thought.

After the elephant died crows dragged to. They entered the hole to come in the elephant’s stomach and ate. Five then ten then hundreds of crows entered. Cuoi waited crows ate all the elephant’s meat but its skin and great number of crows were in the elephant’s stomach then inserted a button to the hole. Then Cuoi digged and pulled the elephant up, made it stand then he mounted on its back he hold a rod and shot it to its stomach. Crows in its stomach flew up at once and brought Cuoi and dead elephant up.

Cuoi in the middle air threw his eyes to everywhere. At last, he saw a giant citadel and wanted to take a look. He shot on the dead elephant’s back hits the crows were frightened they didn’t fly more so he and the dead elephant dropped down gently. Meanwhile, the king and his courtiers were grouping in courtyard and saw a person mounting on a elephant flying down. They were frightened and kneeled immediately. They thought Cuoi was a god and treated him very well. The king invited Cuoi to come in the castle and didn’t dare to sit in the same level.

Cuoi enjoyed things he was served. He talked to them about the elephant’s magic then the king asked him to mount on the elephant.

“Can you give a chance to mount on the elephant and fly? I want to see everything from middle air.”, said the king.

“Course, But you have to remember two things that the elephant is very faithful so you have to change your clothes for my clothes and when you come to midsea you have to take the button on his ass that the elephant can drink.”, said Cuoi.

None could prevent the king so he mounted on the elephant and flew away. When he was midsea he remembered what Cuoi had said so he took the button out. Crow from the elephant’s stomach flew out at one. The king and the elephant dropped down and it didn’t waste longer time for them into shark’s stomach. Cuoi course became replacement king.

That is how the world operates.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

Book Introductions

1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

3. The Treasury of Fables

An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

Ebook Banner