Skip to main content

Fat cow or bony cow


Long time ago, when Viet Nam was separated in two, one was managed by the Lord whose family name was Trịnh and the other was managed by the King whose family name was Lê, a business man and his wife after few years away from their home decided to come back their home. They had a little money.
They crossed a river called “Khuốt” and came to a village called “Đa Gia”. It was afternoon and also rain. Therefore, they decided to stay at that village.
Đa Giá that time was a place where robbers lived. Everybody who went to and took a rest there was robbed and killed. When visitors came a person, the robber, would take luggage to know the luggage was heavy or not. Then they would harm the visitors at the night. They would tie the visitors and bring to the mountain nearly and threw them down a deep hole at that. Then they came back and separated visitors’ luggage. But all things they had done were too secret that nobody knew about their bad things they did. The deep was place which hid so many dead people   but they were still normal people with other people who lived in nearby villages.
When the couple had just landed their feet on staircase front inn a woman ran toward them to take   their luggage.
“You are so lucky. Today, delicious food and wine are available for you,” said the woman.
When they had eaten it was so dark and the woman also had prepared bed for them sleeping. When the door was closed they heard a voice out the room.
“Do you have cows? We want to borrow?” said a man
“Yes, we have”, said the woman.
“Fat or bony”, snapped the man.
“Fat”, said the woman.
 Then the woman went to bed to sleep. The couple was also in their bed. The husband slept completely because of sleeping potion in his cup of wine. The wife in other side was still awake. 
At midnight robbers broke the door to come and tie the husband they put rag into the husband’s mouth and brought him away. The wife nearly yelled but a robber gabbed a sword went toward her. When the robber was ready to reach her she kneeled and prayed for her life.
“Please, please let me live, I will never forget your help”, said the wife.
The robber took a torch pass her face. She was young and beautiful it made the robber change his mind. He wanted to live with the young beautiful woman.
“Follow me. If you yell I will kill you immediately”, he said.
Then he left her at a house that belong to his underling then he took her ear-ring to others so he could keep secret that she was alive.
From that time, he used to come to meet the young wife. Sometime he presented her something as silk, jewelry… She didn’t need to think about food, drink or clothes all things were prepared by maids but she was imprisoned in that house which was always clsoed. Therefore, she lived and followed robber’s words without her spirit. She also found out how robbers robbed.
Day by day, the poor woman still pretended to be fun when her enemy came. At last, her existing was discovered. Village head said him that he had to kill her or both he and she will be thrown down the hole.
“Rule is rule and nobody can break rule”, said head village.
That night, after eating the robber pulled the poor wife to the mountain. She kneeled and prayed violently but that time he didn’t change his mind.  
“I will let you go together with your husband. This is last thing I can do for you”, he said
When they came to the hole ran, ran for her life but he chased and caught her. He pushed her down but she had grabbed his clothes so both they were fallen down the hole. Fortunately, she could grab a branch and climbed up. She went, went toward the north.
One day, when the Lord, Trịnh, went out his castle. When his palankeen was crossing a bridge the poor sprinted from underneath bridge and kneeled. She took a paper over her head. Although soldiers forced her away but she didn’t move.
“Please let me meet the Lord. I have to talk him my story”, she said.
See the crowd the Lord forced his soldiers to stop and called the wife to come and say her story. After hearing the Lord gave his sword to a general to lead 2000 soldiers ridden toward “Đa Giá” village.
After 2 days, a drug seller with very heavy luggage came to Đa Giá. He shouted to have wine and food after just coming. Short time later, she fell sleep and couldn’t hear conversation between inn owner and robbers.
The seller was brought to the hole but that time when robbers came to the hole they were frighten by a loudly roared then they were covered by soldiers with swords in their hands. The day robbers were killed completely. Houses, field, assets were separated to people in other villages. About poor people who were dead in the hole were brought up and burried.
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

Read more:
-----

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese  fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has  its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

Thanh Giong

Once  upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies.  One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...

Bài 1.5: Cách sử dụng at, on, in cho thời gian, ngày, tháng, năm, mùa.

Chào các bạn! Bởi vì mình có hay dich truyện và một vài thứ linh tinh khác nên thường bắt gặp ngày, tháng năm. Thật ra khôngkhó để sử dụng đúng nhưng mỗi lần cần đến mình lại phải tra lại tra cứu. Điều đó rất mất thời gian nên hôm nay mình viết một bài liên quan đến at, on, in + thời gian để giúp bạn nào chưa biết và giúp chính mình nhớ được cách sử dụng của các giới từ at, on, in và dạng thời gian được theo sau giới từ đó.

The tale of tiger

Once  upon a time, there had an angle in heaven. The angle’s name was Pham Nhi. Strong and combative were the words used to describe him. Things as moving mountain, filling sea, pushing ancient tree were normal things he used to do. His ability had surpassed almost other angles including generals in heaven. Pham Nhi always had things to do he used to find the strong to have a fight. But, they avoided them because there had had many strong angles who were knocked out after one punch. He became haughty when very few people dared to accept his challenge. He thought that generals   who servanted the king weren’t as strong as him that his name spread more largely than them. But, the king seemed not to pay attention to him. Instead of inviting him to castle and giving him a worthy position, the king did nothing. Then, he turned much haughty, not respecting his king. He thought that he could replace his king, ruling the heaven. Therefore, he gathered others to fight agai...

The Tale of the Hundred - knot Bamboo tree

Once upon a time, there had a boy who was poor, had no field. Therefore, he found the way to work for a landlord. He was healthy, worked hard and great in working so the landlord wanted him to work for him long time without any pay. One day, he called the boy to come. "You are honest and healthy. If you agree to work for me in three years without pay, I will let you marry with my only daughter after that." The boy agreed. He believed completely. He worked very hard, help the landlord turn richer that he could build more houses, buy more fields and cattles. Then, time passed. Three years nearly crossed, the boy always remembered his master's promise while his master, the landlord didn't want to do his promise. He in secret had found another boy for his daughter, a son of another landlord in that area. Therefore, what he need was a reason to refuse the boy. One day, he called the boy to come. "You have worked very hard for three years, waken early, slept late....

Thuong Luong

Thuong Luong was common name of creatures which are in people’s imagines. They are distant relatives of dragons. While dragons are worshiped as gods, the gods ruled rivers and sea and the gods can make rains, Thuong Luong is not respected as dragons that the creatures are too amorous, combative, wild, and have bad behaviors. All most of them like to harm people.

Rabbit, hen and tiger

Once  upon a time, rabbit, hen and tiger lived together in a house. They worked as famer. Every day, when two of them went to field the other would stay at home to cook. The first day, rabbit and tiger went to the field and hen stayed at home. After sweeping the house, the hen boiled a pot of water then she jumped upon the pot and laid an egg into the pot. As the egg was ripe tiger and rabbit came. They felt hungry and tired so the egg was delicious with them. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com “My dear friend, how can you cook the delicious dish?”, said the rabbit. The hen talked the rabbit exactly what she had done and the rabbit did not omit a word. The next morning, the tiger and the hen went to the field and the rabbit stayed at home. Before they went the tiger asked the rabbit to cook a dish as the hen had done. “Trust me. It is easy to do”, said the rabbit. After sweeping the house, the rabbit boiled a pot of water then he jumped upon the pot and did as the he...

Truyện 134. Hà rầm hà rạc

Ngày xưa, một nhà nọ có hai anh em cha mẹ mất sớm để lại một tư cơ cũng vào hạng khá trong vùng. Từ trước hai người vẫn ở chung với nhau. Ít lâu sau người anh lấy vợ. Anh bảo em: - Bây giờ đã đến lúc phải chia gia tài ra để cho mày học ăn học làm với người ta. Đến ngày chia của, anh chìa một tờ giấy, bảo em:  - Của cải của cha mẹ để lại chỉ có ba giống: Giống đực, giống cái và giống con. Mày bé bỏng nên tao nhường cho mày tất cả những đồ đạc giống đực, còn giống cái và giống con thì phần tao. Nghe chưa, nếu mày bằng lòng thì ký vào đây! Em ngây thơ tưởng là anh thương thật nên không nghi ngờ gì cả, ký ngay vào giấy. Cuộc chia của bắt đầu. Nhưng đồ vật nào mà chẳng là "cái" hay "con". Người anh đếm mãi: "Cái nhà này: của tao, con trâu này: của tao, cái chum này: của tao, cái cày, cái bừa này: của tao...". Suốt từ sáng đến chiều những của chìm của nổi chia đã sắp vơi mà vẫn chưa có một vật nào thuộc giống đựa cả. Mãi ...