Skip to main content

Cai Kien complain about the yam

A boy was lived in wealth from he was born. He loved a girl who lived in same village; she was a beautiful girl but lived in a poor family; everyday she had to work for others to get money. Though the difference between him and her was too large he still wanted to marry with her. He asked a wedding-maker to help him meet her. Then they had met few times he had promised for sure that he would marry with her. The girl believed his words and had given him her body.
Cai Kien complain, cái kiến kiện củ khoai
But the wedding-maker was greedy though the boy had given her much money to have dates but that was not filled her stomach. Besides, the poor girl didn’t give her any money so she thought about another girl who lived in a rich family and had not married. She came to meet the rich girl whispered that if she gave her money she would find the way for her married with the boy. The rich girl was very pleasant to give such much money to her. Then the wedding-maker started to spread rumors.
“She is not faithful. I have seen her have unclear things with Do Van who is clever student and may have a great future…”, she talked people about the poor girl.
The rumors came to the rich boy that made him be jealous. At time she also whispered great things about the rich girl to him. Her plan at last got result the rich boy started having a feeling hating his lover. He spent no much time deciding to have an engagement with the rich girl.        
The day the rich girl followed the rich boy to come his house was also the day poor girl threw herself down river. The death of the poor girl made the new couple be frightened. The wedding-maker was person who felt most frightened. But they still had normal lives until all of them died and went to world of dead, the Hell.
The Death reviewed records of each to know clearly about what they had done then the Death would decide they were reborn to “pay” or “get”. The wedding-maker was reborn in a rich family and was named Cai Kien. The rich boy was reborn to be a poor student who didn’t have anything but good learning. About the poor girl, she was stayed at the hell to observe them.
Cai Kien grew up a beautiful and clever girl who had a greedy father who didn’t care of anyone but money. She and the poor student had a beautiful love but it was so unfortunate good learning student had participated in many contests with poor results although he was known as great student. Whenever he participated in a contest he also was in cases that he was stomach-ache, failed at second gate or violated rules; the poor girl’s soul made him can not pass end of the contest. Whenever he failed he felt more disappointed. But his lover Cai Kien still trusted him could get pass contest she dreamed that a day she will became wife of a mandarin. Thought that they two decided to keep their love by a wedding. But she knew her father would not agree to let her marry with the great poor student. So she stole hes father’s money then bought gold and made a golden yam. She gave a person the golden yam to send to student’s hand and said him to take the golden yam to her house and presented it to her father.             
Then the student came, asked for a wedding with a golden yam which was present. Cai Kien’s father was surprised but when he heard about the golden yam he immediately agreed.
The wedding-date came people in the student’s family brought the present came, people in Cai Kien’s family sprinted out to see how groom’s family was rich. The golden yam which was covered in four pieces of red silk was unwrapped front people’s eyes. But when it had been unwrapped people didn’t see the golden yam instead steamed yam; the poor girl’s soul had made the thing. People broke into laughter. Cai Kien’s father shouted at the student’s face and he still cut the yam and served people to make him ashamed.
The student could not explain he felt both sad and ashamed. Therefore, he went away and had not come back his home. Cai Kien in other side thought her lover was a juggler not only he took her but he also make a joke. That night she died because of anger. When she went to the hell she complained to the Death about the golden yam but the Death said her about his crimes in her previous life that was cost she had to pay.   
Therefore ancient people have said:
“Cai Kien complain about the yam.” It is a sneer that explains requiring will not have results.   
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:
Tale 57. Faithful wife with two husbands
Tale 58. Well-matched
Tale 59. The tree, the accused
Tale 54. Incomplete love
Tale 55. The dangerous thing existing inside a person
List of Vietnamesefairy tales
-----
Truyện cổ tích Việt nam (For people who can read Vietnamese) 
Vietnamese historical stories (For people who love history)
Nhãn:

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!
1 comment
Read more

My Chau and Trong Thuy

Once upon a time, there had a king, named An Duong Vuong. After many years fighting, he get a large area. The king planed to build a castle but whenever it had been built as tall as a men’s height then it was ruined. The king was unhappy. Therefore, the king had made an altar to pray God for few days until an early morning, a old man from seaside went to talk him God Turtle was going come to help him. The king was very happy and forced soldiers to wait on the seaside. The next day, in the water appeared a big gold turles toward seaside. The soldiers invited God Turtle to set sat on a big gold platter and brought to the king. The God Turtle told the king that the castle couldn’t have finished because of demons. God Turtle helped the king to kill the demons so all demons was killed. Besides, the God Turtle help the king design a castle look like a seashell with many gate levels. Half a month later, the castle had been finished. The king was very pleased but a little worry. He a...
Read more

Story 8: King Thanh Tong Ly

Prince   Nhat Ton was born in 1023 as his father was living as a prince who was chosen to be the next king. His father (later was Thai Tong Ly) lived in Long Duc palace. When his father ascended the throne and went to castle to live, Prince Nhat Ton was ordained to be the heir with appellation “Khai Hoang Vuong”. Though he was only five years old, he had to live in Long Duc palace alone, separated from his parents, the king and the queen. He was taught by teachers who were assigned by the king. Therefore, like his father and his grandpa, Nhat Ton grew up into a boy who was great in both knowledge and martial arts. Especially, he was calm and altruistic that made others not only respected but also loved him. King Thai Tong Ly was a person who always observed each Prince Nhat Ton’s step, his oldest son. King Thai Tong Ly believed in Prince Nhat Ton’s ability and had given the prince great responsibilities since the prince was very young. When Prince Nhat Ton was 15 y...
Post a Comment
Read more

Golden hole or silver hole

Their  parent died, left them valuable assets. They were two boys. They still lived together in their parent’s house till the old brother got married. After the old brother married, he wanted to divide their parent’s assets. Therefore, he wrote an agreement paper. “This is the time we need to divide our parent’s assets.” He said, “We both need private lives”.  “How will we divide?” said the young brother. “All things our parent left were in three types:  male, female and neutral. Because you are younger then me, I will give you all things which were male I will get things which were female and neutral. If you agreed, sign you name on this paper”, said the old brother. The young innocently thought that his brother was very kind, giving him good things so he signed his name on the paper. They started separating. “This house is mine. This female buffalo is mine. This plow is mine, This jar is mine….” said the old brother. From morning to afternoon, almo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yet Kieu

Once  upon a time, in Ha-bi village lived a man named Yet Kieu who worked as a fisher. One night, while he was strolling along the seaside he saw two large buffaloes fighting on the beach. He sprinted to poke them apart. Buffalos were beaten painful they ran toward to the sea then disappeared. “Those creatures aren’t normal”, he thought then he turned back where buffaloes had been fighting and picked up some fur they had left. He gazed them then suddenly swallowed them down. From that he had the strength that nobody could fight against. Especially, he could stay in the water longer than any people in the world. He spent six or seven days fishing whenever he dived in water. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That moment, their enemies had an invasion. A hundred ships approached and covered seaside of Van  ninh. They caught all fishing boats and fired them. They robbed assets and took lives from people living around the beach. Warships following king of the countr...
Read more

The Tale of God of Kitchen

Once  upon a time, a couple was so poor that they didn’t have any acres of farm-land. Therefore they had to work for others. Although their lives were very difficult, they were still pleased. After working, they used to sit by fireplace and talk tales or sing to each other. One year, fields had produced rice less than years before. Everyone was not enough rice to eat so they couldn’t hire them. Therefore, they had to go fishing, dig and pick up vegetables to eat. But it didn’t help them much, they still felt hungry. One day, the man said: “Honey, I have to leave. If I still stay at home, we will die”. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com After hearing, the woman insisted to go with him but the man said her: “I still don’t know where I should go and what I would do. You should stay home, it will easier than going with me. Maybe, I could die by a road or maybe, I will bring money come home. If I don’t come back after three years, I should be remarried. Don’t wait for me...
Read more

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...
Read more

GIỠ HAO JRANG chapter 4

Their fighting was very noisy. When their knives hit against the others or hit again shields it rumbled as thunders. The place between sky and ground where they fought was covered by dusts. They wrestled, punched and kicked other by their feet. They burked others by their huge hands. Daytime as like nighttime they fought without resting. Sometime, GiỡTuKrong and his fellows got advantage but sometime, they lost. Long time had passed but they still didn’t find out the winner. BokKiekLaDiaKlaKong clawed on GiỡTuKrong’s face by his pointed hard fingernails but all his fingernails were broken while GiỡTuKrong’s face had no scratch. GiỡTuKrong raised his hexagonal rod which was made of brass and lashed on BokKiekLaDiaKlaKong’s face. BokKiekLaDiaKlaKong dizzied and fell on ground he fainted.
Post a Comment
Read more

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.
3 comments
Read more