The Tree That Bore Rice Cakes.
Long long ago, there lived a hard working man, called Ponggiri, with his wife. They made their living by raising honeybees.
"Oh, my lovely bees, we can make our living entirely because of you."
Ponggori gathered honey while thanking the bees. So, he got a large harvest of honey that year, thanks to bees.
One day, he went to sell the honey in a city going over mountains. He called at houses in the town for business but it was not easy to sell it. Finally, he met a rich man who owned the biggest house in the city.
The rich man said, "Well, I will try your honey." He tasted it over and over again and nodded with great pleasure. Then he asked, "How much is this?"
"Well," Ponggori thought of it for a while and offered him a cheaper price than usual. Then the rich man shook his head and said "No. No. I will take half the price."
"Oh, That's too much! I wouldn't be able to get the cost. It is so unreasonable."
"YOU liar! A peddler always make much money while saying that he can't make a profit."
He always harassed farmers and dealers in this way. Therefore Ponggiri decided to punish him and said, "OK, you may take it at your price. But please promise to buy my honey in the future, too."
" Yes. I promise."
The rich man congratulated himself on the deal. It was obvious that such cheap honey is nowhere to be found in the world.
"By the way, could you come to see our town?" said Ponggori, "There are good drinks, beautiful scenes and novelties that you could never find in this city. We will welcome you by preparing a terrific dinner."
The rich man said, "Is that so? OK. I will." So saying, the rich man promised to visit Ponmggori's house.
The rich man was to come to Ponggori's house that day. Ponggori and his wife made rice cakes from the early morning. And then, they hung them from every tree in the backyard of his house like fruits hanging from a tree. It was as if the trees born rice cakes.
The rich man, riding a horse, came to the house. Ponggori said to his wife in a loud voice, "This gentleman is a remarkable person from the city. Bring rice cakes form a rice cake-bearing tree."
Then, his wife came carrying a basketful of rice cakes. The rich man was surprised to see them and said, "Are these rice cakes from a tree? Show me the tree. Please."
"Spare me, please. Once looking at the tree, everyone asks me to sell or give it to him, so I'm already tired of hearing that request."
Ponggori declined the request frowning, but the rich man persistently asked him. At last, Ponggori unwillingly accepted to take him to the backyard. There was the tree hanging rice cakes from its branches. The rich man was stunned to see the tree and muttered,
"A rice cake-bearing tree, how amazing, what an amazing tree..."
Then, grabbing him by his sleeves, he pestered him with his request to sell it to him.
"No way. If I part with the tree, We would have trouble getting our food. I wouldn't give it for anything."
Ponggori refused the purchase over and over again, but the rich man would never give up. After all, Ponggori agreed to sell it seemingly in resignation. The money the rich man from the city paid, was more than twice the money Ponggori would be able to earn even if he worked hard for life.
The rich man was much pleased to get the tree. He lost no time in digging up the tree and planted it at the backyard of his house in the city.
All the time, the rich man cherished the tree, watering it all the time.
He expected that the tree would bear a lot of rice cakes on its branches, however, the tree became weaker day by day and withered away finally.
The rich man was so discouraged that he was laid up with illness.
Copyright © 1999 The People's Korea. All rights reserved.