Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had a loving and understanding wife.
They had few belongings, but they had one thing which they couldn’t live without, a horse that had many uses. With this horse, the father plowed the fields, rode it into town, herded cattle with it, transported hay, rode along the highway, or just took it for a walk. Sometimes, the neighbors would ask him to do jobs and would pay well. Nevertheless, as the horse was getting older, they thought it would be best to sell him or at least trade him in for something more useful.

One day his wife said to him, listens, today is market day, why don’t you go to town on the horse, and see if you can change it for something good. I’m sure I’ll be happy with whatever you can get for him. There were a lot of people on the road that day, walking or riding horses, going to market to buy things. Riding at a good pace, the farmer came upon a man who was walking a beautiful cow. The farmer thought, I’ll bet that cow gives a really good quality milk. I don’t think it would be a bad idea for me to trade my horse for that cow. I’m sure my wife would be happy if I brought her a cow. The farmer shouted: hey, mister, with the cow, I’d like to talk to you. I have a horse that is worth more than your cow. But that doesn’t matter; I have more need for a caw. Would you trade me your cow for my horse? Of course, said the man with the cow. And so the two men traded animals. Now that he traded his horse for a cow, the farmer was ready to go back home. But, he decided instead to continue on to the market, and to the market he went, if only to look. Walking his cow, he got back on the road. After a short while, he came across a man who was walking a sheep
a beautiful sheep with lots of wool. The farmer thought, wow, this sheep could be really useful to me. Thinking it over well, he decided he could use the sheep more than the cow. He asked the man who was walking the sheep, why don’t we make a trade? The man looked at the cow and said, sure, why not? The man went on his way and the farmer got back on the road, walking his sheep. Later he came to a fountain where a man was holding a goose in his hands. This goose was beautiful and fat, thought the farmer. My wife would be pleased if i brought her a goose. You wouldn’t want to trade me your goose for my sheep, would you? The other man said it doesn’t really matter to me; I’ll make you the trade. So, they made the trade and the farmer continued on the road with the goose under his arm. When he was near the town, he came upon a toll gate. The toll keeper had a fine, fat hen, tied up to a post, so she couldn’t run away. The farmer looked at the hen, thinking: this is the best hen I’ve ever seen. It’s a hen that would really be very useful to me. A hen that would only eat a little corn, she can practically take care of herself. He decided it would be a real bargain if he could trade his goose for the hen. So the farmer asked the toll keeper, how about we make a trade? I’ll exchange my goose for your hen. The toll keeper didn’t think this was a bad idea, so they made the exchange. The toll keeper kept the goose and the farmer, the hen. it was a hot day and the farmer had walked a lot, so he was thirsty. He stopped at an inn to get a drink and something to eat. As he was about to go in, he bumped into a man carrying a sack of something over his shoulder. What do you have in that sack, asked the farmer? Rotten apples, the man answered. I’m bringing them to feed to the pigs. That’s a lot of apples to throw them, don’t you think? I don’t know. Why don’t you sell them? Who would want to buy a sack of rotten apples? The farmer thought, last year, on our apple tree, there was one apple. We put that apple on top of our bureau, and watched it carefully, until it burst! We laughed and laughed. What an absurd scene! All of a sudden, the farmer, staring at the sack of rotten apples said, how much do you think a sack of rotten apples is worth? The man answered, how much is it worth to you? How much will you give me for the sack? How about if we make a trade, my hen for your apples. Deal! Said the man, and they made the trade. With a smile on his face, the farmer went into the tavern. He went to the bar and put his sack of rotten apples up against the stove, which was quite warm. There were a diverse number of people in the bar, including two Englishmen who were pretty drunk, and also their pockets were bursting with money. They were fond of making bets, as Englishmen in stories always are, especially when they’re drunk. You won’t believe what happened next. They began to hear a crackling sound. At the same time, they began to smell something…something like vinegar. What was that, everyone asked? The farmer quickly moved the sack of apples away from the stove, and he started telling everyone his story. How he exchanged his horse for a cow, his cow for a sheep, his sheep for a goose, his goose for a hen, and his hen for this sack of rotten apples. Careful, said the Englishmen, when your wife finds out what you did, she’ll be mad at you. Not at all, said the farmer, she’ll hug me and say, ‘father is always right’. Do you want to make a bet, said the Englishmen? We’ll bet our sack of gold, that your wife will feel betrayed by your stupidity. Is that fair? Deal! Said the farmer. And so, the bet was made. The Englishmen put their sacks of money into their cart; they all soon arrived at the farmer’s house. Hello mother! Hello father! Well, I made the deal. Well, you’re the best deal maker, so I know you did well, and not paying attention to the strangers, she gave him a hug. I exchanged the horse for a cow. Thank heavens that now we’ll have milk; we’ll be able to have cheese, butter, and milk pudding. What a splendid trade! But, I traded the cow for a sheep. Great, you made a better trade, then. Now we’ll be able to have sheep’s milk, and cheese, and woolen clothing. The cow couldn’t have given us all those things. You’re a very considerate and caring husband. But, I traded the sheep for a goose. That’s even better! We can fatten it up and have it for Christmas! But, I traded the goose for a hen. This is an excellent trade. The hen will lay eggs; we’ll have as many eggs as we can eat. I always wanted a good hen. But I traded the hen for a bag of rotten apples. The wife said, well, you are a good and wise husband, and she gave him a kiss. Now, I have something you need to listen to. While you were out, I wanted to make you a good meal. I thought I’d make you eggs with tasty onions (chives?). I had eggs, but no onions. I went to the schoolmaster’s house. As you know, she always has onions. I asked if I could borrow some, and I’d lend her something back, and she said ‘lend ME something? Nothing grows in your orchard, not even a rotten apple!’ fine, said the farmer, now you can give her a whole sackful! Isn’t it fortunate that I just brought you a whole sack of rotten apples? Father, it never fails. You’re always right! Then, she gave him a kiss right on the mouth. The Englishmen were surprised. They had made the bet, but said, it’s worth it to give this money to see such a happy couple. And with that, they counted out 10 pieces of gold and said to the farmer, we’re glad you didn’t get yelled at by your wife, but instead, received kisses!

Okay, what did you think of this story? I heard it when I was a young boy, and now you have heard it too, and you know that father is always right.