Hello everyone, today I would like to share with you a collection of short stories I recently put together – Avanti Fairy Tales Selected 8.These stories were my favorite when I was a kid, and now that I’m telling them to my own kids, I feel like I’m back in my childhood.
I didn’t have many books at home when I was young, but every time I heard the stories of Avanti, they were especially interesting to me.When I grew up, I also always remembered those clever and witty episodes, such as how he made the bad guy speechless with one sentence, or how he skillfully helped the poor people solve their problems.
Then I thought, since I still remembered so many stories, I might as well organize them so that I could tell them to my children and let more children know about Avanti’s wisdom.
Why did you choose these 8 stories?
In fact, at the beginning, I just recalled some episodes randomly, such as “the pot giving birth to a baby”, “planting gold”, “the smell of rice for the sound of money” and other classic episodes.Then I went online to look up many versions of the story of Avanti, and found that there are a lot of different stories on the Internet, some of which are particularly long-winded, some of which are too simple and meaningless, and some of which are obviously made up and have lost their original flavor.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands, picking out the most classic ones and reorganizing them.This process took me quite a bit of time, but I believe it made sense to do so.
My criteria for picking were:
short and interesting: not too long, or the child will easily lose patience while listening;
Vivid language: try to use everyday speech so that the child can understand more easily;
Enlightening: each story should convey a truth, such as honesty, bravery, helping others and so on.
Story 1: “The Pot Born Baby”
This is a very interesting short story.
Story content:
Once, Avanti borrowed a big pot from a rich man to cook.After using it, when he returned the pot, he put an extra small pot into it and said, “This small pot is the baby born from your big pot.”
When the rich man heard this, he thought, “Wow, my pot can still give birth to a baby pot?Then will I not have to spend money on pots from now on?”So he happily accepted it.
After a few days, Avanti came to borrow another pot, this time a bigger one.The rich man thought, “Last time my pot gave birth to a small pot, this time maybe it will give birth to a medium-sized one!”So he lent it to him painfully.
But this time, Avanti was late in returning the pot.The rich man couldn’t help but go and ask, “Why haven’t you returned the pot?”
Avanti said with a sad face, “Oops, your pot …… it died.”
The rich man heard the fire: “How can the pot die?Aren’t you talking nonsense?”
Avanti asked rhetorically, “Then how come the pot can’t die since it can give birth to babies?”
The rich man froze and was speechless.
This story tells us that:
Some people are greedy and think that pies will really fall from the sky.Instead, they end up being taken advantage of by smart people.Avanti uses the other person’s logic to refute the other person, which is both humorous and wise.
Story 2: “Planting Gold”
Story content:
One day, the king heard that Avanti was a poor man, so he wanted to give him a hard time.
The king asked him, “I heard that you can grow gold?Then can you grow me more gold?”
Avanti nodded, “Of course I can!But I have to lend you a scale of gold to try it out first.”
The king thought to himself, “If I can really grow gold, I’ll be rich!”So he lent him a scale of gold.
Avanti took the gold back home, secretly buried it in the soil, and then dug it up again in a few days, and turned it into two scales of gold and returned it to the king.The king was so happy: “It really works!Try a few more scales!”
So the king lent him a lot more gold.But this time, Avanti didn’t pay him back.The king waited for a long time and couldn’t stand it any longer, so he came to him and asked why.
Avanti sighed and said, “Your Majesty, gold, like crops, sometimes dries out, and this year it’s all ‘out of harvest’.”
The king was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it.
This story tells us:
Smart people can deal with greedy people in seemingly ridiculous ways.By giving the gold to the poor, Avanti helped others and satirized the stupidity of the ruler.
Story 3: “Tear Down My Layer”
Story content:
A miserly rich man built a house and asked Avanti to help with the work.When the house was finished, the rich man reneged on his debt and didn’t pay for the work.
Avanti did not make any noise, but asked, “How many floors do you have in this building?”
The rich man answered, “Three.”
Avanti asked again, “If I were to demolish the building, which floor would you allow me to demolish?”
The rich man said casually, “Any floor you want.”
Avanti immediately brought a ladder and climbed up to the roof to start removing the tiles.The rich man looked at him and said, “Are you crazy?This is the top floor!”
Afanti laughed and said, “You promised me that I could take down any floor, so I will take down the one that belongs to my wages.”
The rich man was so frightened that he took out his money, “Don’t tear it down!I’ll pay for it right now!”
This story tells us that:
When you meet someone who doesn’t keep his word, sometimes you can’t be tough, but you have to fight back in their own words.What Avanti did was a bit naughty, but very effective.
Story 4: “Something for Two Donkeys”
Story content:
One day, Avanti rode into town on a donkey with luggage on its back.He happened to run into the king who was also on his way.
The king deliberately asked him, “Avanti, what are you carrying on the back of your donkey?”
Avanti knew that the king was making things difficult for him, so he respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, this is what is on the back of a donkey.”
The king laughed, “Then do you know what I carry on the back of my donkey?”
Avanti pointed to the king’s mount and said, “Your Majesty, you see, it carries the stuff of two donkeys on its back – one is yourself and the other is the luggage.”
When the king heard this, he blushed and could not say anything more.
This story tells us:
In the face of others’ difficulties, it is good to respond with humor.Instead of a direct rebuttal, Avanti used lighthearted language to defuse the embarrassment and made the king laugh at himself.
Story 5: “The Scent of Rice and the Sound of Money”
Story content:
Avanti passed by a restaurant and smelled a fragrant odor.He stood in the doorway and inhaled deeply a few times, feeling satisfied.
Unexpectedly, the owner of the restaurant ran out and stopped him, saying, “Hey, you have to pay for smelling the food in our store!”
Avanti laughed, took out a money bag from his pocket and shook it a few times in the owner’s ear, making a clattering sound.
The boss was just about to get angry when Avanti said, “I smelled your meal, you heard my money, we’re even.”
The boss had nothing to say, so he let him go.
This story tells us:
There are always some unreasonable people in life.Instead of being tough, you should respond with wisdom.Avanti used the logic of the other side to hit back at the other side, which is both humorous and reasonable.
Story 6: “Where is Wisdom Hidden?”
Story content:
Someone asked Avanti curiously, “Everyone says you are the smartest person in the world, so where did you learn your wisdom?And where is it hidden?”
Avanti pointed to the tattered cotton jacket he was wearing and said with a smile, “My wisdom is hidden in this old garment.”
The man wondered, “What wisdom can there be in a piece of ragged clothing?”
Avanti explained, “You see, when I can’t afford to wear new clothes, I have to use my brain to figure out what to do.If I dressed like a rich man and ate and drank every day, I probably would have been too lazy to use my brain and lost my wisdom.”
This story tells us:
True wisdom often comes from the difficulties and reflections of life.A comfortable life may make people lazy, while adversity often inspires human potential.
Story 7: “Money and Justice”
Story content:
Avanti was asked, “If you could only choose one thing, would it be money or justice?”
Without hesitation, Avanti replied, “I choose money.”
The man was surprised and said, “Justice is so noble, why would you choose money?”
Avanti calmly said, “Because I know that many people only dare to pretend to talk about justice when they have enough money.”
This story tells us that:
In the real world, money often influences people’s views on justice.This quote from Avanti, although it sounds a bit sarcastic, reveals a very true truth.
Story 8: “Bulls and Sheep Fighting”
Story content:
One day, a cow and a sheep fought and the sheep was killed.The owner of the sheep, a rich landowner, approached the shepherd boy and demanded a new sheep.
The shepherd boy was not convinced and went to the judge to judge.The judge, however, had received favors from the landowner and ruled that the shepherd boy had to pay compensation.
The shepherd boy was so aggrieved that he went to Avanti for help.
Avanti told him to pretend to fight with the judge on the road the next day.When the judge saw him, he asked what was going on.
Avanti said, “My lord, yesterday his ox fought with my sheep and killed my sheep, so he has to pay me for a sheep.”
When the judge heard this, he immediately shook his head, “How can you blame the owner of a cow for a fight between a cow and a sheep?”
Avanti immediately asked in return, “Then why should the owner of the sheep be blamed for the sheep’s death in a fight between a sheep and a cow?”
The judge was momentarily speechless and had to vacate his judgment.
This story tells us:
Sometimes, fairness does not exist automatically.We need to fight for it with our own wisdom.Using the same logic, Avanti exposed the judge’s partiality and got justice for the shepherd boy.
Why are these stories worth telling your kids?
After organizing these 8 stories, I started telling them to my son every night.I found that he especially liked them and listened to them with great interest every time.
Sometimes he would ask me, “Daddy, why is Avanti so smart?”
I told him, “Because he is always willing to use his brain.”
He then asks, “And why is Master Bhai so bad?”
I said, “Because he only thinks about himself and doesn’t want to help others.”
Through the process of telling the story, I realized that I too seemed to be back in my childhood.Back then there were no cell phones, no TV, just the cozy time when families sat around and told stories.
Conclusion: Telling it to children is also a legacy
I think telling these stories is not only for entertainment, but also for children to learn to think, to judge, and to face life’s problems with wisdom.
If you have children too, try telling these stories to them.Maybe you will find that they are quietly growing up while laughing.
