Once upon a time, there was a girl named Gret who worked as a cook in someone’s home. She had a pair of shoes with red heels, and every time she put them on to go out, she couldn’t help but look left and right, feeling particularly beautiful.
After returning home, she enjoyed taking a small sip of wine, believing it made her feel more comfortable. After drinking the wine, her appetite improved, and she found every dish she cooked to be exceptionally delicious, eating until she was full. She often said, “I must taste it first; how else would I know if it’s good?”
One day, her employer said to her, “Greta, I’m inviting a friend over for dinner tonight. Prepare two roast chickens, and make sure they’re delicious.” Greta nodded and said, “No problem, I’ll make two delicious chickens.”
After saying that, she went to the kitchen to start preparing. She first killed the two chickens, scalded them with hot water, plucked the feathers, then skewered them on iron forks and placed them over the fire to roast.
As night fell, the chickens began to turn golden brown and crispy. They were almost done, but the guests hadn’t arrived yet. Gretel grew anxious and ran to tell her master, “If the guests don’t come soon, I’ll have to take the chickens off the fire. They’re at their most fragrant now—it would be such a pity to miss it!”
Upon hearing this, her master hurriedly said, “I’ll go see if they’re coming.” He then rushed out the door.
Greta returned to the kitchen and thought to herself, “It’s so hot standing here. I wonder when they’ll arrive. I’ll go to the cellar and get some wine to cool off.” She ran to the cellar, picked up a large wine jug, poured herself a cup, and said, “Here’s to everything going smoothly for me!” She then took another big sip.
After finishing the wine, she returned to the fire and continued turning the roast chicken, humming a tune while spreading butter on it. The aroma grew stronger, and she couldn’t resist saying to herself, “This chicken smells so good. Maybe I can take another bite to see how it tastes.”
She dipped her finger into the broth and tasted it. It was delicious, so she said, “Such a good chicken—it would be a shame not to eat it.” Then she ran to the window to see if the master had returned with guests. But there was no one outside.
She thought for a moment and said to herself, “Maybe they’re not coming back at all. Maybe they’ve gone somewhere else to eat. In that case, I won’t be polite.” So she decided to eat one chicken wing first.
After eating one wing, she ran to the window again, but still didn’t see anyone. She thought, “Since I’ve already eaten one wing, I might as well eat the other one too, otherwise the owner will notice one is missing.”
So she ate the whole chicken. After finishing, she went to the cellar and drank a few glasses of wine, feeling very satisfied. Then she looked at the other chicken and started thinking, “I’ve already eaten one chicken, so I might as well eat the other one too. I’ve already started. Besides, drinking wine isn’t bad for you.”
So she drank another glass of wine and ate the second chicken.Just as she was enjoying her meal, her master suddenly returned.
As soon as he entered the door, he shouted, “Greta, hurry up! The guests are about to arrive!” Greta replied, “Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”
The master entered the room to check if the table was ready, and picked up a large knife, sharpening it on the stairs in preparation for cutting the chicken.
At that moment, the guests knocked on the door.Greta ran to open the door. When she saw the guest, she immediately raised her finger to her lips and whispered, “Run away! Don’t wait! My master didn’t invite you here to eat. He wants to cut off your ears! Listen, he’s sharpening his knife!”
The guest was so frightened that his face turned pale. He could indeed hear the sound of a knife being sharpened upstairs, so he immediately turned and ran downstairs.
Greta didn’t waste any time. She turned back to her master and said, “The guest you invited is too clever!” The master asked, “What happened?” Greta said, “Just as I was about to bring the chicken upstairs, he rushed in and snatched two chickens!” The master sighed and said, “Oh, what a pity. At least leave one behind. I could have eaten some.”
So he ran to the door and shouted, “Leave one behind! Leave one behind!” He meant that the guest should leave one chicken behind, but the guest thought he wanted him to leave one ear behind, so he ran even faster, afraid of being caught.
In the end, the guest returned home safely, and both ears were saved. Gretel and her master could only face the empty table and lament that dinner was ruined.
What did Gretel do?
In the story “The Clever Gretelel,” the main character, Gretel, is a cook. She likes to look pretty, drink wine, and eat the food she cooks.
Her master asked her to prepare two roast chickens to entertain guests. She carefully killed and roasted the chickens, but waited a long time and the guests did not come.So she started drinking some wine, then couldn’t resist tasting the chicken, and ended up eating both chickens.
When her master returned, she made up a lie, saying that the guests had stolen the chickens, and threatened the guests that her master would cut off their ears. The guests were so scared that they ran away, and her master was unable to invite them to dinner.
What is the truth behind this story?
This story seems lighthearted and funny, but it actually hides some interesting truths and descriptions of human nature:
- Greed and lack of self-control
At first, Gretel just wanted to try a bite, but she ended up eating more and more and completely lost control of herself. This reflects that when faced with temptation, if people don’t have enough self-control, it’s easy to “take one wrong step and fall down the whole way.” - Excuses and self-justification
Every time she ate a bite, she had to find a reason: “I have to know what it tastes like,” “The chicken is already cooked,” “It’s a waste not to eat it.” These were actually excuses she made to justify her actions, showing that people often use “reasonable-sounding” arguments to convince themselves to do things they shouldn’t. - The blurred line between wit and deception
Gret finally deceived the guests by saying that the host wanted to harm them, causing them to flee. Although this behavior seems clever, it is also deceptive. This shows that sometimes so-called “cleverness” is just a different way of avoiding responsibility. - The host also has issues
In the story, the sound of the host sharpening his knife was misunderstood as an attempt to harm the guests, but he was actually just preparing to cut the chicken. This reminds us that unclear communication can easily lead to misunderstandings.
What can we learn from this?
1. Self-discipline is more important than cleverness
Although Greta was quick-witted, she lacked self-discipline. If she had resisted the temptation to eat the chicken, the chaos that followed would not have occurred. Truly clever people are those who know how to control their desires and follow the rules.
2. Don’t use excuses to cover up mistakes
Many people find all kinds of excuses to convince themselves before they make a mistake: “It’s okay, it’s just once.” But the fact is, mistakes don’t become acceptable just because the reasons sound reasonable. We must learn to take responsibility for our actions.
3. Clear communication prevents misunderstandings
The host did not clearly tell Gret the details of the evening’s arrangements, nor did he explain why the knife needed to be sharpened.Greta didn’t ask for clarification either, but jumped to conclusions. This teaches us that good communication is very important in work and life.
4. Use your intelligence wisely
Greta is indeed clever, but she used her intelligence in the wrong way—she used it to cover up her mistakes instead of solving the problem. We should use our intelligence to help others, improve ourselves, and create value. That is true wisdom.
