Once upon a time in Seri, there were two salesmen of pots, pans, and handmade trinkets. They agreed to divide the town between them and allowed each other to sell in the other's area afterward.
One day, a poor girl saw one salesman and asked her grandmother for a bracelet. The grandmother said they were too poor. The girl suggested trading their old, black, sooty plate. The grandmother invited the salesman in.
The salesman, seeing their poverty, didn't want to waste time. Despite the grandmother's pleas, he said he had no affordable bracelets. She then offered to trade the old plate. He took it and, while examining, scratched it, revealing gold underneath. He decided to deceive them, claiming the plate was worthless, and left, planning to return later for a lower price.
Meanwhile, the second salesman finished his area and came to the same house. The girl again begged to trade the plate. The grandmother, finding him kind, invited him in and offered the same plate. He also discovered it was gold and told her, "All my goods and money are not worth this golden plate!"
Shocked but recognizing his honesty, the grandmother agreed to trade. He offered all his wares and money, keeping only eight coins and his scale with its cover for the plate. They traded. He went to the river and paid the eight coins to the ferryman.
The greedy salesman returned, dreaming of profit, and offered a few cents for the "useless" plate. The grandmother calmly told him of her trade with the honest man, saying, "Sir, you lied to us."
The greedy man, not ashamed but saddened by his loss, asked for the honest man's direction. He left his goods at her door and ran to the river, shouting, "He robbed me!" He saw the honest man on the ferry and yelled for it to return, but the ferryman continued across.
Helpless, the greedy man exploded with rage. He jumped, beat his chest, and was filled with such hatred that he coughed up blood, had a heart attack, and died on the spot.
The moral is: "Honesty is the best policy."