English Original
There was once a young peasant named Hans. His uncle wanted to find him a rich wife. He seated Hans behind a hot stove, gave him a pot of milk, some white bread, and a bright new farthing, saying, "Hans, hold the farthing fast, crumble the bread into the milk, and stay here until I return." Hans agreed.
The uncle then put on a pair of old patched trousers and went to the next village to see a rich peasant's daughter. "Will you marry my nephew Hans?" he asked. "He is an honest, sensible man."
The covetous father asked, "What are his means? Does he have bread to eat?"
"My dear friend," replied the wooer, "my nephew has a snug berth, a nice bit of money, and plenty of bread. Besides, he has as many patches as I do." As he spoke, he slapped the patches on his trousers. In that region, small plots of land were also called "patches." "If you come with me, you'll see it's all true."
The miser, not wanting to miss this chance, said, "If that's the case, I agree to the marriage."
The wedding was celebrated on the appointed day. When the young wife went out to see her husband's property, Hans took off his good coat and put on his patched smock, saying, "I might spoil my good coat."
As they walked, whenever they saw a boundary or a divided field, Hans would point and then slap a patch on his smock. "That patch is mine, and that one too, my dear. Just look," he said. He meant for his wife to look at his garment—his own property—and not at the broad land.
中文翻译
从前有个年轻的农夫叫汉斯。他的叔叔想给他找个有钱的妻子。叔叔让汉斯坐在火热的炉子后面，给了他一罐牛奶、一些白面包和一枚闪亮的新法寻，说：“汉斯，握紧这法寻，把面包掰碎放进牛奶里，待在这儿直到我回来。”汉斯答应了。
随后，叔叔穿上一条打满补丁的旧裤子，去到邻村见一个富农的女儿。“你愿意嫁给我的侄子汉斯吗？”他问道，“他是个诚实、明理的人。”
贪婪的父亲问：“他的家境如何？有面包吃吗？”
“亲爱的朋友，”求婚者回答，“我侄子有个舒适的差事，手头有点钱，面包也充足。而且，他的‘补丁’和我一样多。”他边说边拍了拍裤子上的补丁。在那个地区，小块土地也被称作“补丁”。“如果你跟我回去看看，就会知道我说的是真的。”
守财奴不想错过这个机会，便说：“既然如此，我同意这门婚事。”
婚礼在约定的日子举行了。当新婚妻子出门去看丈夫的财产时，汉斯脱下好外套，换上了打补丁的工作罩衫，说：“我可别弄坏了我的好衣服。”
他们一路走着，每当看到地界或分隔的田地，汉斯就会用手指一指，然后拍拍罩衫上或大或小的一个补丁。“那块补丁是我的，那块也是，亲爱的，快看看。”他说。他的意思是让妻子别盯着广阔的土地看，而应该看他自己的衣服——这才是他真正的财产。