English Original
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."
中文翻译
从前，在 Seri 地方，有两个贩卖锅碗瓢盆和手工小饰品的商人。他们约定平分这个镇子，并允许之后互相在对方区域售卖。
一天，一个贫穷的小女孩看到其中一个商人，便请求祖母给她买一个手镯。祖母说她们太穷了。女孩建议用她们那个又黑又脏的旧盘子来交换。祖母便邀请商人进屋。
商人见她们贫穷，不想浪费时间。尽管祖母恳求，他仍说没有她们买得起的手镯。祖母于是提出用旧盘子交换。他接过盘子检查时，刮了一下，发现下面竟是金子。他决定欺骗她们，声称盘子一文不值，然后离开，打算晚点再来用更低的价格买走。
与此同时，第二个商人结束了自己的区域，来到了同一户人家。女孩再次恳求用盘子交换。祖母觉得他面相和善，便邀请他进屋，提出了同样的交易。他也发现了盘子是金的，并告诉她：“我所有的货物和钱加起来，也不如这个金盘子值钱！”
祖母很震惊，但也认出了他的诚实，便同意交易。商人提出用他所有的货物和钱来交换，只给自己留下八枚硬币和那杆带盒子的秤（用来装金盘子）。交易达成后，他来到河边，用那八枚硬币付了渡船费。
贪婪的商人回来了，满脑子幻想着巨额利润，提出用几分钱买那个“没用”的旧盘子。祖母平静地告诉他，她已经和那个诚实的商人做了交易，并说：“先生，你欺骗了我们。”
贪婪的商人并不羞愧，只为自己的损失感到难过，他询问了诚实商人的去向。他把货物留在祖母门口，跑到河边，大喊：“他抢了我的东西！”他看到诚实商人还在渡船上，便大喊让船回来，但船夫继续向对岸驶去。
无计可施之下，贪婪的商人勃然大怒。他上蹿下跳，捶打胸膛，心中充满了对得到金盘子的诚实商人的怨恨，以致咳出血来，心脏病发作，当场死亡。
故事的寓意是：“诚实为上策。”