The Bride and the Matchmakers
In one family, there was a daughter of marriageable age. One day, matchmakers came to their house. The father, being a wise man, said:
- It is a sin to keep an adult daughter at home. We have known you for a long time; you are good people, and we can become related. The satisfied matchmakers left. Days and weeks passed, but no one else came. After some time, new matchmakers arrived. The girl's father also gave his consent. But these matchmakers also left and seemed to have disappeared.
Some more time passed, and again new matchmakers appeared in their house.
- We agree, prepare for the wedding, - said the girl's father.
And suddenly, exactly one week later, all three matchmakers appeared at their doorstep.
The bewildered host went into the next room and addressed the Almighty:
- O, great Creator, give me strength and guide me on what to do, for I have promised to marry my daughter to the sons of three different people.
And suddenly he heard a voice from above:
- Bring your daughter, a donkey, and a dog into one room. After a minute, go in, and you will see everything for yourself. The host did just that. A little later, he entered the room and saw not one daughter, but three identical beauties. Overjoyed, he married all three. Time passed, and he decided to find out which of the three houses his daughter ended up in. In the house of the first matchmakers, he immediately asked: Are you satisfied with your daughter-in-law?
To which they replied:
- The daughter-in-law is wonderful, kind, and hardworking. It's as if she has lived in our house since birth. We have grown very fond of her.
In the second house, he asked the same question and heard that the daughter-in-law turned out to be obedient and faithful. But alas, if you contradict her in anything, she starts throwing angry glances.
And in the third house, he was told that the daughter-in-law is exceptionally hardworking and undemanding. But what a nuisance: suddenly, for no reason at all, she can become so stubborn that you can't budge her.
After these encounters with the relatives, the girl's father thought:
- Yes, no matter how much you decorate or refine, the essence, it turns out, does not change in a person!