Once upon a time, there was a boy named Bandit and a girl named Neang Nuth .They were friends. One day Bandit said to Neang Nuth "Hey, Neang Nuth! If any girl, in the future, wants to be my wife, she must fulfill duties of wife. That is, if she can take the scarf to the riverbank for me to take a bath, I will marry her." Neang Nuth replied, "My brother! I think the same way as you do. If any boy can take the scarf to riverbank for me, I will marry him, too.”
For many years later, Bandit was old enough to become a monk. After he defrocked from the monkshood, his parents asked Neang Nuth to marry their son. After marrying, they both loved each other very much, and Neang Nuth performed her duties properly. One day the husband and wife went to take bath in the river. Suddenly, Neang Nuth shouted to her husband, "My darling! I forgot my swimming skirt. Please bring it to me." Bandit, then, took the skirt to his wife at the edge of the water.
When they were in bed, they chatted about this and that. The wife made fun of her husband. “If I marry a man, he must take my skirt to me at the riverside. Now, I attained my goal as I wished,” she said.
When Bandit heard that, it remembered him of what he previously said. He felt embarrassed and thought he should not have been defeated by a woman. He stopped chatting. Not knowing that her husband was upset, Neang Nuth fell asleep.
Bandit took a junk and left his wife that night. He arrived at a harbor controlled by a millionaire known as "Sethei Bomplagn Chhmougn" (millionaire cheating merchants). When the millionaire knew that there was a junk arriving, he was very happy. He asked his servants to make a party and prepare food for the junk owner. The millionaire talked to Bandit in a friendly way and asked him to stay there for a few days. While they were having meal, the millionaire asked a servant to hide a gold turtle in Bandit's junk.
Afterwards, Bandit went up to say good-bye to the millionaire and then continued his journey. "Hey, young man! You cannot leave right now because I have lost my inherited gold turtle. I need to search for it in your junk," claimed the millionaire.
"Please go and look for it. I am an innocent person; I never steal anyone's things," replied Bandit, not knowing that it was a trick. "Well! If I discover it in your junk, do you agree to give me your junk and your wealth; and to be my servant?" the millionaire added. “Yes,” Bandit replied angrily.
The millionaire asked his servants to look for his gold turtle. After they found it out exactly, the millionaire confiscated the junk and wealth, and Bandit became his servant as promised.
Talking about Neang Nuth, when she got up and did not see her husband, she shouted loudly and sent many people to look for him everywhere. She did not realize her husband left her until she found out that she lost one of her junks.
When she arrived at the island of Sethei Bamphlagn Chhmougn, Neang Nuth saw her husband's junk. She looked everywhere but she did not see her husband. She asked the millionaire in order to land her junk and to look for her husband. When the dishonest millionaire saw the junk with lots of luggage arriving, he was very happy and tried to use the same trick. When they were having a party, the millionaire asked a servant to hide the gold turtle in Neang Nuth's junk. Luckily, Neang Nuth brought a Hill Myna that could speak human language with her. While the servant was hiding the turtle, the Myna saw this event and told its master about it. Knowing this, Neang Nuth tied up the gold turtle ano dropped it in the water.
She stayed there for several days, but she could not find her husband. Then, she decided to leave the millionaire and continued her journey. The millionaire charged her of stealing his turtle. She refused and claimed, "If there is your gold turtle in my junk, I agree to give you all of my luggage and my junk." "If we cannot find our gold turtle in your junk, we agree to give you all of our servants and wealth," the millionaire negligently boasted. After they both reached an agreement, the millionaire asked his servants to look for it. They tried to search everywhere in the junk, but they found nothing. Not succeeding in playing the trick, the millionaire gave Neang Nuth all his wealth; however, she did not accept all of it. She needed only five junks full with lots of luggage and a servant.
The millionaire called all his servants and asked Neang Nuth to choose one of them. She saw her husband wearing ragged clothes, and she found it difficult to recognize him. "I need this man, Mr. Bandit," she said. Bandit was very happy when he saw his wife coming to save his life. Then, they both discussed about their business.
When the dishonest millionaire’s plan failed, he was disappointed and furious, since he did not satisfy with the result; so he asked the servant who hid the gold turtle to confirm. “No one saw the gold turtle I hid, except for a Myna on the sail of the junk,” said the servant.
As soon as the millionaire heard that, he ordered a servant to kill the Myna. Before killing, he plucked its feathers one by one until the Myna fainted, and he kept it for salting in order to grill it for food.
Luckily, when this servant walked to get the salt, the Myna was conscious and jumped into a hole nearby. The servant ignored the Myna when he returned without seeing it there. Neang Nuth and Bandit left for their home even though they could not find their Myna.
Hiding itself until the night, the Myna got out of the hole and accidentally met the king of the white mouse. The Myna asked the mouse to make a hole to stay for a while until it had its feathers again. The mouse pitifully agreed.
Several days later, the Myna had its feathers again and wanted to pay back the good deed for the white mouse so the Myna said to the mouse, "Please make a long hole towards a temple in a pagoda so that my voice can come out of the hole." The king of the white mouse agreed to help the Myna again.
After the long hole was made, the Myna went to hide in the hole in the temple. Afterwards, there was a monk coming to recite the Dharma. The Myna pretended to be God and said, "Hey, young monk! Stop reciting! Why don't you go to tell the clergyman and the other Buddhist believers to celebrate the rice piling ceremony while I am alive?”
That monk immediately went to tell the head of the pagoda. Then they all came back to hear the voice again and they heard the same voice as the monk told. They beat the drum as a sign of gathering the villagers to celebrate the ceremony for seven days. The villagers carried the baskets of rice, cookies, and fruits to celebrate that religious ceremony.
It was a good opportunity for the Myna so he came to tell the king of the white mouse, "Hey, the king! Tell your mice to collect the food and store it. I leave you all to see my master."
“Men Make House, Women Make Homes”
- The END -
For many years later, Bandit was old enough to become a monk. After he defrocked from the monkshood, his parents asked Neang Nuth to marry their son. After marrying, they both loved each other very much, and Neang Nuth performed her duties properly. One day the husband and wife went to take bath in the river. Suddenly, Neang Nuth shouted to her husband, "My darling! I forgot my swimming skirt. Please bring it to me." Bandit, then, took the skirt to his wife at the edge of the water.
When they were in bed, they chatted about this and that. The wife made fun of her husband. “If I marry a man, he must take my skirt to me at the riverside. Now, I attained my goal as I wished,” she said.
When Bandit heard that, it remembered him of what he previously said. He felt embarrassed and thought he should not have been defeated by a woman. He stopped chatting. Not knowing that her husband was upset, Neang Nuth fell asleep.
Bandit took a junk and left his wife that night. He arrived at a harbor controlled by a millionaire known as "Sethei Bomplagn Chhmougn" (millionaire cheating merchants). When the millionaire knew that there was a junk arriving, he was very happy. He asked his servants to make a party and prepare food for the junk owner. The millionaire talked to Bandit in a friendly way and asked him to stay there for a few days. While they were having meal, the millionaire asked a servant to hide a gold turtle in Bandit's junk.
Afterwards, Bandit went up to say good-bye to the millionaire and then continued his journey. "Hey, young man! You cannot leave right now because I have lost my inherited gold turtle. I need to search for it in your junk," claimed the millionaire.
"Please go and look for it. I am an innocent person; I never steal anyone's things," replied Bandit, not knowing that it was a trick. "Well! If I discover it in your junk, do you agree to give me your junk and your wealth; and to be my servant?" the millionaire added. “Yes,” Bandit replied angrily.
The millionaire asked his servants to look for his gold turtle. After they found it out exactly, the millionaire confiscated the junk and wealth, and Bandit became his servant as promised.
Talking about Neang Nuth, when she got up and did not see her husband, she shouted loudly and sent many people to look for him everywhere. She did not realize her husband left her until she found out that she lost one of her junks.
When she arrived at the island of Sethei Bamphlagn Chhmougn, Neang Nuth saw her husband's junk. She looked everywhere but she did not see her husband. She asked the millionaire in order to land her junk and to look for her husband. When the dishonest millionaire saw the junk with lots of luggage arriving, he was very happy and tried to use the same trick. When they were having a party, the millionaire asked a servant to hide the gold turtle in Neang Nuth's junk. Luckily, Neang Nuth brought a Hill Myna that could speak human language with her. While the servant was hiding the turtle, the Myna saw this event and told its master about it. Knowing this, Neang Nuth tied up the gold turtle ano dropped it in the water.
She stayed there for several days, but she could not find her husband. Then, she decided to leave the millionaire and continued her journey. The millionaire charged her of stealing his turtle. She refused and claimed, "If there is your gold turtle in my junk, I agree to give you all of my luggage and my junk." "If we cannot find our gold turtle in your junk, we agree to give you all of our servants and wealth," the millionaire negligently boasted. After they both reached an agreement, the millionaire asked his servants to look for it. They tried to search everywhere in the junk, but they found nothing. Not succeeding in playing the trick, the millionaire gave Neang Nuth all his wealth; however, she did not accept all of it. She needed only five junks full with lots of luggage and a servant.
The millionaire called all his servants and asked Neang Nuth to choose one of them. She saw her husband wearing ragged clothes, and she found it difficult to recognize him. "I need this man, Mr. Bandit," she said. Bandit was very happy when he saw his wife coming to save his life. Then, they both discussed about their business.
When the dishonest millionaire’s plan failed, he was disappointed and furious, since he did not satisfy with the result; so he asked the servant who hid the gold turtle to confirm. “No one saw the gold turtle I hid, except for a Myna on the sail of the junk,” said the servant.
As soon as the millionaire heard that, he ordered a servant to kill the Myna. Before killing, he plucked its feathers one by one until the Myna fainted, and he kept it for salting in order to grill it for food.
Luckily, when this servant walked to get the salt, the Myna was conscious and jumped into a hole nearby. The servant ignored the Myna when he returned without seeing it there. Neang Nuth and Bandit left for their home even though they could not find their Myna.
Hiding itself until the night, the Myna got out of the hole and accidentally met the king of the white mouse. The Myna asked the mouse to make a hole to stay for a while until it had its feathers again. The mouse pitifully agreed.
Several days later, the Myna had its feathers again and wanted to pay back the good deed for the white mouse so the Myna said to the mouse, "Please make a long hole towards a temple in a pagoda so that my voice can come out of the hole." The king of the white mouse agreed to help the Myna again.
After the long hole was made, the Myna went to hide in the hole in the temple. Afterwards, there was a monk coming to recite the Dharma. The Myna pretended to be God and said, "Hey, young monk! Stop reciting! Why don't you go to tell the clergyman and the other Buddhist believers to celebrate the rice piling ceremony while I am alive?”
That monk immediately went to tell the head of the pagoda. Then they all came back to hear the voice again and they heard the same voice as the monk told. They beat the drum as a sign of gathering the villagers to celebrate the ceremony for seven days. The villagers carried the baskets of rice, cookies, and fruits to celebrate that religious ceremony.
It was a good opportunity for the Myna so he came to tell the king of the white mouse, "Hey, the king! Tell your mice to collect the food and store it. I leave you all to see my master."
“Men Make House, Women Make Homes”
- The END -
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