The Poor Farmer and the Rich Miser

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who was as poor as a church mouse. Even though he worked very hard, he had to borrow money from the same greedy money-lender every time there was a bad harvest.

One year, the wheat was blown away by a raging typhoon. Another time thick, dark clouds gathered high above the fields and a terrible storm washed the harvest away. The hail destroyed the fields completely.

When there was finally a good year and the harvest was abundant, the poor farmer owed the greedy old man so much money that he not only had to give back what he'd borrowed, but also every little bit that was left of the crops.

In the end, it didn’t really matter at all if it was a good year or a bad one. The farmer always lived in poverty, while the money-lender kept getting richer and richer.

Then, one night, the farmer had a very peculiar dream.

The wise King Ram came to him in the dream and said: “If you wish to find wealth, you must seek my advice.”

When the farmer woke up, he took it into his head to find King Ram and ask him for help. He made three large flatbreads made of flour, water and salt for his long journey and he set out.

The farmer had been walking along the road for quite a while, whistling to make the time pass faster, when he suddenly came across a tall, thin monk.

He offered him one of his flatbreads and asked him how to get to King Ram. But the serious monk gave him no advice. He just took the bread and left without uttering a single word.

The farmer kept walking along the…