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Hans was a cheerful young man who lived with his mother in a small village surrounded by meadows and streams. He was good-hearted but not very wise, and everyone called him Clever Hans because he believed he was clever, though his ideas often turned out to be foolish. One day, after working many years for a farmer, he decided to visit his mother and show her how much he had earned from his service. The farmer gave him a big piece of gold as payment for his hard work. Happy and proud, Hans carried it home on his shoulder.
As Hans walked, the heavy gold made him tired. He stopped by a well and rested, thinking how wonderful it would be if he didn’t have to carry such a heavy thing. Just then, he saw a man riding a fine horse. Hans admired how easily the man moved along and said, “Oh, how lucky you are to ride a horse! I have to walk and carry this heavy lump.” The man smiled and said, “Well, you could ride if you had a horse.” Hans thought for a moment and eagerly replied, “I’ll trade my gold for your horse!” The man agreed at once, and they exchanged the horse for the lump of gold. Hans jumped on the horse, feeling proud of his clever deal.
He rode happily for a while, but after some time, the horse began to gallop faster and faster. Hans, who had never ridden before, bounced up and down helplessly and was soon thrown into a ditch. A peasant who saw the fall came to help him. Hans complained that the horse was too wild and not good for him. The peasant said, “If you had a cow instead, you could have milk every day and still walk safely beside her.” Hans thought this was a wonderful idea. He traded the horse for the cow without hesitation and walked along smiling, imagining all the milk, butter, and cheese he would have.
As Hans grew thirsty on his way home, he stopped at a nearby stream and decided to drink some fresh milk from his cow. He took out his mug, but no matter how hard he tried, not a single drop came out. A butcher walking by saw him struggling and said, “That cow is too old to give milk. She’s only good for meat now.” Hans felt sad, but the butcher offered, “I’ll trade you my pig for your cow.” Thinking this was another clever bargain, Hans agreed and happily led the pig along, imagining the fine roasted dinners he would have.
Soon Hans met a man carrying a goose under his arm. The man greeted him and asked where he got his pig. Hans proudly explained his trade. The man frowned and said, “Oh no, Hans, haven’t you heard? There’s been a theft in the next village. A pig was stolen this morning, and they’re looking for it. They might think it’s yours.” Hans turned pale. “What should I do?” he asked in fright. The man said kindly, “I’ll help you. If you give me the pig, I’ll give you my goose. No one will question that.” Hans was relieved and agreed. He walked on with the goose, feeling proud again that he had escaped trouble and gained a fine bird for his supper.
After walking a while, Hans met a scissor-grinder who sharpened knives for people in exchange for money. The grinder admired Hans’s goose and said, “You’re a lucky man, Hans. But if you had a grindstone like mine, you could sharpen knives for others and earn coins every day.” Hans’s eyes lit up at the thought of easy money. “That sounds wonderful,” he said. “Would you trade your stone for my goose?” The grinder agreed and gave Hans a small grinding stone along with a heavy one for good measure. Hans thanked him and walked on, whistling cheerfully, thinking that he was the smartest man in the world.
After a while, the sun grew hot, and Hans became tired carrying the heavy stones. His hands ached, and sweat poured down his face. He reached a well to take a drink and set the stones carefully on the edge. As he leaned down to drink, one of the stones slipped and fell into the water with a splash. Shocked, Hans tried to reach it but couldn’t. Then the second stone slipped from his hand and tumbled into the well too. For a moment, Hans stared, but then a big smile spread across his face. “Thank goodness!” he said aloud. “Now I don’t have to carry those heavy things anymore. How lucky I am!”
Feeling light and free, Hans jumped up joyfully and ran home to tell his mother how clever he had been in his trades. When he reached his house, his mother hugged him and listened to his story from beginning to end. As he told her how he traded his gold for a horse, the horse for a cow, the cow for a pig, the pig for a goose, and the goose for a grindstone, she nodded, trying not to show her shock. When he explained that the stones had fallen into the well and that he was lucky to be rid of them, she laughed and said gently, “Yes, my dear Hans, you always manage to find your happiness, don’t you?”
Hans smiled proudly, thinking he had been the cleverest man in the world that day. He sat by his mother’s hearth, tired but content, dreaming about his adventures. Though he returned home empty-handed, his heart was full of joy. He believed he had made wise trades and that fortune had smiled upon him. His mother, seeing how happy he was, said nothing more, for she knew her son’s simple heart could find peace in anything.
The next morning, Hans decided to visit the nearby market to tell everyone about his cleverness. On his way, he met the same grinder again, who asked, “How’s your business with the grindstone going, Hans?” Hans laughed and said, “It’s the best thing that ever happened! My stones fell into the well, and now I don’t have to carry them anymore.” The grinder raised his eyebrows, realizing Hans truly believed it was good luck. He chuckled and said, “You are indeed a lucky man, Hans. You always find the bright side of everything.” Hans grinned and replied, “That’s why they call me Clever Hans!”
From that day on, people in the village often spoke of him with laughter and fondness. Whenever anyone felt upset about losing something, they would say, “Be like Clever Hans—he always turns trouble into happiness.” Though his choices were foolish, Hans’s simple heart taught others to smile at their misfortunes. He became a little hero of joy in his village, always cheerful, always content, and never worrying about what he had lost.
Years passed, and Hans remained the same good-natured soul. He helped his mother with chores, carried water from the well, and chatted with neighbors. Sometimes the children asked him to tell the story of his great trades, and he would tell it with pride, his eyes shining with excitement. He described each trade as if it were a grand adventure, and the children laughed, learning from him that happiness often depends on how one sees things, not on what one owns.
Though Clever Hans never became rich or famous, his cheerful heart made him beloved by everyone. The villagers said he was the happiest man in the valley because he never worried about the past or longed for what he didn’t have. He believed that every loss was a gain, and every mistake was a blessing in disguise. When his mother grew old, he took care of her with kindness, bringing her flowers and milk from the neighbors, always smiling and saying, “See, Mother, how good life is to us!”
One evening, as the sun dipped behind the hills and painted the sky with gold, Hans sat by the door humming to himself. A traveler passing by asked for water, and Hans gladly shared it. The traveler noticed Hans’s cheerful face and asked, “My friend, you seem very happy. What is your secret?” Hans thought for a moment and said, “I just never think too hard. Whatever happens, I say, ‘That’s good!’ and I move on.” The traveler laughed and went on his way, thinking he had met the simplest yet wisest man he’d ever known.
As night fell, Hans looked at the stars and smiled. He remembered the golden lump he once carried, the horse that threw him, the cow that gave no milk, the pig that nearly got him in trouble, the goose that made him proud, and the stones that sank in the well. Yet he felt no regret. “Everything happens for the best,” he whispered. “If I hadn’t lost those things, I wouldn’t be this happy now.” And with that thought, Clever Hans lay down to sleep, dreaming sweet dreams of new adventures that might come tomorrow.
The villagers would often say later, “There goes Hans, clever in his own way.” And perhaps they were right—for in a world full of people chasing gold and wealth, Hans had found something far rarer: the joy of being content. His story became a gentle lesson told to children at bedtime, reminding them that sometimes true cleverness is not about gaining more, but about smiling when you have less.