A grandfather who lived in the countryside went into town one day to trade his only possession—a horse—for something else. First, he exchanged the horse for a cow. A little later, he traded the cow for a sheep. Then the sheep for a goose, the goose for a hen, and finally, he traded the hen for a sack of spoiled apples.
At a tavern, two men overheard the grandfather telling his story and decided to make a bet with him. They wagered a hundred gold coins, convinced that his wife would be furious when she found out how he had traded away their horse.
When the grandfather arrived home with the two men, he told his wife everything that had happened in town. As he spoke, she responded with joy and encouragement at every turn: “That was a good trade,” “Even better than before,” “You did the right thing.” When he finally said that he had ended up with a sack of spoiled apples, she smiled and said, “Perfect timing. I needed apples today!”
True to their word, the two men handed over the hundred gold coins, completely amazed by the couple’s warm and supportive relationship.
This story is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale What the Old Man Does Is Always Right. A simple, kind-hearted husband and a wife who offers him unwavering support—if every couple were like this, wouldn’t every home be filled with peace?