The plague mowed down indiscriminately and without mercy, there were one or two people left in this village in the houses. And in those days, there were some families - up to twenty mouths lived under one roof.
Misfortune for this family too. The father, mother and their four sons gave their souls to God, miraculously only a girl of about twelve remained alive. Her name was Renya. Compassionate neighbors offered her to move in with them, but the girl turned out to be a character and declared that she would keep house alone as much as she could.
People helped her, because grief always brings her closer. The cattle were sold in more detail, the horse was taken to the neighbors on the condition that if there was a need for traction, they would not refuse. There was a different bird, five sheep and a cat with a dog. That's how Renya grew up, busy with household chores. The vegetable garden and small field were always well-groomed, the house was kept clean, she even found time to go to gatherings with her friends. And she never refused to help her fellow villagers during the hot season.
Renya grew up hardworking, friendly, and not deprived of beauty by God. Time passed, and the guys began to look at the beauty of a girl, they began to ask to spend time at home, they tried to sit closer at gatherings. Renya treated this with restraint, but the elders began to advise her that it was time to get married. Men's strength is needed in the house, everything needs to be done in a divine way - to get a family, and then the Lord will make children happy, and the house will be filled with happiness with them.
Meanwhile, the young mistress began to notice that when she was away from home on business, someone was doing minor household chores. He'll take the bowl off the table, put his wet shoes on the stove, and pour milk into a saucer for the cat. Although it seems that the doors were bolted shut. The orphan began to remember that his mother, when she was still alive, said that their grandmother's housekeeper lived in their house - she was small, cheerful, and respected cleanliness and order very much.
And then one long winter evening, Renya was making fine yarn, and from behind the stove, a doormat came to the table in a handkerchief and a polka-dot apron. The hostess was not afraid, she immediately told me that her mother had told her about her a long time ago. The couple must have met. But why hadn't she shown up before? It turns out that the housekeeper decided that with the death of the previous mistress, there would be no order and comfort in the house from the baby's baby. She left the house, but then came back and was very happy that the young mistress was just like her mother-she was just as quick-witted. That's why I stayed.
"So what's your name?" Renya asked.
She replied that she was Nyushayu.
Since then, the housekeeper Nyushka often got out from behind the stove and sat next to it. She liked listening to songs when Renya sang while doing handwork.
One such evening, the girl decided to ask the housekeeper how to find out about her girl's fate before marriage. She wanted to know who would be her protector, with whom she would have to live in love.
"You have to listen to your heart," Nyushka answered her.
"So they're all good," Renya said sincerely. - But most of the time my heart beats when I see Fyodor.
"Let me help you," Grandma replied softly. - If the suitors show up, try to leave you alone with each of them, and I'll do everything there myself, I have one thought...
The autumn turned out to be fruitful and dry. The fields, puffed up with rye, were filled with fresh smoke from the arable land. It's matchmaking time. So the groom, who was the first, opened the gate of Renna with a deft hand. The guest is well received. The treats are modest, but from the heart.
"Stay late," Renya says to the groom first, as the guests filed towards the door. They stayed at the dining table. Talking about this and that... Suddenly, the groom's gaze falls to the wooden floor, and there lies a golden one, flaunted, lost by someone, that's probably just. The groom coughed, asked for water to be brought in ladles, and the one on the bench in the hall was cooler. Only the girl came out into the hall, and the guest put a coin in his pocket once. Hurrying, he immediately rushed out of the house.
"He's a small-minded kid. A thieving one. He should live with evil and greed, not with a beautiful wife," Nyushka said when they sat down to dinner with the young hostess after dark. - And the gold piece will literally immediately turn into an acorn in his pocket.
We laughed and went to bed with a calm soul.
The second groom was so pompous, with his head in the air, like a rooster from a neighbor's yard. No matter what he looks at, he grunts, picks at his finger, blows his cheeks. He looked at Renya once, and then askance. But the girl still persuaded the student to sit on a sturdy bench, saying that she really wanted to say a few words in private.
"Do me a favor," says the groom, "but quickly." I have about a thousand more visits.
And suddenly he sees that a ringing coin is lying on the floor, as if thrown. My friends, how he has changed. I do not know how to recognize the former. Suddenly he fell to his knees. He began to wring his hands, beat his chest, and said he wanted to hide his love, but he couldn't stand it:
"Tomorrow.".. Yes, even now, that we have tomorrow, get down the aisle right now.
And so, imperceptibly, he deftly picked up the coin and put it in his pocket. A little Renka fought off the stubborn scoundrel. I was suffocating, exhausted, putting him out the door.
And again, Renya and the housekeeper Nyushka were happy, remembering this groom.
"Look at you," said the housekeeper, "how suddenly the big man was transformed when he saw the gold. I decided to get married, but not for love, but for a vile calculation. He probably thought you were rich in gold. He's been suffering like this for a century, living with such an insignificant soul...
Fyodor, the bricklayer, also looked into the feminine house with his father and his old grandmother. Everything was the same as with the previous grooms, they sat under the icons, the hostess's treats were praised, and they did not fail to say a kind word about the young man. And when the guests were about to leave, Renya pulled Fyodor's sleeve and asked him to stay just a little bit. And as soon as the guy sat down on the bench, a pair of gold heels glistened at his feet... Fyodor picked it up, "Look, girl, we lost the guests who were here to see me. If they come back, it means they are earned later, if not, they don't know the price for it. And then I propose to take this gold to the church for the holiday, so that it can be finished with. And you and I, Renyushka, if everything goes well with us, we will work together, we will get our goods. And then it will be doubly enjoyable for us""
That's how Renya and his housekeeper Nyushka chose the groom. I went on a roll before the wedding, followed by happiness in the house, prosperity and consent.