Summary

The Written Word Speaks

In a dark village, verbal agreements were considered the most trustworthy. People believed that "words are living things" and casually spoke whatever came to mind. However, only the old hermit who lived on the outskirts of the village disagreed with this idea. He always preached to the villagers, "Written words are the mirror reflecting the truth."

One night, while the villagers gathered for a feast, the wealthy farmer got drunk and declared, "I'll lend 1000 gold to anyone without money tomorrow!" The hermit, who was quietly laughing, didn’t miss his words. "If you really intend to lend, then write down your promise," he provocatively said. The farmer, feeling lazy, replied, "Well, fine," and in a drunken stupor, wrote it on paper.

The next day, a poor man from the village came to the farmer. "Excuse me, but I've come to borrow 1000 gold," he said, and the farmer's face changed color. He recalled the promise he had written in his drunken state and became perplexed. "That was just a joke back then! There's no way I can honor that!" he shouted, but the hermit appeared and quietly said, "The written word speaks. Your words are on this paper. You must keep your promise." As a result, he was forced to hand over the money.

Afterward, the villagers remembered the hermit’s words and recognized the horror of verbal agreements. However, the money lost by the wealthy farmer quickly returned. A new vow was established in the village, and everyone began to firmly adhere to the principle that "what is written speaks." In return, promises written in jest began to appear one after another, and occasionally, people would burst into laughter as they exchanged surprisingly futile documents. In the end, the village was wrapped in dark humor, and dealings based on jokes became part of everyday life.