Then the merchant said to the herdsman: "Take the donkey and have it plowing instead of the ox all day long!"
I laughed when I got to this part of the story! How naive the donkey is, giving such good advice to the Ox not knowing the merchant could hear them. I admire the donkey for its wisdom but the reality is: a person has to very careful before dishing out advice to another person because the universe can turn the advice to work against the advisor!
That's what happened in the tale of the Ox and Donkey. The merchant wisely made the donkey do the ox's work so as to teach it a lesson. And it learned in a harsh way! In all these drama, only the Ox was ignorant of all that happened. 🤣 So I see why the merchant laughed and fell on his behind —the Ox was gullible!
What I don't understand and agree with is why the merchant's wife wants to know the reason behind the laugh. Even after the merchant revealed that he'll die after revealing the reason, she still insisted. Why is she desperate to become a widow? I see she's terribly curious and believed the merchant was making fun of her but she should have trusted that her husband was not laughing at her. I hope the merchant doesn't die after he reveals the gift he has. Does this mean Sherehazade represents the "donkey" in this fable? Anxiously looking forward to the next chapter and hoping the merchant survives! Thank you 😊😊