Once upon a time in the kingdom of Vijayanagara, there lived a miserly merchant named Govinda. He was known throughout the town for his extreme stinginess and reluctance to spend even a single coin unnecessarily. Govinda owned a small shop where he sold various goods, but he was unwilling to part with his wealth for anything beyond his basic needs.
One day, Tenali Raman, the witty court jester, came across Govinda’s shop while passing through the marketplace. Curious about the merchant’s reputation for being miserly, Tenali decided to pay him a visit.
As Tenali entered the shop, he noticed the merchant sitting behind the counter, counting his coins with a stern expression. Govinda looked up and greeted Tenali with suspicion, wondering what had brought the jester to his humble store.
Tenali, ever the keen observer, quickly understood Govinda’s personality and decided to test his miserliness. He pretended to be interested in purchasing an item from the shop and asked Govinda about its price.
The merchant, eager to make a sale, quoted an exorbitant price for the item, hoping to take advantage of Tenali’s apparent interest. However, Tenali feigned shock and dismay at the high price, pretending that it far exceeded his budget.
Undeterred by Tenali’s hesitation, Govinda tried to justify the price, claiming that the item was of superior quality and worth every penny. But Tenali remained skeptical, insisting that the price was unjustifiable for such a simple product.
Seeing Tenali’s reluctance to make the purchase, Govinda, fearing he would lose the sale, reluctantly lowered the price, hoping to strike a deal. However, Tenali continued to haggle, pushing Govinda to reduce the price even further.
Finally, after much negotiation, Govinda agreed to sell the item to Tenali at a significantly reduced price, albeit grudgingly. As Tenali paid for the item and left the shop, Govinda couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat at having been outwitted by the clever jester.
Important vocabularies:
- Miserly: Characterized by extreme stinginess or unwillingness to spend money.
- Reluctance: Hesitation or unwillingness to do something.
- Stinginess: Extreme unwillingness to part with money or resources; excessive frugality.
- Merchant: A person who buys and sells goods, often in a shop or store.
- Exorbitant: Unreasonably high or excessive, especially in price.
- Skepticism: Doubt or disbelief in the truth or validity of something.
- Haggle: To bargain or negotiate, especially over the price of something.
- Grudgingly: Reluctantly or unwillingly, often with resentment or displeasure.
