There were once two brothers who were both soldiers. One was rich and the other was poor. To make his life better, the poor brother decided to leave the army. He took off his red uniform and became a gardener. He worked hard, digging the soil and planting turnip seeds.
One of the turnip plants grew much bigger than the others. It kept growing and growing until it became the largest turnip anyone had ever seen. It was so big that it filled an entire cart, and two oxen could hardly pull it. The gardener didn't know what to do with it. "If I sell it, I won't get much money," he thought. "And small turnips taste better. I will give it to the King to show my respect."
He drove the cart to the palace. When the King saw it, he cried, "What a wonderful thing! I have seen many strange objects, but never a monster like this. You must be very lucky."
"No," the gardener replied. "I am just a poor soldier. I have a rich brother who everyone knows, but because I am poor, everyone forgets me."
The King felt sorry for him and said, "You will not be poor anymore." He gave the gardener gold, land, and many animals. Soon, the gardener was even richer than his brother.
When the rich brother heard the news, he was very jealous. He wanted the same good luck for himself. He decided to be clever. He bought expensive gifts of gold and fine horses for the King, thinking, "If my brother got so much for a turnip, the King will give me a fortune for these!"
The King accepted the gifts, but he told the brother that he already had the perfect reward. He gave the rich brother the giant turnip. The soldier had to put the turnip in a cart and pull it all the way home. He was so angry that he decided to kill his brother.
He hired some criminals and told them where to hide. Then he went to his brother and said, "Dear brother, I have found a hidden treasure. Let’s go and dig it up together." The brother suspected nothing. As they walked, the criminals jumped out, tied him up, and prepared to hang him from a tree.
Suddenly, they heard a horse coming. The criminals got scared, so they pushed the gardener into a sack, hung it from a branch, and ran away. The gardener worked hard until he made a small hole in the sack so he could see out.
The rider was a young student, singing happily. When the gardener saw him, he called out, "Good morning, my friend!"
The student looked around, confused. "Who is speaking?"
"Look up!" the gardener said. "I am sitting here in the Sack of Wisdom. In a short time, I have learned amazing things. I can see the stars, understand the wind, and know how to heal the sick. If you were here, you would feel the power of knowledge."
The student was very impressed. "Can I get into the sack for a while?" he asked.
"Well," the gardener replied, "if you pay me and wait a little longer, I will let you in."
The student waited, but he was very impatient. Finally, the gardener said, "Untie the rope and let me down." The student did it and set the gardener free. "Now, let me go up!" the student cried.
"Wait, you are doing it wrong," the gardener said. He pushed the student into the sack head-first, tied it, and pulled him up into the air. "How is it there, my friend? Do you feel the wisdom yet? Stay there and rest until you are smarter."
Then, the gardener took the student’s horse and rode away, leaving the poor student to "gather wisdom" until someone else came to help him.