The Hundred-Knot Bamboo Tree Story

Once upon a time, in a certain village, there lived a farmer named Khoai. He was gentle and hardworking, making a living by working for a wealthy landowner. Though the landowner was rich, he was stingy, and seeing Khoai's honest, good-natured character, he devised a plan to trick Khoai and avoid paying him. The landowner called Khoai over and said, "If you work hard for me, in three years, I will give you my daughter’s hand in marriage."

Believing in the promise, he worked tirelessly, plowing and laboring diligently, bringing in a great harvest of rice for the landowner. However, three years later, when the landowner had accumulated all his wealth, he turned his back on Khoai. He imposed a new condition: Khoai had to find a bamboo stalk with one hundred joints to build a house for his daughter before he would agree to the marriage.

Determined to marry the landowner’s daughter, Khoai ventured into the forest, resolved to find a bamboo stalk with one hundred joints. After searching endlessly without success, he sat down in despair and began to cry. Suddenly, a Fairy Godfather appeared and asked, “Why are you crying?”
Respectfully, Khoai recounted his story. After listening, the Fairy Godfather said, “Go and gather one hundred bamboo joints for me.” Filled with joy, Khoai set off to collect the bamboo joints. The Fairy Godfather instructed him, “When you want to join the one hundred joints together into a single stalk, recite the magic words ‘join together, join together.’ To separate the joints, say ‘separate, separate.’”
Before Khoai could express his gratitude, the Fairy Godfather vanished. He then returned to the village with the bamboo joints.

When Khoai returned to the landowner's house, he found that the landowner was organizing a wedding for his daughter. Realizing he had been tricked, Khoai became furious. He took the bamboo joints and placed them in the middle of the courtyard, calling for the landowner to come and see. The landowner, seeing only the joints and not a complete stalk, laughed and said, “I told you to bring back a bamboo stalk with one hundred joints, not just the joints themselves!”
Khoai then recited, “Join together, join together,” and the bamboo joints instantly fused together into a single stalk with one hundred joints. The landowner was astonished and reached out to touch the bamboo stalk. Khoai quickly repeated the magic words, and the landowner found himself stuck to the bamboo and unable to escape. Seeing this, the people around rushed to help the landowner, but when Khoai recited the words again, they all became stuck to the bamboo as well.
Terrified, the landowner begged Khoai to release him and promised to keep his word by giving his daughter’s hand in marriage. In the end, Khoai and the landowner's daughter lived together happily ever after.