A Win-Win

Once upon a time, there was a wise man. The wise man wanted a horse so that traveling would be easier for him.  He went to a farmer and offered to buy his only horse. The farmer agreed, and the wise man paid £100 in advance and said that he would take the horse the next day.

The next day when he returned, the farmer told him that the horse had sadly died, and that he had already spent the £100 that the wise man had given him. The wise man thought for a second, and then asked if he could still take the dead horse which the farmer happily agreed to.

After a few days, the wise man returned to the village. The farmer came up to him and asked what he had done with the dead horse? The wise man said,

"I sold the horse for £500!" 

The farmer was amazed. He asked,

"How is this possible?"

The wise man explained,

"I went to a nearby fair. There, I set up a small stand and offered the horse through a lottery. The ticket was only £5. One hundred and two people participated, and in the end, I gave the horse to the winner."

"Didn't anyone complain?" the farmer asked.

"Yes, the winner complained about this."

"So what did you do?"

"I gave him double his money back!"

Here's a musical offering to accompany the start of a new year!