Once upon a time, there was a wealthy farmer. He had two handsome sons, one named János and the other named István.
When the two boys grew into men, their father said to them:
"Listen, my sons, you have both grown up and it’s time for you to get married. Each of you should find a suitable girl and ask her hand in marriage. But I advise you to be very careful before making your choice, because wives, like men, can be very different from one another."
The elder son, János, gathered his courage and said:
"Dear Father, I will go out and seek my fortune, to see if I can find a good woman."
So the elder son set off to look for a bride. He arrived at a house where there was a marriageable young woman. He politely greeted the girl's parents and told them that he planned to get married, though he would only be able to marry after returning from military service. Before he left for the army, however, he wanted to meet the girl and ask her clearly if she would wait for him for three years.
"Alright, my boy," the father replied, "you go ahead and talk to my daughter. If she likes you, of course she will wait for you for three years."
So the young man asked the girl:
"Oh, my little dove, I am going to serve in the army for three years. Would you be willing to wait for me? Could you promise to wait until I return? And how will you prove that you'll wait for me all this time?"
The girl answered:
"I will do this, dear one: I will not sweep my house for three years so that no other young man can enter it."
"Good! May God bless us both!"
The young man then went to another girl's house to propose. Again, he politely greeted the girl's parents and explained his intentions. The girl's father said:
"Go ahead and ask the girl if she likes you."
So the young man asked the girl:
"Oh, darling, would you be willing to become my wife? Would you wait for me until I finish my military service? And what will you do to ensure that no other young man asks for your hand?"