Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a hardworking young man who earned his living by selling crabs that he dug daily from the rice paddy mud.

After saving money for a few years, he had saved enough to have a small home built for himself. The house stood on long stilts and had a wooden structure. When the construction was finally completed, the homeowner happily moved in.

After a few days, a traveler passed by and asked to be given refuge for a couple of days before he went on with his journey to the next destination. The homeowner was kind and generous. When he saw the weary traveler, he felt sorry for him and permitted him to rest for a few days in his newly built home.

During his short stay, the traveler took note of everything about the house. He observed how many windows and doors there were, how many stilts it sat on, the measurements of the rooms, what kind of materials were used for the roof, etc.

Almost ten days passed and the traveler did not attempt to move on. He still lingered around the house as if it was his permanent dwelling.

The homeowner finally asked him: "Please get out of my house so I can bring my relatives in to live with me."

The guest's voice changed from the soft, begging tone he used when he first arrived into a firm, demanding tone, and he said: "What do you mean? This is my house. You are the one who came to stay for a while. You are the one who should go."

The homeowner was shocked with disbelief and incredibly disappointed. He felt regret and blamed himself for trusting a complete stranger.

The two kept on fighting and arguing over and over. The house guest relentlessly still claimed the house to be his. Eventually, the two men brought their conflict to the top judge of the region who still could not solve the matter. The judge told them to go to the King, which they did.

In their appearance before the King, the King asked the house guest: "What do you know about the house?"

The man started to tell the King what he observed and documented, how many doors and windows there were, the distance between each one, how many beams held up the house, what kind of roof it had, etc.

Then the King asked the homeowner: "What do you know about the house?"

The homeowner's answers were the same as the house guest's. Hence, the King could still not decide who was the real owner and proceeded to ask more questions:

"How far underground did you install the stilts?"

The guest answered: "Approximately two feet."

The owner replied: "A foot and a half!"

The King asked: "Are there any irregularities?"

The guest answered: "None."

The owner replied: "Yes, there is one. The northeast stilts sit on a softer muddy ground. I put more support there to hold the stilts so they do not move."

The King then ordered his officers to dig up the mentioned stilts and saw they were indeed installed on muddy clay.

So the King awarded the house to its rightful owner and he ordered to have the house guest punished.

The homeowner thanked the King for his wisdom and justice.