Hi, Rebecca Shear here. Before we get to our story, exciting news.
Circle Round is going back on tour. with live recordings across the united states our first stop Sunday, October 5th in Parker, Colorado at the Pace Center.
And Circle Round Club members are invited to a special post-show meet and greet with me and composer Eric Shimalonis.
Get your tickets at wbur.org slash circle around and click on events.
We're announcing more tour stops soon, so stay tuned.
We look forward to circling around with you live.
WBUR podcasts, Boston. Let's say you want to make some money for your piggy bank.
So you decide to open a lemonade stand. The first thing you need to figure out is how much lemonade you're going to make, right?
In other words, how much you'll supply. To answer that question, you need to think about demand. or how much people will want your lemonade.
And that demand could change. In the warmer months, when people are craving a cool, refreshing beverage, demand will be higher. so you'll want your supply to be higher too.
But during the chillier months, when people would rather sip hot cocoa, Demand will be lower. so your supply should be lower too.
We call this idea supply and demand. And we're about to meet a clever woman who finds an ingenious way to supply exactly what people demand.
¶¶ I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today, our story is called The Secret of Success.
We found versions of this tale from many places, including the European countries of England and Wales, and the Asian nations of China, Japan, Korea and India.
Some really great people came together to bring you our version of this folktale. including actor, comedian, writer and podcast host Helen Hong.
A regular panelist on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.
She starred as Mrs. Wong on The Thundermans on Nickelodeon, and you can check her out in the new Netflix comedy film Family Switch.
So circle around everyone for the secret of success.
Yuna was raised on a farm in the country where she helped her parents grow and harvest rice.
From a very young age, Yuna was a dedicated worker.
Always the first one in the field each morning and the last one out each night.
But as she grew older, Yuna began to yearn for more.
So one summer morning, she sat her parents down at their farmhouse table and told them she had news.
I've decided I am moving to the city. I was thinking I'd get myself a job, maybe even start my own business.
I'll make enough money to buy my own house, and then you two can retire and come live with me.
You've taken such great care of me all my life.
It'll be my chance to take care of you. Thank you.
Yuna's parents gave her their blessing, along with a warm hug and a steaming hot pot of rice.
Yuna tucked the pot in her knapsack, then set off down the road.
At some point during her journey, She took a wrong turn and got lost.
Luckily, she was passing by a flower farm. where a crew of men and women were hard at work picking the most beautiful blossoms Yuna had ever seen.
Pardon me, sorry to bother you, but can you please tell me the way to the city?
The flower pickers were happy to set Yuna on the right path in exchange for their help.
She pulled her pot from her knapsack and gave them all of her rice.
The hungry workers gratefully ate it, then sent their new friend off with a... breathtaking bouquet of roses, violets, lilies, and tulips.
What stunning flowers! Thank you! When Yuna finally reached the buzzing, thrumming city, she could hardly contain her excitement.
I can't wait to find my fortune in this fabulous place.
The first thing I'll do is get a job. Goodness knows there are plenty of businesses around.
Surely someone is hiring. But as she soon learned... Sorry, miss.
That wasn't the case. We're not hiring right now.
Nope, not hiring. We're all staffed up. All staffed up.
Maybe come back next month? Yuno was growing discouraged.
How could she ever find success in this overwhelming place?
But then, as she was walking through a park, she happened to overhear two women chatting.
So, my dear, you asked about the secret of my success?
Yes! After all, you... are the most successful business women in the city.
And you came from such humble beginnings.
How did you do it? Yuna noticed that both women were nicely dressed, but one of them, the businesswoman, Were a frock so fancy, it must have cost more than Yuna's farmhouse.
Well, if you really want to know, the secret of my success is... imagination.
Imagination? Yes. When I first got to this city, I had nothing other than the clothes on my back.
The rather shabby clothes. So I had to be innovative.
Inventive. Enterprising. For instance?
Well, business is all about supply and demand, right?
If there's a demand for something, you'd do well to supply it.
And if you have a supply of something, you'd do well to create a demand.
And that takes imagination. So, for example...
The woman held up her hand and pointed a bejeweled finger across the park.
See that little brown mouse? The one nibbling food scraps near that hedge over there?
Sure, I see the mouse. But what does a mouse have to do with anything?
Well, with enough imagination, you could pick up something as insignificant as a little brown mouse.
And you could build a fortune! So... Are you really telling me that the road to success is paved with mice?
No, I'm telling you that the road to success is paved with one mouse.
If you're innovative, inventive, and enterprising enough to know what to do with it.
As the women continued talking, the wheels in Yuna's mind began to turn.
Building a fortune? From a mouse? It sounds absurd, but that woman must know what she's talking about.
Perhaps her idea is worth a try? Next thing Yuna knew, she was creeping over to the hedge.
She tucked her bouquet from the flower pickers beneath one arm.
Then she knelt down. reached out her other arm, gotcha, and scooped up the brown mouse.
Hello, little one. Nice to meet you. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with you yet.
But I might as well... Fluffy! Come back, Fluffy!
Yuna spun around. Scampering toward her was a big orange cat.
Scrambling to catch up with the cat was a man.
You silly feline! Get back here, Fluffy, now!
But Fluffy paid no mind. Instead, the cat raced up to Yuna, halted at her feet, then fixed its glittering eyes on the mouse in her hand.
The man came huffing and puffing over, a sheepish grin on his bright red face.
Ugh! Good day, miss. Sorry about my cat.
Fluffy simply adores mice. He never messes with them.
He never hurts them. He just loves playing with them. and I can tell he's very keen on playing with yours.
May I buy your mouse from you? I'll give you one copper piece for it.
Yuna blinked her eyes. Had she heard right?
Was this man really offering to buy the mouse?
Um, wait. You're offering one copper piece?
For my mouse? All right, fine. I see you drive a hard bargain.
Two copper pieces then. Uh... Three? Um... Look.
I'll give you five copper pieces, and that's my final offer.
Yuna could hardly believe her luck. First day in the city and already she was being offered five copper pieces. for a mouse.
Okay then. I accept your offer, sir. Thank you.
As her happy customers took off down the street, Yuna gazed at the coins in her palm.
Now I see what the woman meant about supply and demand.
I just made my first earnings! What do I do with them?
According to the business woman, I must be innovative.
Inventive! Enterprising! Yuna began strolling around the city, the wheels in her mind turning with each step.
As she rounded a corner, she came upon a flower shop.
Its display window was teeming with blossoms, but you Luna noticed they weren't nearly as gorgeous as the flowers she had received from her new friends at the farm.
And just like that. That's it! A lightning bolt of an idea crackled across her mind.
I know exactly what I'll do with my earnings.
But first, I need some rice. What do you think Yuna will do next?
What would you do if you were Yuna? We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today, our story is called The Secret of Success.
Before the break, Yuna journeyed to the city with a dream of buying her own house and bringing her parents to live with her.
On the way, she shared a pot of rice with some flower pickers. who sent her off with a breathtaking bouquet.
When Yuna reached the city, she happened to overhear the most successful businesswoman in town share the secret of her success.
Well, business is all about supply and demand, right?
If there's a demand for something, you'd do well to supply it.
And if you have a supply of something, you'd do well to create a demand.
With enough imagination, you could pick up something as insignificant as a little brown mouse, and you could build a fortune!
So Yuna decided she would give it a go. She sold a mouse to a desperate cat owner.
Then she walked into a flower shop and gave the florist a friendly wave.
Hi there. I saw the flowers in your window and they're quite nice.
But I wonder what do you think of this? When the florist saw Yuna's bouquet of roses, violets, lilies, and tulips, his face grew red.
I think they're glorious! I've never grown anything nearly as beautiful in my nursery.
My customers would flip over flowers like these.
How do I get some? Well, I'd be happy to supply them.
I can bring you bunches of flowers if you give me a little time.
I'll see you soon. Promise. Yuna left the flower shop and hurried to the nearest grocery.
She took out her five copper pieces and held them out to the clerk.
Greetings! I'd like to buy a bag of dry white rice, please.
Five copper pieces worth. Five copper pieces worth of dry white rice?
Certainly. Here you go. Thank you. Yuna put the bag of rice in her knapsack and retraced her steps out of the city and back. toward the flower farm.
On the way, she filled her pot with water from a stream.
She added the rice, lit a fire, and cooked the grains until they were fragrant and tender.
Then she brought the pot to the flower pickers.
Hi everyone! I brought you more rice. All I ask in return, if you don't mind, are some of your beautiful flowers.
The ravenous workers eagerly gobbled the rice, then invited Yuna to pick as many flowers as she could carry.
Thank you. With arms full of roses, violets, lilies and tulips, Yuna rushed back to the city and straight to the florist, whose eyes lit up when he saw her.
I told you I'd be back with a supply of flowers, and here they are.
I can bring even more tomorrow. I would love that.
Here's your payment. Thank you! Just as Yuna hoped, the moment the florist put her flowers in the display window, a stampede of people came bustling into the shop.
I'll have a dozen flowers, please. I'll have two dozen.
The florist's face glowed with joy as he waited on his eager customers.
Yuna jostled through the crowd, then stepped out into the soft pink dusk of twilight.
My goodness, is the sun setting already?
Gosh, time sure flies when you're being innovative, inventive, and enterprising.
I'll use some of my earnings to rent a hotel room and get some rest.
I've got a big day tomorrow. The next morning, Yuna woke up bright and early, then went back to the grocery. and handed the clerk more coins in exchange for more rice.
Thank you. Her next stop was the flower farm. where she offered the flower pickers more rice in exchange for more flowers.
Thank you. She then circled back to the florist.
Thank you. Thank you. This routine continued for months.
Yuna bought some rice... She traded the rice for flowers.
She sold the flowers. Then she woke up the next day and did it all again. and soon she had made enough money to rent a small apartment. and buy a big wheelbarrow so she could carry more flowers.
But as summer turned to fall, she knew she couldn't keep her plan going forever.
Colder weather meant flowers couldn't grow. hadn't yet made nearly enough money to buy her house and send for her parents.
So, as she was pushing her wheelbarrow home one brisk evening, she began to brainstorm a plan.
B. I need something innovative. Inventive!
Enterprising! Like the businesswoman said, it's all about supply and demand.
What's in demand when the weather grows colder?
The wheels in Yuna's mind were turning faster than the wheels on her wheelbarrow.
When she reached the entrance to her apartment building, she noticed a distinctive scent in the air.
Is that wood smoke? Someone must be huddling up near their fireplace, trying to keep warm on this chill. chilly autumn night.
And then, just like that... That's it! Another lightning bolt crackled across her brain.
I know exactly what my plan B is. The next morning, she grabbed her wheelbarrow and made her usual trip to the grocery. where she purchased her usual dry white rice from the clerk. here you go thank you but instead of cooking the rice and bringing it to the flower pickers She cooked it up and brought it to the forest where she found a crew of woodcutters.
Good day! Looks like you've been working hard collecting all that wood.
Perhaps you'd like some of my rice? All I ask in return are some of your logs.
The woodcutters were delighted to take Yuna up on her offer.
They scarfed down the rice. then loaded her wheelbarrow with freshly cut logs.
Thank you! Yuna rushed back to the city.
She left some of the logs in her apartment, then brought the rest to the marketplace, which was thrumming with shoppers.
Firewood here, get your firewood. With winter on the way, it'll keep you nice and warm.
Customers immediately came flocking, all eager to pay good money for firewood.
I'll have two dozen logs, please. I'll have three dozen.
Thank you. Thank you. Soon Yuna was all out of wood and energy.
She carted her wheelbarrow back home. And then, you guessed it, she did it all again the next day.
She bought rice. Thank you. She traded the rice for wood.
Thank you! And after stashing a few logs in her apartment, she sold the rest at the market.
Thank you! Thank you! This routine went on for a little while.
But then, a snowstorm blew in. It was the earliest, most vicious snowstorm anyone had ever seen.
And so much ice, sleet, and snow came pelting down from the sky that no dry firewood could be found anywhere. anywhere.
Well, dry firewood here. Maybe not anywhere.
Get your dry firewood. Wicking wet wood is no good for lighting fires.
But this wood is dry as a bone. As you can imagine, there was quite a demand for the logs Yuna had been so smartly stockpiling in her apartment.
I'll have three dozen logs, please. I'll have four dozen.
Thank you. And once Yuna was all out of her supply, she pushed her wheelbarrow through the knee-deep snow and went home.
She pulled off her boots and her coat and boiled a cup of tea.
Then she picked up a notebook and pencil and carefully tallied up. all the savings she had accumulated since she arrived in the city.
When she saw the final number, she smiled.
Because thanks to the businesswoman's advice, unintentional and accidental as it may have been, Yuna realized she now had enough money to buy her house and send for her parents.
And she did. So in the end, I guess you could say that Yuna didn't just live. happily ever after.
She lived innovatively, inventively, and enterprisingly ever after, too.
Hmm. Now it's your turn. It took a lot of effort and imagination for Yuna to achieve her goal.
Can you think of a time you worked hard and imagined hard to achieve a goal of your own?
Perhaps you found a creative way to save money or learn a new skill.
Maybe you discovered a method for running really fast or building the biggest Lego creations ever.
Think about your achievement. Then tell someone you love all about it.
After that, ask them to tell you about a goal they achieved through effort and imagination.
Woo-hoo! This week's episode, The Secret of Success, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Sophie Codner. Our original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for us.
All 200-plus Circle Round stories, and you can print them out and color them in while you listen.
Grownups, visit our website, wbor.org slash circleround, and click on Coloring Pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors. Theodore Chin.
Kevin Corbett, Ryan DeLusong, Gamelia Farms, Jessica Rao, and Helen Hong.
Actor, comedian, writer, and podcast host Helen Hong is a regular panelist on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.
Watch for her in the new Netflix comedy film, Family Switch.
Our featured instrument this week was the gayagum.
You can learn more about this centuries-old stringed instrument from Korea and see a photo on our website again that's wbur.org circle around And while you're at wbur.org slash circle around, you can check out our upcoming live events. order our Circle Round picture books, and support our public radio podcast by joining the Circle Round Club. to show our thanks we'll send you a welcome box with all sorts of goodies plus weekly activity emails monthly newsletters, and early access to Circle Round events, both live and virtual.
I'll see you next time. personalized birthday message from me.
Visit wbur.org slash Circle Round and click Circle Round Club.
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Our handle on Facebook and Instagram is at CircleRoundPodcast.
Circle Round is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us. now that you've made it to the end of this circle round episode we want to know What's your favorite Circle Round story?
Thousands of fans just like you have been telling us about the Circle Round stories they like best.
Take a listen. Maybe one of their favorites is one of yours, too.
Hi, my name is Roxanna and I live in Montreal, Little Italy.
And my favorite Circle Round story is the three-legged pot.
My favorite part is when the three-legged pot carries the rich guy all the way to Antarctica.
My name is Ishaan. I'm from California, and I like biscuits or basket pickles.
When the innkeeper turns over the basket, a swarm of mosquitoes come to eat him.
Hello, my name is Dory and I live in Pawnee, Oklahoma and my favorite circle round is a horse of a different color because I like the part when the horse makes a wish for another person.
I'm Ginny, and I'm from Vermont. My favorite circle around is the woman who lived in a vinegar My favorite part is when she got back to her vinegar bottle.
Hi, my name's Bia. I live in Wilmot, Illinois, and my favorite Circle Island story is the Ollie board. because I like how she's really confident, but you can't always win.
My name is Alice, and I live in Minnesota, and my favorite Superlion story and fairy farts.
My name is Maxine and I live in Los Angeles, California.
My favorite episode of Circle Round is The Lion's Whisker.
My favorite part is when their grandma teaches them how to share more.
Bye, Rebecca, Sierra. I love you. Did someone mention a story you've missed?
Not to worry. Grownups, you can find all of our Circle Round stories plus links to the Circle Round Club, picture books, coloring pages, and oh so much more on our website.
WBUR.org slash Circle Round.
