Once upon a time, in a small town in Germany, there was a poor shoemaker. He was very skillful at his craft, but because he was so poor, he didn't have enough money to buy good leather, so the shoes he made were always very ordinary. The shoemaker and his wife lived in a small house. Although their life was very hard, they had always been very kind and friendly to others.
One night, the shoemaker put some leather on his workbench. There was only enough leather to make one pair of shoes. He was very worried and didn't know what to do. He sighed at the leather and then went to bed.
The next morning, when the shoemaker woke up, he was surprised to find a brand - new pair of shoes on the workbench. The shoes were exquisitely made, the best shoes he had ever seen. The shoemaker was very puzzled. He didn't know who had made these shoes. He took the shoes to the market to sell, and soon they were bought by a wealthy person, who gave the shoemaker a lot of money.
The shoemaker was very happy. He bought a lot of good leather with this money. That night, he put some leather on the workbench again and then went to bed.
The next morning, the shoemaker found two pairs of beautiful shoes on the workbench again. These two pairs of shoes were even more exquisite than the previous day's. The shoemaker was very happy. He took the shoes to the market to sell again and got a lot of money.
This kind of thing kept happening. Every night the shoemaker put on the leather, and the next morning there would be beautiful shoes. The shoemaker's life gradually became wealthy, and he and his wife were also very grateful to this mysterious helper.
One night, the shoemaker decided not to sleep. He wanted to see who was helping him. In the middle of the night, he saw a group of dwarfs climbing in through his window. The dwarfs jumped onto the workbench and began to make shoes skillfully. The shoemaker was very surprised, but he didn't make a sound. He wanted to see what the dwarfs were going to do exactly.
When the dwarfs were about to leave after finishing making the shoes, the shoemaker stood up. The dwarfs were startled, but the shoemaker said to them with a smile, "Thank you. You have helped me so much. I'm very grateful to you." The dwarfs looked at the shoemaker's sincere face and knew that he was a kind man.
The dwarfs told the shoemaker that they saw that although he was poor, he was very kind, so they wanted to help him. The shoemaker was very touched. He said to the dwarfs, "You can continue to use my workbench. I also want to do something for you."
Since then, the shoemaker and the dwarfs have become friends. The shoemaker has become richer and richer, and he often helps other poor people in the town. And the dwarfs have also been living happily with the shoemaker all the time. Their story has spread in the town, making people know the power of kindness and gratitude.
