My brother Elyahu’s Drink by Sholem Aleichem. Short summary

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The main character is the author’s brother named Elia. In the old days, the latter, wishing to open his own business, began to engage in the manufacture and subsequent sale of kvass. But in the end it did not work out.

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The author’s close relative, wishing to gain financial independence, began to make kvass by his own recipe and then sell it. At first Elie did very well — the drink he made was in great demand. However, his family members also liked kvass, and they began to drink it from the barrel, the contents of which were intended solely for sale. To hide the loss of the drink from Eli, the young boy’s close relatives began to add water to the barrel, which only led to a deterioration in the taste of kvass.

One day the boy went to the market to sell the kvass to willing people. But in the end, the buyers were very indignant about the quality of the drink. The protagonist was accused of fraud, and he was forced to flee from there. As a result, the small business, which brought a representative of the younger generation a good income, collapsed.