As the quitting-time bell rang, the sawmill on the banks of the Volga River ceased its day's work. The workers laid down their tools and, dragging their weary bodies, headed to the entrance to collect their day's wages.
"Only eight Gobies?!"
The first worker to receive his pay let out a shrill scream, "Just yesterday it was Ten Gobies!"
The manager responsible for distributing daily wages said impatiently, "You should be glad to get eight Gobies; the factory next door has already dropped to six Gobies! It's only because the boss saw how hard you've worked that he kindly added two Gobies!"
"Am I supposed to thank him for that?!"
The queue of workers instantly became agitated; there were complaints in the front of the line, while those at the back still didn't know what had happened.
But...
The news that the daily wage was only eight Gobies spread quickly.
"I quit! This money isn't even enough to buy potatoes!"
