Once upon a time, in a small village near the ocean, there lived an old, humble fisherman and his loving wife. Every day, the fisherman went out to sea, hoping to catch enough fish to provide for their simple needs.

One sunny morning, the fisherman set out in his little boat, as usual. He threw his net into the water and waited patiently. After a while, he felt a tug on the net and quickly pulled it up, excited to see his catch.

To his surprise, inside the net was a single small, golden fish. The fish looked at him with pleading eyes and spoke to him in a soft, gentle voice. "Please, kind fisherman, let me go, and I will grant you a wish."

The fisherman, amazed at the talking fish, decided to set it free without asking for any wishes. He believed that such a magical creature should be allowed to live in peace. He gently released the fish back into the sea.

When he returned home in the evening, the fisherman told his wife about the golden fish and how he had set it free. His wife was astounded and a little bit upset. "You should have asked for something!" she scolded him.

The fisherman, wanting to make his wife happy, agreed to go back to the sea the next day and try to find the golden fish again. He hoped that it would remember his kindness and still grant them a wish.

The next morning, the fisherman went back to the same spot where he had caught the golden fish. He threw his net into the water and waited. Moments later, the golden fish appeared, swimming gracefully near his boat.

"Oh, golden fish, my wife was unhappy that I didn't ask for anything when I set you free yesterday. Would you still grant us a wish?" the fisherman asked politely. The golden fish smiled and agreed. "What is your wish?"

"All we ask for is a small, cozy house to replace our old, broken one," the fisherman said. The fish nodded and told him that his wish would be granted when he returned home. Then, it swam away, disappearing into the depths.

The fisherman rowed back to the shore, amazed at his luck. When he arrived home, he found that their old house had been replaced with a beautiful, new one. His wife was delighted, and they lived happily for a while.

But soon, his wife grew restless, and she began to complain about their simple life. "Go back to the golden fish!" she urged. "Ask for a palace, servants, and fine clothes! We deserve a life of luxury!"

The fisherman reluctantly agreed and went back to the sea. Again, he found the golden fish waiting for him. He asked for what his wife wanted. The fish warned him that the more they asked for, the more ungrateful they appeared.

But the fish granted the fisherman's wish, and when he returned home, he found a magnificent palace, with servants and elegant clothing waiting for him. His wife was thrilled, but her happiness did not last long.

She soon wanted more power, insisting that they should rule over the whole village and beyond. The fisherman, tired of his wife's constant demands, went back to the sea to ask the golden fish for one last wish.

The fish, saddened by the fisherman's return, agreed to grant the wish. The fisherman returned home to find that he and his wife were now the rulers of a vast kingdom. His wife's subjects bowed before her, and she reveled in her power.

Sadly, even this was not enough for the fisherman's wife. She became greedy and cruel, treating her subjects poorly and demanding constant tribute. The people of the kingdom started to suffer under her rule.

The fisherman, watching the suffering of his people, regretted his decision to ask for more power. One night, he went back to the sea and called out to the golden fish, who appeared before him with a solemn expression.

"My wife has become greedy and cruel, and our people are suffering," he confessed to the fish. "I wish to undo all our previous wishes and return to our simple life." The golden fish sighed and agreed to his request.

The fisherman returned home, only to find that everything had changed back to the way it was before. Their small house stood near the ocean, and they had no servants or fine clothes. His wife was furious with him for undoing their wishes.

But the fisherman was happy to be back in their humble life. He went out to fish every day, providing for their simple needs. And although his wife still grumbled about the life they had lost, she became gentler with time.

The people of the village, freed from the fisherman's wife's rule, rejoiced and returned to their happy, peaceful lives. The fisherman and his wife learned the value of contentment and of having a good heart.

As for the golden fish, it continued to swim in the sea, watching over the fisherman and his wife from afar. It knew that they had learned their lesson, and it hoped that they would never again be swayed by greed or power.

The fisherman occasionally caught a glimpse of the golden fish, but he never again asked for a wish. Instead, he would give the fish a grateful nod and watch as it disappeared into the depths of the sea, like a shimmering sunbeam.

Days turned into months, and months into years. The fisherman and his wife grew old together, surrounded by the love and admiration of their fellow villagers. They had learned the importance of being thankful for what they had.

And so, the fisherman and his wife lived the rest of their lives in peace, always remembering the kindness of the golden fish and the hard lessons they had learned. Their love for each other and their simple life kept them content until the end.