Short stories between Hetalia characters are using old folktales from various countries.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, or the stories. I just find piecing these together quite fun.
One day, a Russian went to the forest to sow some turnip seeds. He plowed and worked hard. Then an American came up:
"Russian, I'll break your back."
"Don't break my back, American; let's sow the turnips together instead. I'll just take the roots; you can have all the tops."
"So be it," the American said. "But if you try to trick me, don't you dare show yourself in my forest!"
Having said this, he went away deep into the forest.
The turnips grew to good size. In the fall, the Russian arrived to harvest the turnips. No sooner did he reach the field that the American came out of the forest.
"Russian, let's divide up the turnips, give me my share."
"All right American, let's share: you take the tops, I take the roots."
The Russian gave all the greens to the American, and loaded all the turnips in the cart and took it to the city to sell it.
The American came towards him.
"Russian, where are you going?"
"I'm going to the city, good American, to sell the roots."
"Let me taste those roots."
The Russian gave the American a turnip. No sooner had the American eaten the turnip that he roared:
"Aahrgh! Russian, you tricked me! Your roots are sweet! Now don't you dare fetch wood from the forest, or I'll break your back!"
The following year, the Russian sowed corn in that same field. When he returned to harvest it, the American was waiting for him.
"You won't fool me twice, Russian, give me my share!"
The Russian said: "So be it. Take the roots, American, and I'll just take the tops."
They harvested the corn. The Russian gave the roots to the American, and loaded the corn into his cart and took it home.
The American tried to chew on the roots this way, and that way, but got nothing out of them.
He became very angry at the Russian, and from then on, there was great enmity between Russians and Americans.
It explains everything, right?
Once again, I do not own this story The Old man and the Bear.
