Generation Gap

03.13.2016 - My aunt and her grand-niece

The Story Of A Little Boy

One day, 20 years ago, a little boy came in front of a crowded food store. After some hesitation, he gathered his courage to enter. Once inside, he said to the owner’s wife, “I just want to buy one packet of rice, thank you.”

Both husband and wife, owners of the store, were puzzled that the boy didn’t ask for any dish to go with the rice. However, without asking any question, the wife packed extra rice for the little boy. The boy was about to pay when he asked, “Can I have some of the gravy added to my rice?”

The owner smiled and kindly said, “Yes, of course, and you don’t need to pay for it, son!”

After hearing that the gravy would be free, he immediately ordered another packet of white rice. The owner asked, “Isn’t one pack enough for you? I can add more rice to it.”

The boy replied, “Oh no, ma’am! Actually the first packet is for my lunch in school tomorrow.”

The owners thought that the little boy must have come from a poor family, scrimping on food in order to continue studying. He seemed to be living on his own and looked rather lonely. The owner secretly added an egg and a big scoop of meat before covering them with more rice. His wife did not understand why the dishes needed to be hidden. The husband whispered to his wife, “If the little boy knew that we had added extra dishes over the white rice, he would feel that we pity him and this would hurt his pride. He won’t be comfortable coming back again. If he goes to another store and gets to eat only a portion of white rice, where will he get the energy he needed to study?”

When the little boy received the two heavy packets of rice, he looked at the couple who gave him a big smile and said, “See you tomorrow!”

They waved their hands and signaled to the boy to come again tomorrow. The little boy’s eyes were swelled with tears. Since then, he went to the store to buy two packets of white rice almost every day. The owners continue to hide the dishes inside the white rice. This went on until the boy grew up and graduated from the university.

20 years later…

The husband and wife received a letter from the local government notifying them that their store would be demolished as it was sitting on the government land. The matter worried the couple greatly as losing their main source of income in their old age was unthinkable.

One day, a young man dressed in a suit came to their store. He said, “How are you? I am the Deputy Director of the company XX. Our Director would like to ask you to manage our cafeteria in our office building. The entire cost of the equipment and materials will be borne by our company.  You will direct the chefs on the cooking and get to keep part of the profits.”

The couple hesitantly asked, “Who is your Director? Why is he being so kind to us?”

The young man replied, “You are his savior and he loves to eat the meat dish and egg you cooked. I can only tell you so much; the rest you would have to ask him yourself.”

Evidently, the Director was the little boy who came every day to buy two packets of white rice 20 years ago. Although he had become the owner of his own business and succeeded in establishing his own company, he had never forgotten the couple and wanted to repay their kindness.

Moral of the Story:

The little boy is grateful to the couple who has helped him because he knew how easily they might have denied him that help, and how difficult his life might have been if that’s what they had chosen to do.

The couple, on the other hand, has been kind, compassionate and empathetic. They had helped the little boy unconditionally.

True kindness is the act of giving without the expectation of receiving something in return. Yet, kindness is like a boomerang too – it always returns to the giver. Kindness and gratitude are virtues one should cultivate.

Story source:  8 Trending News