When I spent the summer with my grandmother, she sent me to the store with a list. Behind the counter (柜台) was a lady, Miss White.
“Excuse me,” I said, she looked up. “I need to get these,” I continued, holding my list.
“So? Go and get them,” Miss White pointed to a sign. “There is no one here but you and me, and I’m not your servant, so get yourself a basket over there.”
I went shopping twice a week that summer. Sometimes she shortchanged (少找零) me. Other times she overcharged (多收钱). Going to the store was like getting into a fight. But by the end of the summer, I could finish the one-hour shopping trip in around 15 minutes. On the morning when I was to return home, I stopped to buy some water.
“All right,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” “That you’re mean (刻薄的)!” I replied.
Miss White just laughed. “I know what you think of me,” she said. “Well, I don’t care! I meet some children every day. My job is to teach every child life lessons. When you get older, you’ll be glad!” Glad I met Miss White? Ha! Impossible!
Then one day my daughter came to me with homework trouble. “It’s too hard, Mum,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how can you learn to do it yourself?” I said. Suddenly, I was back at that store where I had learned the hard way to add up the bill (账单) by myself. From then on, I’ve never been overcharged.