August 10, 2007

  • Young Wei and Old Wei-5

    Old Wei and
    Young Wei
    Part 5

    [Please page down for the other parts to the story which were posted earlier. They appear in reverse order.]

    Grandfather returned just as the sun was an hour or two from setting. It
    was low in the cloudless sky and the heat of the day had lessened a bit. He
    found me almost in the same place he had left me. I was sitting still
    beneath the shade of the tree.

    "Come to the market with me," he said. I noticed he was carrying two
    melons. He handed one to me.

    "Why are we going back? Did you not finish shopping, Grandfather?"

    "Look at the melon." I did.

    "Sniff it." I did.

    "What do you smell?'' I did smell something strange, but I was curious to know what all this was leading up to. It smelled like melon and I told my Grandfather just that. He snorted and walked on.

    "It isn't a melon? It looks like a melon. It smells like a melon. It even
    feels like a melon. What is wrong?"

    "You are holding a monkey melon. It is not best. It is fit for a monkey,
    but not for your family. If you do not use your eyes and nose, your family
    will not eat well. Learn to be careful.''

    "Grandfather, if you are carrying the melon out of the market, didn't you
    buy it?''

    Grandfather stopped and looked at me. He even smiled. He was happy. I
    rarely saw him smile this way. What had I said to make him so happy? What
    could I do to keep that smile upon his face?

    "I bought two," he said. "They are both monkey melons. I bought them from
    two different fruit stands. I want you to return them for me and get a
    good, fresh melon.''

    Ah. It was a test. I was here to show Grandfather that I could be a true
    man and make a merchant who had cheated us be honest. I was here to defend
    my family honor and let that seller know he could not take advantage of an
    old man and his family. Everyone heard that monkey melons were sold by
    scoundrels who tried to pretend their fruit was sweet and delicious. They
    knew it wouldn't be tasted until dinner time, and by then it was too late.
    They go from market to market, never selling in the same place twice.
    Grandfather was aware of this when he bought the melons. He could tell by
    their smell. He could tell by their look. He left me at the tree so I could
    return the melons as a test. How clever Grandfather was. I would not make
    him ashamed of me. I would get a fresh melon or someone would get a black eye.

    To be continued