A friend came back from the U.S. We hadn’t seen each other for over ten years, so we invited him to a restaurant to welcome him,
We had a great chat and both hosts and guests enjoyed the evening. But when it came time to pay the bill, things got a little unpleasant. He took out money and insisted on going Dutch. There was no way I could accept it, but he, who is usually easy-going, insisted on doing so.
On the way back to the hotel, he asked me, "Do you think I insisted on going Dutch because I didn’t want to give you face?"
Because we were such good friends and there was nothing to hide, I nodded. He said he would tell me a story.
At a middle school in Wisconsin, two kids went hiking — one Chinese and one American.
The mountain they chose was quite dangerous due to erosion, with frequent rockfalls. Unfortunately, the two encountered a rockslide while descending. As a result, they were trapped on opposite sides of massive rocks and rubble. The American boy was hit in the leg by falling rocks, and every movement caused excruciating pain. He guessed he had fractured his leg.
Darkness quickly fell, and the night loomed like a beast ready to devour the world.
If night fell, the cold and hunger might make them dizzy or even cost them their lives. So the American boy began trying to lift himself up with his hands and slowly crawl toward the pile of rocks. Blood from his injured leg stained the rocks. When he was about to climb onto the largest rock, his wounded leg hit a sharp edge, and the intense pain made it impossible to hold on. He fell back down, rolling among the rocks like a ball. Nearly in despair, the injured boy lay panting heavily among the rocks. But after ten minutes, the numbness caused by the cold reminded him he had to get out as soon as possible. So he decided to try again. This time, he succeeded. He climbed up onto the rocks. But the rocks were still two or three meters above the ground, and his injured leg couldn’t support a safe landing. So he simply closed his eyes and chose to roll down...
No one can imagine how this boy managed to crawl back to town. He calmly told others where and when he encountered danger and mentioned that a Chinese boy might still be there.
After examination, the American boy had a fractured tibia in his left leg. His ribs were also broken in two places from hitting rocks during the fall, and his body was covered with countless bruises and cuts.
Adults quickly sent him to the hospital and dispatched a few people to rescue the Chinese boy. When the Chinese boy was found, the cold and fear had left him barely alive — had they arrived any later, he might have lost his life.
Hearing this, I suddenly noticed that my friend’s child had blushed bright red.
Suddenly, the boy seemed to have made up his mind and said to me, "Uncle, the Chinese boy was me."
"Do you know why the American boy was stronger than him?" my friend suddenly asked me. I shook my head.
My friend said, "Actually, the reason is so simple it’s unbelievable — because in America, from a very young age, everyone goes Dutch when eating out. They all teach their children one essential reason for going Dutch: no matter what happens in life, no one will pay your bill — not even your parents or loved ones." So the American boy knew he had to survive on his own, no matter how dangerous it was. The Chinese boy, however, had been helped too much. Even when facing life-threatening danger, he had grown accustomed to waiting for someone else to save him.
"No one will pay your bill" — such a simple sentence. The small act of splitting the bill taught Americans the spirit of independence and striving.
I suddenly wanted to go back and tell this story to my own child. I want to tell him that although sometimes money isn’t an issue, and helping him isn’t a problem, no one will pay his bill for him.
I hope more people can tell more Chinese children that no one will pay their bill.
If I am not brave, who will be strong for me?
This post has been synced to Old Te’s Weibo.