Pocket Money Poon Kam-ying
1. “Jingling! Tinkling!” During recess, Kevin often played with his box of coins, causing a lot of jingling. He ordered his classmates to line up at the kiosk to buy snacks for him, or to let him copy their homework.
2. Kevin would pay his classmates a big coin for the tasks they did for him. Kevin always said, "Money is almighty!"
3. Everyone said that Kevin was like a big manager. It seemed that his money would never be used up. Timmy, his classmate, admired him a lot. Timmy was taken care of by his grandmother, and he did not have his own pocket money. All the red packet money that Timmy received at Chinese New Year time was kept by his parents. He wasn’t allowed to keep any money for his own use.
4. One day, after school, Timmy’s grandmother served him a bowl of Chinese soup.
5. Suddenly Timmy got an idea. He held grandmother's hand and said, "Grandma, do you feel tired? Let me give you a back massage, okay?"
6. Grandmother smiled and praised that Timmy was a good boy. Then Timmy said, "Grandma, I can help you wash the bowls and wipe the floor too, but would you please give me five dollars for it?"
7. Grandmother wondered how her grandson got this strange idea. Family members should help one another and not bother about the rewards.
8. Then grandmother smiled and asked, "Why do you ask for money?"
Timmy said, "My friends have their own pocket money, but I don’t have any. I want to earn some. If I have money, I can do many things."
9. Grandfather came home with a bag of pears. He peeled and sliced the pears for them to eat. Timmy loved pears, and he ate many pieces. Grandmother only ate a small slice.
10. After Timmy finished eating, grandmother said, “Timmy, if you want me to pay you for doing housework, then I want you to give grandpa five dollars for peeling and slicing pears for you!”
11. Timmy was puzzled. "Grandpa, you should not ask for that. Grandma does so much for me and she has never asked me for money."
12. Grandfather said, "You are right. You see, Grandma loves you. You should show a good sense of duty and help her do some housework, or give her a massage sometimes. Family members should not ask for rewards."
13. Grandmother nodded and said, "Yes, children do not need extra money because all your needs are provided by the family. If you are really in need of pocket money, we can give it to you, but do remember, make good use of every dollar."
14. Timmy felt ashamed. He nodded, and quickly helped to clean up the peels on the table.