C01 Bē Nn̄g ê Lāu-lâng | 賣卵 ê 老人

An Old Man Selling Eggs
https://steemit.com/life/@faizii/story-of-an-old-man-selling-eggs

Bē Nn̄g ê Lāu-lâng | 賣卵 ê 老人 [Tâi-gí gí-im | 台語語音]
[Old version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dki7U58ekRM]

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Cha-bó͘ kò͘-kheh mn̄g: “Nn̄g án-chóaⁿ bē?”

Bē nn̄g ê lāu-lâng: “Chi̍t-lia̍p 5 kho͘, lú-sū.”

I kóng, “Góa bé 6 lia̍p, sǹg 25 kho͘, nā-bô, góa m̄-bé.”

Lāu-lâng kóng, “Nā án-ne, tō chiàu lí-ê ì-sù. Hoān-sè che sī hó chhái-thâu, in-ūi kin-á-ji̍t kàu taⁿ iáu bô bē pòaⁿ-lia̍p nn̄g.”

I the̍h nn̄g lī-khui, chin hoaⁿ-hí thâi-kè sêng-kong. Chē-ji̍p ko-kùi-ê kiō-chhia, i chham pêng-iú khì ko-kip chhan-thiaⁿ. In tiám chin chē hó-chia̍h ê liāu-lí, m̄-koh, chhun chin chē chia̍h bô-liáu. I khì la̍p-siàu, siàu-toaⁿ sī 1,400 kho͘. I the̍h 1,500 kho͘, kiò láu-pán m̄-bián chāu.

Chit-chióng tāi-chì tùi chhan-thiaⁿ láu-pán sī sió-khóa-tāi, m̄-koh tùi bē nn̄g ê lāu-lâng sī kan-kho͘-tāi.

Siūⁿ-khòaⁿ-māi:

Sī án-chóaⁿ kā sàn-chhiah-lâng bé mi̍h-kiāⁿ, lán boeh kā phiⁿ? Sī án-chóaⁿ tùi bô su-iàu lán khóng-khài ê lâng, lán hiah-nī tōa chhut-chhiú?

Góa bat thiaⁿ pêng-iú kóng:

Goán lāu-pē kòe-khì lóng iōng khah-kùi ê kè-siàu kā sàn-chhiah-lâng bé sè-hāng mi̍h-kiāⁿ, sīm-chì sī bô khiàm-iōng ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ. Ū-sî i ke hō͘ in chîⁿ. Góa kám-kak kî-koài, mn̄g lāu-pē sī án-chóaⁿ i án-ne chò? Goán lāu-pē kóng, “Koai kiáⁿ, che tō sī iōng chun-giâm pau-chong ê chû-siān lah.”

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查某顧客問: “卵按怎賣?”

賣卵 ê 老人: “一粒 5 kho͘, 女士.”

伊講, “我買 6 粒, 算 25 kho͘, 若無, 我 m̄ 買.”

老人講, “若 án-ne, tō 照你 ê 意思. 凡勢這是好彩頭, 因為今仔日到 taⁿ 猶無賣半粒卵.”

伊提卵離開, 真歡喜刣價成功. 坐入高貴 ê 轎車, 伊參朋友去高級餐廳. In 點真 chē 好食 ê 料理, m̄-koh, chhun 真 chē 食無了. 伊去納數, 數單是 1,400 kho͘. 伊提 1,500 kho͘, 叫老闆 m̄ 免找.

這種代誌對餐廳老闆是小可代, m̄-koh 對賣卵 ê 老人是艱苦代.

想看覓:

是按怎 kā 散赤人買物件, 咱 boeh kā phiⁿ? 是按怎對無需要咱慷慨 ê 人, 咱 hiah-nī 大出手?

我 bat 聽朋友講:

阮老爸過去 lóng 用較貴 ê 價數 kā 散赤人買細項物件, 甚至是無欠用 ê 物件. 有時伊加 hō͘ in 錢. 我感覺奇怪, 問老爸是按怎伊 án-ne 做? 阮老爸講, “乖囝, 這就是用尊嚴包裝 ê 慈善 lah.”

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Girl asked him, 'How much are you selling the eggs for?'

The old seller replied, 'Rs.5/- an egg, Madam.'

Girl said to him, 'I will take 6 eggs for Rs.25/- or I will leave.'

The old seller replied, 'Come take them at the price you want. May be, this is a good beginning because I have not been able to sell even a single egg today.'

She took the eggs and walked away feeling she has won. She got into her fancy car and went to a posh restaurant with her friend. There, she and her friend, ordered whatever they liked. They ate a little and left a lot of what they ordered. Then she went to pay the bill. The bill costed her Rs.1,400/-. She gave Rs. 1,500/- and asked the owner of the restaurant to keep the change.

This incident might have seemed quite normal to the owner but, very painful to the poor egg seller.

The point is,

Why do we always show we have the power when we buy from the needy ones? And why do we get generous to those who do not even need our generosity?

I once read somewhere:

My father used to buy simple goods from poor people at high prices, even though he did not need them. Sometimes he even used to pay extra for them. I got concerned by this act and asked him why does he do so? Then my father replied, "It is a charity wrapped with dignity, my child”

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