Just as A-Tu thought he would freeze to death that winter, a warm, rough hand patted him on the shoulder.
It was the old carpenter.
He didn't say a single word of comfort or blame. He simply placed a thick, worn cotton jacket, smelling of woodsmoke, over A-Tu's shoulders. Then, from his basket, he took out a steaming sweet potato and put it into A-Tu's cold hand.
"Eat," the old carpenter said, his voice as brief as ever.
A-Tu took a bite of the sweet potato. The warm, simple sweetness instantly brought tears to his eyes.
"I don't have any money to give you..." A-Tu choked out.
"I don't want your money," the old carpenter replied, pointing to the corner of his roof, which had been caved in by the snow. "Help me fix this. I'll feed you for the winter."
It wasn't charity; it was an exchange. It was an equal, value-based form of mutual assistance.
All winter, A-Tu lived at the old carpenter's house. He used his youthful strength to help fix the roof and chop enough firewood to last the entire winter. In return, the old carpenter taught him his life's craft, little by little—how to identify different kinds of wood, how to use joinery, and how to live in harmony with nature.
For the first time, A-Tu understood that true wealth wasn't the few pentacles you clung to but the skills and goodwill you possessed that could be exchanged with others.
When spring came, Xiao-Ye returned. She brought a few packets of precious, frost-resistant vegetable seeds. When she saw A-Tu, she was surprised to find that although he was thin, his eyes were steadier and brighter than they had ever been. She shared the seeds with A-Tu and also gave some to other families in the village who had suffered from the winter.
A-Tu didn't keep all the seeds for himself. He remembered the old carpenter's kindness and the acceptance of the village. He gave most of his share of the seeds to the elderly and vulnerable families who needed them more.
In that moment, he was like the wealthy merchant on the card, holding a scale in one hand, symbolizing a fair exchange, and generously giving pentacles to the poor with the other, symbolizing compassionate giving. He finally understood the balance of giving and receiving, and that allowing resources to flow creates greater value.
【Echo from the Mirror】
On the scale of your life, are "giving" and "receiving" in balance? Do you have the humility to accept help from others and the compassion to give generously when you have enough? Remember, wealth is like water; it must flow to show its vitality.