A young man worked for a boss who was raising fish in the sea and it was the young man’s job to feed them. The boss agreed to pay the young man a monthly salary of US$750, but he would have to provide his own food. The boss had a total of 500 enclosures in the sea that were full of fish. Every morning, the young man would row a small boat to feed the fish once, rest on the boat at noon, and then feed the fish again when the sun went down in the afternoon. The work was not too demanding and the young man found it easy and comfortable.
The boss rarely visited, only coming by during the beginning, middle, and end of each month to deliver more food for the fish, check their growth, and also bring some vegetables and meat for the young man.
Two years passed, and the boss sold the fish for a total of US$60,000.
Overjoyed, the boss gave the young man a bonus of US$1,500 and allowed him to return to his hometown for a visit. The boss also covered the cost of transportation.
The boss’s wife couldn’t understand why her husband gave the young man more than the agreed-upon salary, including vegetables, meat, and bonuses, and even reimbursed his travel expenses. She thought he was crazy to spend so much money.
The boss smiled and told her a story.
The villagers picked all the persimmons
In a small mountain village, every winter, the villagers would pick all the persimmons from the trees.
One particularly cold winter, with heavy snowfall, hundreds of hungry magpies froze to death overnight.
The next spring, the persimmon trees bloomed and bore fruit again. However, at that time, an unknown type of caterpillar suddenly proliferated and ate all the persimmons when they were the size of a fingernail.
That autumn, there was no harvest of persimmons. It was only then that people remembered the magpies. If there had been magpies, there would have been no insect infestation.
From then on, every autumn when the persimmons were harvested, the villagers left some for the magpies to eat during the winter.
The persimmons left on the trees attracted many magpies to spend the winter there. The magpies seemed grateful and stayed to catch insects in the fruit trees all day, ensuring a good harvest of persimmons every year.
“Is leaving some persimmons for the magpies really that silly?” asked the boss.
His wife suddenly understood. Leaving some fruit on the tree not only allowed others to share in the harvest, but this helped the employees work more confidently, knowing they had a stake in the success of the business.
During the harvest season, don’t forget to leave some “persimmons” on the tree. These fruits left behind often provide hope and vitality for yourself and others. Remember, the more generous you are, the more prosperous you become.
Translated by Audrey Wang
