My mother was a high school teacher, known for her stern lectures in class or her serious demeanor when imparting wisdom. Not only were her students intimidated by her, even the parents feared her as well.
It was 15 years ago. Just before the Lunar New Year, due to financial difficulties at home, my mother and I went to borrow some money from relatives. To save transportation costs, we chose to walk home via a smaller path instead of taking the bus. We hurried along in silence, not exchanging a word.
As we crossed a small bridge, my right shoe slipped off. While I paused to put it back on, I glanced around. It was already dark, and the words of our relatives echoed in my ears: “Security is a big concern just before the holiday. Don’t rush back tonight.” However, my mother declined their kind offer, not wanting to trouble them by staying over.
Coming out of our relative’s house, happy to have the money we borrowed, my mother smiled and said: “Do you want some chocolate? I’ll buy half a pound for you and your sister tomorrow.”
About half an hour’s walk away from our home, suddenly, a fierce voice shouted: “Stop right there!”
Two men, as solid as mountains, blocked our path, each holding a heavy stick in front of us. Trembling, I grabbed my mother’s hand, and she squeezed mine, whispering: “Don’t be afraid, mommy’s here.” I knew we should run, but I also knew that a woman and a child could never outrun two strong men. I was terrified, but my mother lowered her head, looking at me, calm and composed.
After a dreadful silence, the man on the right spoke: “We just want money!” He seemed even more nervous than we were. I could sense the tremor in his voice. My mother remained silent as the man continued: “We really don’t want to hurt you, but we have no choice. We’ve labored hard all year, only to have our boss run off with the money. Now we must bring some money home for the New Year. You city folks have it a bit easier than us.”
The man’s tone was honest, but his stick looked menacing. I knew that any misstep now could result in harm to us. After a moment of confrontation, my mother sighed, took out a blue handkerchief from her pocket, and unwrapped the US$50 we just borrowed from our relatives.
Seeing the money, the man instinctively reached out his hand. “Wait,” my mother pulled back, saying: “I can’t let you take this by force!” The man’s hand froze in mid-air. “If you rob from us today, no matter the amount, you’ll be committing a crime! I understand you’re in dire straits, but the law doesn’t care about that. Not only will the law judge you, but you’ll never forgive yourselves either.”
The teacher writes a promissory note
What? At this moment, my mother was lecturing? This was completely unexpected. She calmly said: “Let me write a promissory note for you. No matter how long it takes you to repay, whether it’s five, ten, or twenty years, or even if you can’t repay at all, just remember: today, you did not rob from us; you borrowed from us. I hope that from now on, you will not rob from others.”
After saying this, my mother felt around her pocket, and in the darkness, wrote a promissory note that seemed utterly absurd.
The thugs probably never encountered such a situation in their lives. They hesitated for a moment, looked at each other, said nothing, took the money and the promissory note, and ran off. For the rest of the journey, I didn’t say a word, feeling deeply disillusioned. My mother had just written the most foolish promissory note for two thugs armed with big sticks!
That Lunar New Year, despite my mother buying us chocolate, I felt frustrated about that stupid promissory note and I couldn’t shake off the feeling. At the time, I thought: this definitely wasn’t the “bravery” that my mother always talked about.
Two years later, my mother returned home from school with US$250 in her hand. Along with it, she had a note signed with an unfamiliar name. The note read: “Thank you for not letting us go astray.”
The promissory note my mother wrote changed the destinies of two people. My mother might just be the best teacher in the world! Faced with criminals, she was calm, compassionate, and wise. She saved two people from the brink of evil, inspiring and influencing them to repent and do good. Those who can forgive the mistakes of others are blessed with the inner strength that can become a great force for good.
Translated by Katy Liu
