This is the story of a paper ring and its true meaning. A woman and a man began a relationship during the age when people typically fall in love. Their love story unfolded in mainland China, where the gap between rich and poor was widening.
One day, the woman admired a beautiful platinum ring on someone else’s hand and expressed her desire: “I wish I had one too.” The man, too poor to afford such a ring, remained silent. But he never forgot her words.
Soon after, on the woman’s birthday, the man, deeply in love, presented her with a unique and weighty paper ring wrapped in wax paper. The woman, immersed in love, wore it with pride, feeling truly blessed. Later, however, the woman married someone else, a wealthy man, and not the one who gave her the paper ring. This reflects a common trend in today’s society.
Instead of a paper ring, she was adorned with platinum and gold
On her wedding day, she was adorned with platinum and gold from head to toe, a stark contrast to her earlier days of envy. She was shimmering with gold. Now, she was the one envied by other women for her good fortune. The paper ring she once received had been tucked away in the corner of a drawer.
The good times, however, didn’t last long. Not long after her marriage, her wealthy husband accidentally got involved with the son of a high-ranking official. Due to a business dispute, her husband was sent to prison for tax evasion and other unlawful dealings. He was heavily fined to the point of losing his family’s fortune. The woman’s life was plunged into chaos. Her face was awash with tears all day long.
One day, this now haggard woman met her former devoted young man who had given her the paper ring. Despite his previous enmity, the man was generous enough to invite her to his home. The man was married and lived in a rental house, and the woman saw that he still lived very modestly.
The man’s wife politely poured her tea, and the woman noticed that the paper ring on her hand was almost identical to the one she had thrown into the corner of the drawer. The man’s wife left them to talk privately. Without words, she could sense the man’s happiness and his wife’s contentment, a stark contrast to her own emptiness.
Sometime later, the woman was flipping through a magazine and spied an article entitled “The Paper Ring.” Her heart started to race as she hastily glanced to see who the author was — it was none other than her former devoted young man. The story described how he couldn’t afford a platinum ring for his beloved and had to sell his blood to buy it, ultimately wrapping it in wax paper.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she retrieved the paper ring from her drawer and discovered a real platinum ring inside. Tears streamed down her face as she realized its actual value. From then on, she wore the paper ring daily, drawing compliments from colleagues who admired its beauty and creativity. When asked about it, she would respond with a touch of sadness: “You don’t realize the value of something until it’s gone.”
Filled with remorse after reading this, the woman cried, and her tears fell on the ring one drop at a time. From then on, the woman wore the paper ring to and from work. Her colleagues admired her ring for its delicacy, charm, and creativity and asked her about it. The woman, overwhelmed with sadness, replied: “There are many people and material things in your life that you take for granted, but it is not until you lose them that you realize how precious they really were!”
This story, whether true or fictional, reminds us that in marriage and in life, money is not the most valuable asset. True wealth lies in sincerity and kindness, invaluable treasures that benefit us forever.
Translated by Eva, edited by Maria
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