Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 12 | Page 119

breadwinner and became penniless. Wu’s mother was unable to care for her children as she had to work in a sewing
factory day and night in order to support their living. Hunger was no stranger to Wu’s family.
Ten years later, Wu was the last one to survive in the family. One day, Wu received a letter from the bank
complaining about the loans and interests her family had owed in the past years, and they were insisting on returning
the money within a year! The bank also threatened to sell her house if she failed to do so. Wu gasped and covered
her mouth immediately. $20,000! Impossible! Her monthly salary was only $20! Wu surely couldn’t! This house was
her only inheritance from her father and ancestors! And now, all she could do was to sell the house and spend her life
living on the streets instead. She sank to the floor and cried into her knees.
What could happen next was unthinkable.
One month later, Wu received another letter from the bank and learnt of the shocking news: Her loans
were paid by a Jewish lady! Wu scanned the receipt, but the remarks made her slow down. Her mind raced and an
image from twelve years ago resurfaced: a girl with chestnut brown hair and in tattered rags. She pressed the receipt
to her chest. Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her heart was overwhelmed with gratitude. Slowly, Wu raised the
receipt to the light and mouthed, "Paid by a cup of water and a bowl of congee."