Clayware School

There is a Chinese story which underlines the worth of a value added life. A merchant by name Zeng lived in the city of Jianchang. One day he bought a large amount of clay-ware from the Western River region and was planning to take it to sell in the North. It was then that he heard about the famine in the North.  He cancelled his trip. Just then a person came to see him and wanted to buy his clay-ware. After the transaction was complete, Zeng asked the person what he was planning to do with the clay-ware. The person replied, "I am planning to take the pieces to the north and sell them there." Zeng immediately said, "I had originally planned to do the same thing. But I heard that a famine has just broken out in the North. If the clay-ware pieces are transported to the north, it might be difficult to sell them there. Therefore I cancelled my trip." That person immediately backed out of the deal and left with the money that he had planned to pay Zeng for the clay-ware. Because he couldn't sell the clay-ware, Zeng's entire family soon fell into a destitute situation with no food and no way to keep warm. His conduct but won the admiration of the people. The story ends up as the king honours him with a crucial job in the treasury department.