My son opened a small factory and asked me for help to work there as a cook, paying me 250 dollars a month.

One day, we ran out of oyster sauce. My daughter-in-law gave me 3 dollars in cash and asked me to buy some at the supermarket. It cost 2.8 dollars, so I didn’t bother taking the small candy change.

That evening, when I was about to leave work, I overheard her complaining in the office.

“Baby, don’t you think your dad is actually a thief? The oyster sauce was two dollars and eighty cents, but he kept the twenty-cent change.”

My son gave an awkward smile. “That’s just how he is. It’s only twenty cents, just forget it.”

Then my daughter-in-law’s mother, Martha, joined in with a sharp voice. “No way, you can’t just ignore it. Today he takes twenty cents, but what if he starts taking more tomorrow? What if he starts taking grocery money too?”

My daughter-in-law, Wanda Wilson, frowned. “You’re right. The meals have been getting worse lately anyway. I haven’t eaten shrimp in days.”

“Sweetheart, maybe my mom should handle the grocery shopping from now on. I trust her more.”

My son hesitated. “That’s not a good idea. My dad’s not just stingy, but he also cares too much about pride. How am I supposed to tell him that?”

I pushed the door open and walked in. “No need to discuss it anymore.”

“Ma’am, from now on, you can handle the cooking and grocery shopping. I’ll go back to my hometown tomorrow. I quit.”

——

I stood at the door, watching their expressions change.

My son, Daniel Sanders, avoided my eyes, yet his face filled with annoyance and embarrassment.

Wanda frowned deeply. “Dad, that’s really rude. How could you stand outside and eavesdrop on us?”

Her mother, Martha, the woman who always wore heavy makeup, quickly added, “Oh no, I can’t do that job. I’ve got my morning and evening dance classes every day. I don’t have time to cook at the factory.”

I said coldly, “If you don’t have time, then just hire a chef. Either way, I’m done.”

Wanda immediately objected. “No way! Hiring a chef costs seven to eight hundred dollars. Our small factory can’t afford that!”

Then she gave Daniel a look, signaling him to say something.

He finally spoke. “Dad, come on, don’t make a scene here. You’re retired and have nothing to do all day. I just wanted to give you something to keep you busy.”

“I even pay you a salary. I’m doing this for your own good. What are you getting angry about?”

Hearing that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and a cold chill ran from my feet all the way to my head. “Daniel, do you really think these 250 bucks are some kinds of charity to your own father?”

He tried to say something, but nothing came out, yet his expression already told me his answer.

My heart instantly sank.

I had spent my whole life teaching, finally reached retirement and had even signed up for a nationwide travel group.

Then my son called, saying his business was struggling and he needed my help.

I felt sorry for him, so I canceled the trip and didn’t even care about losing the deposit. Without a second thought, I packed a few clothes and came right away.

Every day I woke up at five in the morning to buy groceries and cooked for nearly a hundred people by myself. The smoke made me cough all the time.

After cooking, I had to wash the dishes and mop the floor. No one ever helped me.

By the time I finished everything, it was almost nine at night and my back hurt so badly I could barely stand.

These old bones were more tired here than when I was teaching in school. I worked myself to exhaustion to help him, but in his eyes, it was nothing but pity money.

Wanda suddenly laughed coldly, glancing at me with disdain.

“Dad, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but you're so petty, you know that? I was just being honest here. Do you really have to quit over something so small?”

“If people hear about this, what will they think of us?”

Martha quickly stepped in to support her. “Exactly! You were the one who took the twenty cents, so you’re at fault. What’s wrong with them pointing it out? Wanda is just doing what’s best for the family and the business.”

I stood there, feeling the blood rush to my head. My hands were shaking slightly and I could hardly control them.

I asked slowly, word by word, “Let me ask you something. If you see twenty cents lying on the street, would you bend down to pick it up?”

The mother and daughter froze. They glanced at each other, their faces suddenly awkward.

Then Daniel spoke. “Dad, you’re being unreasonable now. Picking up money and being greedy are two different things. You can’t compare them.”

His words cut deep, like a cold knife straight into my heart.

I looked at him, the son I had loved and cared for all his life, now speaking to me in that tone, with that look in his eyes.

Martha raised her voice even more. “That’s right! Daniel is absolutely right! A small thing shows a person’s true nature. From twenty cents, you can already see someone’s greed. Today it’s twenty cents, tomorrow it’s two bucks, then twenty. That’s how it starts.”

“And you used to be a teacher.”

Wanda crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “Exactly. And Dad, to be honest, the meals have been really bad lately, haven’t they? I haven’t even eaten shrimp in days. Mom, right?”

Martha nodded eagerly. “Yes, right! My Wanda loves shrimp. She used to have them often, but now they’re completely gone. You get over one hundred and fifty dollars a day for groceries, so how can that all be gone so fast?”

Listening to their accusations, I felt so suffocated I could barely breathe.

The meal budget was only one hundred and fifty dollars a day for nearly a hundred workers. With today’s prices, that money could hardly fill everyone’s stomach.

I worried the workers wouldn’t have enough strength to do their jobs, so I often used my own money to buy extra meat.

Daniel once told me Wanda loved shrimp, so even when it was expensive, I still bought it every few days, always choosing the freshest ones.

But lately, the shrimp at the market hadn’t looked good, so I stopped buying them. I never imagined that a simple choice would turn into “evidence” that I was stealing their money.

I took a deep breath. My voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm and clear. “Whoever wants this job can have it. I’m done. I’m going back home tomorrow morning.”

Then I turned and walked out.

When I got back to the small storage room I used as a dorm, I began packing a few clothes into my old travel bag. Suddenly, my phone started buzzing nonstop.

The screen lit up. It was a message from the family group chat called “Happy Family.”

I opened it and saw the newest message from Daniel.

[Sigh, I really don’t know what to say.]

[My dad’s making a big deal out of nothing. He’s angry and wants to go home, refusing to help us anymore.]

[Wanda and her mom only told the truth because he kept the twenty-cent change when buying oyster sauce and lately the menu hasn’t been good either.]

[But he got offended and said we’re blaming him unfairly. He just quit like that.]

[How can he be so petty at his age? My business is struggling right now, but he doesn’t even try to understand our situation.]

That message was like a rock thrown into calm water, stirring up waves instantly. The first to reply was one of Daniel’s aunts, one of my sisters.

[Damien, seriously? Why are you getting upset over something like this?]

[Your daughter-in-law only said what needed to be said. She’s young and you’re their father, so you should be more understanding.]

[Business is hard these days. Daniel works day and night to keep his factory running. Do you think it’s easy for him?]

[If you, his father, don’t help him, then who will?]

Soon after, my cousin joined in. [Damien, I have to say, what you did wasn’t right. It’s just a small misunderstanding. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.]

[At a time like this, when your son is struggling, it’s only natural for a father to help with both money and effort. Why would you quit now?]

[You’re just breaking his heart.]

Then my other sister sent a long voice message. I clicked on it and her usual lecturing tone filled the room. [Hey, listen to me, stop being so stubborn. There’s no real grudge between family, right?]

[You’re retired now and don’t have much to do, so it’s only right to help your son and he’s even paying you. That’s already generous.]

[If you leave like this, what will people say about the Sanders Family?]

[They’ll think we can’t even get along. People will laugh at us.]

As I read all those messages, seeing that each one blamed me without knowing the full story, my fingers went cold.

Then a distant cousin, the kind who rarely spoke to us but loved to gossip, sent a sarcastic message. [Oh wow, Daniel’s dad really has it good.]

[His son owns a factory and he gets to work there as a cook, earning easy money. Not like my useless son.]

[But really, you’re making such a big deal out of something so small. Maybe you just can’t get used to city life and want to go back home to act like a boring old man again?]

Another niece, who wasn’t very close to our family, chimed in too. [Uncle, Daniel is paying you just to keep you busy and give you a bit of income. Isn’t that better than doing nothing at home? Why can’t you just appreciate that?]

[The money is handled by your daughter-in-law. She’s just being careful for the sake of the factory. You did take the twenty cents, didn’t you? What’s wrong with them mentioning it?]

[It’s not like you’re losing anything.]

[That’s right,] added another relative. [Damien, we have no right to criticize you here, but try to be honest with yourself. When you’re old, won’t you still depend on Daniel and his wife?]

[If you upset them now, how will you live later? Just apologize and get back to work. We’re family, Damien, why make such a big deal out of it?]

The messages kept coming, one after another. They all blamed me, called me petty, unreasonable and ungrateful for my children’s so-called kindness.

None of them knew what it felt like to wake up at five every morning, to cook for nearly a hundred people alone, day after day.

Then my older nephew, who had had conflicts with me before, added with mockery, [Honestly, Danies is too kind. He should’ve hired a real chef instead of asking his dad. Look how that turned out. It’s easier to invite an expert than to send a useless person away.]

[Sure, twenty cents isn’t much, but it shows his character. Today it’s twenty cents, tomorrow who knows how much? Maybe the rumor about him pocketing grocery money is true.]

[That’s right,] that distant cousin added again. [Look how fast he’s trying to leave. Maybe his kids are right. If he has nothing to hide, why is he running away?]

Finally, Daniel sent another message.

[Dad, see? Everyone agrees. Stop being so stubborn, okay? Just come back to work tomorrow. I’ll talk to Wanda and give you a 30-dollar raise.]

I stared at the screen for a while, then opened the group settings and quietly left the chat.

At last, the world felt quiet again.

But an hour later, someone knocked on my door.