木碗

陳春華

A weak and thin old man lived with his son， his daughter in law， and his four year old grandson.

The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly gra ndfather s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon， dropping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk， it often spilled （溢出） at the tablecloth. With this happening almost every night， the son and daughter in law became angry with the mess （不整潔）.

“We must do something，” said the son. “I ve had enough of his milk spil ling， noisy eating and food on the floor，” the daughter in law agreed.

So the couple set a small table in the corner. There， the grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since the grandfather had broken a dish or two， his food was served in wooden bowls. Still， the only words the couple had for him were sharp warnings when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four year old watched it all in silence.

One evening， before supper， the father noticed his son playing with wood pieces on the floor. He asked the child sweetly， “What are you making？” Just as sweetly， the boy replied， “Oh， I m making little bowls for you and mama to eat your food when I grow up.” The four year old smiled and went back to work.

These words made the parents speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken， both knew what must be done. That evening， the husband took the grand father s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the rest of his days， the grandfather ate every meal with the family.

Who made the couple change their attitude to the elderly grandfather？