I never thought of myself as an old man until a few years ago, when a couple who rented our apartment kept on addressing me as daye (grandpa) and my wife as yi (aunt). The greeting warmed our relationship, so much so that when they wanted to postpone paying the rent for a month we didn't have the heart to refuse.

They were short of cash, but were willing to pay with whatever valuables they possessed. We visited them and found only the mattress and gas stove would have been any use. The young lady embraced a doll and told my wife with tears in her eyes: "Auntie, would you take this? He gave this to me on my birthday."

Actually, we had already made up our minds before the visit. Our son is around the same age as they are and rents an apartment in another city. How could we, old Beijingers, be so hard on a young couple from outside the city that had fallen into a well of debt?

"Come over and have dinner with us," my wife offered.

The couple hesitated, but eventually acquiesced. The young woman helped my wife make steamed buns, the young man followed me into the kitchen. Being a lazy host, I ordered my guest around: picking leaves, washing vegetables and cutting meat. Then I directed him to mix cold bean curd with Chinese onion, fry chicken with soy sauce and stir-fry cabbage with vinegar and brown sugar.

When we finished, the steamed buns were on the table. This was a common dinner for us, but the couple looked very excited. "You can cook! Why didn't you ever prepare dishes like this for me?" she asked him. "The steamed buns are delicious! Why don't you learn from Auntie how to make them?" he replied.

"If you have money, it saves time to eat out," I said, knowingly. My son doesn't know how to cook, either. His girlfriend can't even make jiaozi dumpling. Together they make some 3,000 yuan ($423) a month. At the end of the month, they often live on small baked cakes. Sometimes, my son calls us to borrow money. He promises to be kind to us when we are really old.

Hearing our story, the young couple informed us about their living costs. Besides every day living expenses, young people have to pay a handsome bill for the mobile phone, and a few pairs of shoes and new dresses every year. In addition, classmates, relatives and colleagues get married or have children, which are festive occasions demanding a fat red envelope.

My wife sighed. "Having a good life is not a game. You've got to earn it bit by bit." The couple said nothing. They cleaned up the apartment, then came back to learn how to cook. A year later, they bowed to us deeply before moving out. Then, one day, they came back, with a chubby baby and many presents.

I wasn't sure how we earned all these gifts, but my wife said slowly: "The lady said they were about to separate when they couldn't pay the rent. We saved their marriage."

(China Daily 03/20/2008 page19)