The Green-Eyed Monster
In a small town of China lived a tailor named Ching. All he had for an asset, his small house besides a sewing machine. But the real asset he had was sincerity. He worked hard and stood by his word. Naturally, he prospered well. Soon he bought four new machines and provided work to four other hands. His customers were extremely pleased with him. They would pay him even more than what he charged them. When Ching would show his reluctance to receive such extra fees, they would send him gifts such as fruits, vegetables, and milk. In the same town lived ten more tailors. Ching became their eyesore. They never realized that if they did not prosper, it was because they were not as hard or as sincere at work as Ching. They passed their time inventing and circulating damaging rumors about Ching. But the people of the town never believed in such mischievous rumors. They knew too well that the other tailors were just jealous of Ching. Now, when the ten tailors saw what they could not do any harm to their rival by mere wicked words, they were quite pensive. The leader of this gang of ten was Bang. "As long as Ching continues to prosper at this rate, we have no future in the trade," he lamented one day. "There are necromancers who can stop people from prospering, observed a friend. The hint was taken up.
They went to meet a necromancer who lived at a distance of half day's walk. But the necromancer was out of the station. They returned disappointed. But the next day a stranger knocked at Bang's door. "You desired to meet my venerable teacher, the great necromancer. Well, he sent me, his chief disciple, to see if I can be of any help to you. My teacher is too busy to come." The stranger's apparel showed him to be a necromancer. Bang confided to him the cause of his heart burning. "If we must harass Ching, we have to take the help of an imp. The process is a bit expensive," observed the stranger. "Well, I don't mind expense for sake of the work!" said Bang. "That is like a well-meaning client. Now, here is a magic lemon. You have to put inside it a small ball of pure gold and leave the lemon at Ching's house." Bang accepted the lemon with thanks and paid the necromancer his due. He had to sell the only piece of land he possessed in order to buy the gold necessary. Then he went to meet Ching and took care to leave the lemon in his house. The stranger visited all the other nine tailors too and distributed the magic lemons among them. Some had to pledge their machines and some had to sell their lands for the gold. But all managed to leave the gold-filled lemons in Ching's house. Then began their anxious waiting to see Ching's condition deteriorating. But what happened was the opposite. Ching added a new wing to his workshop, with ten new machines arranged in an array.
The gang of ten made a hurried trip to the necromancer and demanded agitatedly, "Where is your chief disciple?" "Chief disciple? I have no disciple at all!" replied the necromancer. The gang returned with their heads hung. Ching invited them to see the extension of his workshop. Bang, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked, "Brother CHing, what is the secret of this sudden boost in your condition?" "That is a miracle. Some beneficent being sent me ten lemons filled with ten gold balls. I used the lemons in my drink and used the gold for buying the new machines." The ten guests looked at one another. Tears drizzled in their eyes. "My brother, it is some god who asked us to leave those gold-filled lemons here. We fools were jealous of you and had to pay the price for our ill-will," confessed Bang. His friends nodded. "You were indeed fools to do so, my friends. It is no god that misguided you, but the green-eyed monster, the being of jealousy. However, you are welcome to work here- with my new machines. I have not yet employed new hands," said Ching. They accepted the offer. It was sheer good luck that Ching had overheard their discussion on the eve of their first visit to the necromancer's house. He could don a disguise and play the trick on them. But he never disclosed this to the ten until very late when they had grown old and wise.
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