A long time ago there lived a very old man. He was so old that he could not see or hear very well. He also could not walk very well, or eat very well, for his hand shook. The old man´s son and daughter-in-law thought he was a nuisance. So, they had him eat his meals squatted in the corner, behind the stove. They gave him very little to eat.
The old man would have sad look on his face as he looked at his son and daughter-in-law´s dinner table. One day the old man´s hand shook so terribly that he dropped his dish on the floor. The daughter-in-law started lecturing and scolding. And from that day, his meals were served in a shabby dish.
Not long afterwards, the family was sitting having their dinner. When, their four-year-old grandson was sitting on the floor carefully laying out and checking each of the branches.
The father asked, "What are you doing?"
"I am making a small barrel."
"Why are you making it?"
The son answered, "So that I can fill it with yours and mother´s portion of food, when I grow up."
The old man´s son and daughter-in-law looked at each other and started weeping without saying a word. The two quickly brought their old father to their dinner table. From that day on, the old man sat with the family when they had their meals. Even when the old man spilt his food here and there, the son and the daughter-in-law did not say a word.
很久以前有一位老人。他年纪大了，听力和视力都不好。他腿脚不灵便，双手颤颤巍巍的，饭也吃得很少。老人的儿子和儿媳觉得他是个累赘。所以，把老人赶到炉子后面角落里吃饭，给老人的食物也少的可怜。
老人看着儿子和儿媳在餐桌用餐时，脸上的表情很悲伤。有一天，老人的手颤抖得厉害，不小心把盘子掉在了地上。儿媳开始训斥老人。那之后，老人只能用一个破破烂烂的盘子吃饭。
过了没多久，一家人正吃晚饭。四岁的孙子正认真地坐在地上，专心地检查每一个树枝。
父亲问：“你在干什么？”
“我在做小水桶啊。”
“做这个干什么？”
儿子回答说：“这样等我长大了就把你跟母亲的饭放进去。”
儿子和儿媳相互看了看，什么也没有说就哭了起来。很快他们把老父亲请到餐桌上。从那天起，老人可以与家人坐在一起吃饭。甚至当老人不小心把食物掉的到处都是时，儿子和儿媳也没说一句话。
重点词汇：
for conj. 因为
shook v. 摇晃
daughter-in-law n. 儿媳妇
nuisance n. 讨厌的人
squat v. 蹲坐
stove n. 炉子
terribly adv. 非常
lecture v. 训话
scold v. 斥责
shabby adj. 破旧的
barrel n. 桶
portion n. 份
weep v. 流泪
spilt v. 洒出（spill的过去式）
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