In the late 1980’s in Shanghai, a notorious, cunning man named Lee San lived by thieving.  He was a superb and highly skilled thief who had never been caught and boasted that he could steal whatever he wanted.

One day he was wandering in the street, searching for target.  Wang Wu, a friend, called out to him: “Lee, guess what? I have great news.  A certain family has just received a few thousand dollars.  They are an old couple and I know where their house is.”

“Aha!” Lee San laughed.  “I’ll take this on tonight.”

“But they have a big and ferocious wolf dog, so you may have a problem.”

Lee San replied, “So what? It’s just a stupid dog.  Don’t underestimate my skill!”

It was a pitch-dark night, and the wind was howling.  Lee San took his tools and headed straight for the street where the old couple lived.  When he arrived, he saw a big lantern hung high at the gate of the house.  He began moving in, softly and quietly, when suddenly, a dog began barking.  Lee San saw a huge dog behind the gate and quickly threw it a piece of poisonous meat.  A few seconds later the dog fell on the ground.  Lee San stealthily opened the gate.  He went up to the door, opened it, and made his way quickly to the bedroom where he found the money under the pillow.  “This was so easy,” Lee San thought.  “They have so much money yet they don’t have a vault to secure it.  Are they stingy?”

The he heard voices in the next room.  The old woman and her husband were talking.  Lee stayed where he was and listened carefully to make sure they hadn’t heard him.

“Old fellow, should we spend some money to hire a maid to take care of us? Both of us are blind and old, so how will we survive as time passes?”  It was the weary voice of an old woman.

Lee San was surprised.  If they were blind, why had they put up a big lantern in front of their gate?

“Oh yes, my dear, you are right.  But where can we find the money to hire a maid? replied an old man.

“Didn’t we just get a few thousand dollars for the loss of our son in that accident? Why don’t we use that money?”

“Are you crazy, wife? Don’t you remember that we decided to donate that money to build an orphange? Did you forget?”

Listening, Lee San grew uneasy.

“Oh, oh, yes.  See how bad my memory is! I had forgotten.  I’m getting old and useless.  Still, we could save money by not buying oil for the lamp, and we could sell our dog Ding Ding.”

“But we must light the way for other people on the street.  The street has no light and people who travel in the evening can’t see their way in the dark.  And if Ding Ding is here, then people no longer have to fear bandits or thieves when they come down the street.”

“You’re right,” said the old woman, “It’s too bad we didn’t have another son when we were still young.”  The old woman sighed.  “But never mind.  Let’s get back to work.  We still have stacks of paper boxes to be pasted together.”

Lee San sneaked quietly outside.  Then, sitting down in front of the gate, he began to sob.  He himself was an orphan who had been adopted and later escaped from his violent stepfather and uncaring family.

The following morning, two things were left at the door of the old couple’s house-the money and an exquisite vault.

After that, no one ever saw Lee San again.  He disappeared like a small cloud.  Someone said that he entered a monastery and others that he became a Buddhist.  Still others said that he became a philanthropist.  In any case, a few years later, several orphanages and homes for the elderly were built in the name of Lee San.

From Once upon a Time in Asia, Stories of Harmony and Peace
Co-published by Claretian Publications and Jesuit Communications