Stories about frugality

One *** 7 stories

Things (1)

Yan Shu, a famous writer and politician in the Northern Song Dynasty, was regarded as a " Prodigy" was recommended to the court. He could have obtained an official position without taking the imperial examination, but he did not do so and took the examination resolutely. It just so happened that the exam questions were ones he had done before and received guidance from several famous teachers. In this way, he easily stood out from more than a thousand candidates and was praised by the emperor. But Yan Shu did not feel complacent because of this. On the contrary, when he accepted the emperor's re-examination, he truthfully told the emperor the situation and asked for another question to be tested in front of him. After discussing with the ministers, the emperor came up with a more difficult topic and asked Yan Shu to write an essay in class. As a result, his article was praised by the emperor again.

After Yan Shu became an official, after finishing his official duties every day, he always returned home and studied behind closed doors. Later, the emperor learned about this situation and was very happy, so he named him as an official under the prince. When Yan Shu went to thank the emperor, the emperor praised him for his ability to study hard behind closed doors. Yan Shu said, "It's not that I don't want to go to banquets and entertainments, it's just that I don't go because my family is poor and has no money. I feel worthy of the emperor's praise." The emperor also praised him for his real talent and learning, as well as his simplicity and honesty. He is a rare person. He was a talented person, and after a few years he was promoted and made prime minister. Yan Shu is honest, consistent on the outside and does not cheat. This is what we should learn from.

Only earn a penny

In ancient times, there was a young man named Zhao Er. He opened a tavern in the market and named it "Beneficial Restaurant".

In the beginning, the things sold were very affordable, the bowls were big, the wine was fragrant, and the prices were cheap. Business is booming every day, the restaurant is full of customers, and the wine is sold out before dark. Zhao Er saw it and was happy in his heart. So he came up with a crooked idea and changed the big bowl into a small bowl, but the price was still the same as the big bowl. He also deceived the guests and said that precious Chinese herbal medicine was added to the wine.

The guests believed Zhao Er’s words. Not only were there no fewer guests, they were more than before. Zhao Er made a lot of money. Zhao Er tasted the sweetness and added more water to the wine. After a few days, there were fewer and fewer customers.

One day, an old man with a white beard came in and asked Zhao Er: "Why is your store so deserted?" Bring me a pen, and I will tell you a secret recipe. Zhao Er brought a pen and paper, and the old man wrote two words: integrity. Zhao Er then changed the hotel to "earn only one penny". From then on, he operated honestly and made one penny per bowl of wine. People cannot be greedy, otherwise they will break the trust of the people!

Story (2)

Huangfu Ji was a famous minister in the Sui Dynasty. His father died when he was three years old, and his mother could not support the family by herself, so she took him back to live with her parents. Grandpa saw that Huangfu Ji was so smart and pitiful that he had no father, so he loved him very much.

My grandfather’s name is Wei Xiaokuan. The Wei family is a well-known local family and is very wealthy. Since there were many children in school at home, my grandfather hired a teacher and set up his own school, which was called a private school at the time. Huangfu Ji and his cousins ??all went to school in their own school.

Grandpa is a very strict old man, especially when it comes to his grandchildren. When the private school started, a rule was set. If anyone failed to complete his homework without any reason, he would be re-taught twenty times in accordance with the family law.

One day, after class in the morning, Huangfu Ji and several of his cousins ??hid in an abandoned small house to play chess. As soon as I was playful, it was time for afternoon class before I knew it. Everyone forgot to do the homework the teacher left in the morning.

The next day, my grandfather found out about this. He called his grandchildren to the study and gave them a severe scolding. Then according to the rules, each person plays twenty boards again.

Grandpa saw that Huangfuji was the youngest and usually very well-behaved, and since he didn’t have a father, he couldn’t bear to beat him. So, he called him aside and said to him kindly: "You are still young, so I won't punish you this time. However, you can't make such mistakes again in the future. If you don't do your homework and learn your skills well, how can you achieve great things in the future?" ?”

Huangfu Ji gets along well with his cousins, and the younger brothers love and protect him. I was very happy to see that Xiao Huangfu Ji was not punished.

However, Xiao Huangfu Ji felt very sad. He thought: My brothers and I made the same mistake and delayed our homework. Grandpa didn't punish me, it was because he felt sorry for me. But I can't indulge myself. I should also follow the rules of private sex and be beaten twenty times.

So Huangfuji found his cousins ??and asked them to punish him twenty times on behalf of his father-in-law. When the cousins ??heard this, they all burst into laughter. Huangfuji said seriously: "This is the rule in the private school. We all promised grandpa that we would be punished if we broke the rules. Otherwise, we will not keep our promise. You have all been punished according to the rules, and I am no exception."

The cousins ??were all moved by Huangfuji's spirit of abiding by the rules of the school and sincerely reforming. So, he took out his ruler and hit Huangfu Ji with twenty big boards.

Later Huangfu Ji became a senior official in the imperial court, but the character of keeping promises and having the courage to admit mistakes that he had developed since childhood was never lost, which made him enjoy a high reputation among civil and military officials. .

Stories about integrity in foreign countries

(3)

On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a farmer's family. When he was a child, his family was very poor and he had no chance to go to school. He followed his father to cultivate and work in the western wilderness every day. He himself said: "When I entered school in my life, the total time was less than one year." But Lincoln was diligent and studious, and asked others for advice whenever he had the opportunity. He had no money to buy paper or pens, so he always had a book in his arms when he was herding cattle, chopping firewood, or digging in the ground. When he was resting, he gnawed on hard, cold bread and read with relish. At night, he often read until late at night under the small oil.

When he grew up, Lincoln left his hometown and went out to make a living alone. He worked all kinds of jobs, including day laborers, sailors, store clerks, rural postmen, land surveyors, and gravity work such as logging and splitting wood. No matter what he does, he is very responsible, honest and trustworthy.

When he was a teenager, he worked as a clerk in a village grocery store. Once, a customer paid a few cents more and ran more than ten miles to get the money back. Another time, he found that he had given a customer two taels of tea leaves, so he ran several miles to deliver the tea leaves to that person's home. He was honest, studious, and humble, and was loved by those around him wherever he went.

In 1834, the 25-year-old Lincoln was elected as an Illinois Congressman and began his political career. In 1836, he passed the examination and became a lawyer.

After becoming a lawyer, he was very famous in the local area because he was proficient in law and eloquent. Many people came to him to help with lawsuits. But there is one condition for him to defend the client, that is, the client must be a just party. Many poor people had no money to pay him for his services, but as long as they told Lincoln: "I am just, please help me seek justice." Lincoln would defend him for free.

Once, a very wealthy man asked Lincoln to defend him. After listening to the client's statement, Lincoln found that the man was falsely accusing a good man, so he said: "I'm sorry, but I can't defend you because your behavior is unjust."

The man said: "Mr. Lincoln, I just want to ask you to help me fight this unjust lawsuit. As long as I win the case, you can pay me whatever you want."

Lincoln said seriously: "Just use a little court defense. Your case is easy to win, but the case itself is unfair. If I took your case, when I stood in front of the judge and spoke, I would say to myself: 'Lincoln, you are lying. Lies can only be spoken out loud when you lose your conscience. I can't lose my conscience and it's impossible to tell lies. So, please ask someone else. I don't have the ability to serve you."

That's it. After hearing this, the man said nothing and left Lincoln's office silently.

(4)

Lincoln worked as a sailor in his early years. One day in June 1831, he and several sailors came to the slave auction market in New Orleans, a southern city in the United States. They saw rows of black slaves standing there in shackles and handcuffs. The ropes are strung together.

The slave owners looked at the slaves carefully like they were buying a mule or a horse. Sometimes they would step forward and touch the slave's arm and pat the slave's thigh to see if the slave was strong and muscular, and whether he would have the strength to work in the future. Slave owners beat black slaves with whips and branded them with red-hot iron bars. At this time, the young Lincoln said angrily: "What a shame! When I get the chance, I will completely destroy this slavery system."

In 1860, at the age of fifty-one, Lincoln campaigned for the U.S. President. He won and became President of the United States. He really abolished slavery and realized this great ambition, and he was also respected by the American people.

(5)

Franklin was an American in the 18th century. He was a famous scientist and a famous social activist. He participated in drafting the United States' Declaration of Independence and made great contributions to American independence and freedom.

He comes from a family of craftsmen who have been blacksmithing for generations. Since there are many children in the family, it is difficult for his parents to rely on blacksmithing to maintain the family's life. Twelve-year-old Franklin saw his parents worrying about their livelihood all day long, so he wanted to do something for his family. At this time, in addition to blacksmithing, my father also made candles.

Later, his brother opened a newspaper in the city, and Franklin became an apprentice to his brother and learned typesetting in a printing office. His brother was very mean to him, often scolding him for trivial matters, and sometimes beating him severely. This made Franklin unbearable, and soon left there to find work in another printing office. But his brother was very bad and told all the printing shop owners in the city not to hire Franklin.

Franklin had to find work in other cities. He lived in Philadelphia, where a man named Keimou asked Franklin to help him manage the printing shop he opened, promising to give him a high salary. Franklin couldn't find another job for the time being, so he agreed. Franklin was already a skilled worker at that time, and the other workers hired by Keimou were people who did not know much about printing, typesetting, and binding. Keimou paid these people very low wages. When the smart Franklin saw this situation, he guessed that Keimou wanted him to train these cheaply hired workers into skilled workers and then drive him away. Keimou had a bad reputation in the local area, and everyone knew that he was a cunning and cunning villain.

Although Franklin had already guessed what Kaimo was thinking, he thought that since he agreed to accept the job, he should try his best to do a good job and be serious and responsible for his work. He should not let it affect him just because his boss is not good. own serious attitude towards work. So, he taught these workers some techniques every day, and even taught these people the method of making typefaces he invented.

Keimou was very polite to Franklin at first. A few months later, he found that the workers he hired cheaply had basically mastered the typesetting and printing technology, so he began to cause trouble to Franklin for no reason. Withhold his salary. On one occasion, Keimou actually pointed at Franklin's nose and called him a stupid pig. Franklin was very angry and said: "There are only stupid pig bosses and no stupid pig workers. People like you are not worthy of being a boss at all."

Keimou was about to drive Franklin away when he The sarcastic person would say: "God didn't keep a genius like you from working here. You can slip away like a squid." , don't beat around the bush, you invited me here just to train you workers. Now that they are all skilled workers, you can drive me away. I have already figured out what you are thinking. But don't worry, I'm Franklin. People have always been honest and will not spread wrong skills to them because of your despicableness. When you fire them in the future, they can easily find jobs with their own skills."

After that, Franklin packed his luggage and left the shop.

(6)

New York Judge Crane was born in a poor working-class family. In order to make a living, he worked in a private company at an early age. His employer treated him like a dog, making him do backbreaking work and paying him only two dollars a week, when in fact his work was worth at least fifty dollars a week.

One day, he didn't eat anything all day long, but he took $2,500 in cash to work for the company. He thought of stealing at the time, but he also thought: My mother has always believed that I am absolutely honest, and I cannot make my mother sad for this despicable employer.

Later, when he recalled this incident, he said: "Like many young people, I once stood on the edge of the cliff."

(7)

UK The famous novelist Walter Scott was an honest and trustworthy man. Although he was very poor, people respected him.

Scott was an upright man. One of his friends saw that his life was very difficult, so he helped him set up a publishing and printing company. However, he was not good at management and soon went bankrupt. This put the already poor writer on the back of another $60,000 debt burden.

Scott’s friends discussed raising enough money to help him pay off his debts. Scott refused and said: "No, I can pay off the debt with my own hands. I can lose anything, but the only thing I can't lose is credit."

In order to pay off his debt , he worked as hard as an old scalper pulling a cart. His friends all admired his courage and said that he was a real man and an upright and noble person.

Many newspapers at that time reported the news of the collapse of his business, and some articles were full of sympathy and regret. He threw all these articles into the stove, and said to himself in his heart: "Walter Scott does not need pity and sympathy. He has precious credibility and the courage to defeat life."

After that, he worked harder and learned many jobs that he couldn't do before. He often traveled to several units a day and changed different jobs. He was tired and thin.

Once, after reading a novel written by Scott, one of his creditors came to him and said: "Mr. Scott, I know you are very trustworthy, but you are also a very trustworthy person." Talented writer, you should spend more time on writing, so I decided to forgive your debts, so you don’t have to pay back the money you owe me."

Scott said: " Thank you very much, but I can't accept your help, I can't be a person without credit."

After this incident, he wrote in his diary: "I have never slept like this. I have to be so solid and stable. My creditor told me that he thought I was an honest and reliable person, and he said he could forgive my debt, but I couldn't accept it. Although I had a difficult and dark road ahead. But it makes me feel glorious. In order to preserve my credibility, I may die in hardship, but I die gloriously."

Due to heavy labor, Scott once fell ill. During his illness, he often said to himself: "My debts to others have not been paid off yet. I must get better. When I make money and pay off my debts, I will die gloriously and peacefully."

This belief allowed Scott to recover quickly from his illness. Two years later, he paid off the debt through his own labor.

Thing (1)

Yan Shu, a famous writer and politician in the Northern Song Dynasty, was recommended to the court by local officials as a "child prodigy" at the age of 14. He could have obtained an official position without taking the imperial examination, but he did not do so and took the examination resolutely. It just so happened that the exam questions were ones he had done before and received guidance from several famous teachers. In this way, he easily stood out from more than a thousand candidates and was praised by the emperor. But Yan Shu did not feel complacent because of this. On the contrary, when he accepted the emperor's re-examination, he truthfully told the emperor the situation and asked for another question to be tested in front of him. After discussing with the ministers, the emperor came up with a more difficult topic and asked Yan Shu to write an essay in class. As a result, his article was praised by the emperor again.

After Yan Shu became an official, after finishing his official duties every day, he always returned home and studied behind closed doors. Later, the emperor learned about this situation and was very happy, so he named him as an official under the prince. When Yan Shu went to thank the emperor, the emperor praised him for his ability to study hard behind closed doors. Yan Shu said, "It's not that I don't want to go to the banquet and have fun, it's just that I don't go because my family is poor and has no money. I am worthy of the emperor's praise."

"The emperor also praised him for his real talent, simplicity and honesty. He was a rare talent. After a few years, he promoted him and made him prime minister. Yan Shu was honest, consistent on the outside, and did not cheat. This is what we should learn from. . Earning only one penny

In ancient times, a young man named Zhao Er opened a tavern in the market and named it "Beneficial Restaurant".

In the beginning, things. It was very affordable, the bowl was big, the wine was fragrant, and the price was cheap. The business was booming every day, and the wine was sold out before nightfall. Zhao Er was very happy when he saw it. The bowl became a small bowl, but the price was still the same as that of a large bowl, and he deceived the guests that precious Chinese herbal medicine was added to the wine.

The guests believed Zhao Er’s words, and not only were there no fewer guests, but there were more guests than before. Er made a lot of money. Zhao Er tasted the sweetness and added more water to the wine. After a few days, there were fewer and fewer customers.

One day, a white beard came in. The old man asked Zhao Er: "Why is your store so deserted? "Bring a pen, I'll tell you a secret recipe. Zhao Er brought a pen and paper, and the old man wrote two words: integrity. Zhao Er then changed the hotel to "make only one penny." From then on, he ran the hotel honestly and insisted on a bowl of wine. Earn a penny. People can't be greedy, otherwise they will break their trust!

Story (2)

Huangfu Ji was a famous minister in the Sui Dynasty. His father died when he was three years old. After his death, his mother could not maintain the family life alone, so she took him back to live with her parents. Grandpa saw that Huangfu Ji was so smart and pitiful that he had no father, so he loved him very much.

Grandpa. Wei Xiaokuan, the Wei family was a well-known local family. Since there were many children in school, my grandfather hired a teacher to set up his own school, which was called Huangfu Ji at that time. He and his cousins ??were there. Go to school in my own school.

My grandfather is a very strict old man, especially for his grandchildren. When the private school starts, he will set rules. For homework, I played twenty big boards again according to the family method.

One day, after class in the morning, Huangfu Ji and several of his cousins ??hid in an abandoned small house to play chess. As I was having fun, it was time for the afternoon class before I knew it. Everyone had forgotten to do the homework that the teacher had left in the morning.

The next day, my grandpa found out about this, and he called his grandchildren. In the study room, he was severely scolded, and then everyone played twenty boards again according to the rules.

Grandpa saw that Huangfuji was the youngest and usually very well-behaved. Plus, he didn’t have a father. I couldn't bear to beat him, so I called him aside and said to him kindly: "You are still young, so I won't punish you this time. However, you can’t make this mistake again in the future. If you don’t do your homework and don’t learn skills well, how can you achieve great things in the future? ”

Huangfuji got along very well with his cousins, and the little brothers loved and protected him. I was very happy to see that little Huangfuji was not punished. However, little Huangfuji felt very sad. He thought: My brothers and I made the same mistake and missed my homework. Grandpa didn't punish me because he felt sorry for me. But I couldn't indulge myself. I should also be beaten twenty times in accordance with the rules of the private school.

So, Huangfuji went to his cousins ??and asked them to give him twenty blows on behalf of his grandfather. When the cousins ??heard this, they all burst into laughter and said seriously: "This is so. It was a rule in the private school. We all promised my grandpa that we would be willing to be punished if we broke the rules, otherwise we would not keep our promise. You have all been punished according to the rules, and I am no exception. ”

The cousins ??were all moved by Huangfuji’s spirit of abiding by the rules of the school and sincerely reforming. So they took out their ruler and hit Huangfuji twenty times.

Later, Huangfu Ji became a high-ranking official in the imperial court, but the character of keeping promises and being brave enough to admit mistakes that he had developed since childhood was never lost, which made him enjoy a high reputation among civil and military officials.

A story about foreign integrity

(3)

On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a farmer's family. When he was a child, his family was very poor and he had no opportunities. He goes to school and follows his father to cultivate and work in the western wilderness every day.

He himself said: "When I entered school in my life, the total time was less than one year." But Lincoln was diligent and studious, and asked others for advice whenever he had the opportunity. He had no money to buy paper or pens, so he always had a book in his arms when he was herding cattle, chopping firewood, or digging in the ground. When he was resting, he gnawed on hard, cold bread and read with relish. At night, he often read until late at night under the small oil.

When he grew up, Lincoln left his hometown and went out to make a living alone. He worked all kinds of jobs, including day laborers, sailors, store clerks, rural postmen, land surveyors, and gravity work such as logging and splitting wood. No matter what he does, he is very responsible, honest and trustworthy.

When he was a teenager, he worked as a clerk in a village grocery store. Once, a customer paid a few cents more and ran more than ten miles to get the money back. Another time, he found that he had given a customer two taels of tea leaves, so he ran several miles to deliver the tea leaves to that person's home. He was honest, studious, and humble, and was loved by those around him wherever he went.

In 1834, the 25-year-old Lincoln was elected as an Illinois Congressman and began his political career. In 1836, he passed the examination and became a lawyer.

After becoming a lawyer, he was very famous in the local area because he was proficient in law and eloquent. Many people came to him to help with lawsuits. But there is one condition for him to defend the client, that is, the client must be a just party. Many poor people had no money to pay him for his services, but as long as they told Lincoln: "I am just, please help me seek justice." Lincoln would defend him for free.

Once, a very wealthy man asked Lincoln to defend him. After listening to the client's statement, Lincoln found that the man was falsely accusing a good man, so he said: "I'm sorry, but I can't defend you because your behavior is unjust."

The man said: "Mr. Lincoln, I just want to ask you to help me fight this unjust lawsuit. As long as I win the case, you can pay me whatever you want."

Lincoln said seriously: "Just use a little court defense. Your case is easy to win, but the case itself is unfair. If I took your case, when I stood in front of the judge and spoke, I would say to myself: 'Lincoln, you are lying. Lies can only be spoken out loud when you lose your conscience. I can't lose my conscience and it's impossible to tell lies. So, please ask someone else. I don't have the ability to serve you."

That's it. After hearing this, the man said nothing and left Lincoln's office silently

Selling a dog to marry a girl

There was a high-ranking official in the Eastern Jin Dynasty named Wu Yinzhi. He lost his father when he was young and struggled with his mother. He lived his daily life and developed the habit of diligence, thrift and simplicity. After becoming an official, he still hated luxury and refused to move into the official residence prepared for him by the court. For many years, his family only lived in a few thatched houses. Later, when his daughter got married, people thought he would take care of it, but on the big day, the Wu family was still deserted. General Xie Shi's housekeeper came to congratulate him and saw a servant walking out with a dog. The housekeeper asked: "Your young lady is getting married today, why are there no preparations at all?" The servant frowned and said, "Don't mention it, my master is too frugal. The young lady is getting married today, and the master only ordered the preparations last night. I thought I thought it was time for the owner to spend some money, but the owner actually asked me to go to the market this morning to sell the dog and use the money from selling the dog to buy things. Let me see how much a dog can be sold for. A commoner's daughter is more elegant than my master!" The housekeeper sighed: "Everyone says that Mr. Wu is a rare upright official.

Su Shi, one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, was awarded Jinshi at the age of 21 and served as an official for 40 years. During his tenure as an official, he always paid attention to frugality and often lived a careful life. In 1080 AD, Su Shi was demoted and demoted and came to Huangzhou. As his salary was reduced a lot, he was too poor to survive. Later, with the help of friends, he got a piece of land and started farming by himself. In order not to spend a penny indiscriminately, he also implemented a planned expenditure: first calculate all the money, and then divide it into 12 equal portions, using one portion every month; each portion was evenly divided into 30 small portions, and only one small portion was used every day.

After all the money is divided, it is hung on the beams in portions, and one bag is taken out every morning to be used as living expenses for the whole day. After getting a small amount of money, he has to weigh it carefully and refuse to buy anything he can afford. He is only allowed to have leftovers and is not allowed to overspend. Su Shi kept the money he saved in a bamboo tube to prepare for unexpected needs.