It was raining hard that afternoon, and the bus was crowded. Han Mei found a red umbrella left on the seat beside her. She looked around: an old lady had just got off, and a young man was listening to music with his eyes closed. 'Whose umbrella can this be?' she wondered. 'It must belong to the old lady. She was carrying a shopping bag just like this.' The bus moved on, but Han Mei could not stop thinking about the umbrella.
At the next stop, Han Mei made a decision. She got off the bus and ran back in the rain, holding the umbrella over her head. The old lady must have got off at the market two stops ago, so Han Mei hurried there. She searched among the stalls, asking every seller, 'Have you seen an old lady in a grey coat?' Her shoes were wet and her hair was dripping, but she did not give up. She knew the owner must be very worried.
Finally, in front of the fish stall, Han Mei saw the grey coat. 'Grandma! Is this umbrella yours?' she called. The old lady turned around and her face lit up. 'Oh my dear, I thought I had lost it forever!' She held Han Mei's hands tightly. 'You are such a kind girl. Your parents must have taught you well.' Han Mei's face turned red, but her heart was warm. That night, she wrote in her journal: 'A small act can be a big light.'
The next day, Cozy told the story to the whole class. 'When Han Mei found the umbrella, she had a choice,' he said. 'She could have left it on the seat, and nobody would have blamed her. But she chose to return it. That is what we call character. A person of character is honest, patient and modest, not because it is easy, but because it is right.' The students nodded, and Han Mei felt both proud and shy at the same time.
A week later, the old lady came to the school gate, carrying a box of candies and a letter. The letter was short but warm: 'Dear child, your kindness is the best reward this old lady has ever received. May your life be as bright as the red umbrella.' Han Mei kept the letter in her dictionary. She knew that in the battle between good and easy, good must always win, and she wanted to be a soldier on the side of good.