There was a man who had owed another man money for a long time but refused to pay it back. Every time the creditor came to ask for repayment, the debtor would complain about being too broke and request for more time. One day, when the creditor came again, he saw the debtor sitting down to a meal with a hot roasted duck and asked:
– You’re eating quite well today, surely you’re going to pay me back?
The debtor replied:
– Oh! I appreciate your concern, but I’m still in a tight spot. Please give me a little more time.
The creditor, visibly confused, responded:
– Come on! How long are you going to keep stalling? Even when you have money, you still refuse to pay me back. Do you want to rob me?
The debtor calmly replied:
– I swear it’s true! Who would do that? I’m just really struggling; there’s no way I would rob you.
The creditor then said:
– Huh! Look at you! Don’t try to fool me! You’re eating a whole roasted duck and still claim you have no money and are struggling?
The debtor nonchalantly responded:
– That’s exactly it! You see, I’m so broke that I couldn’t even raise a single duck to eat, so I had to slaughter one just to survive. What more do you want me to say about how poor I am?
