Raelene Heldt, a friend of my grandmother, if she were alive today, would never be able to deal with a visit to the modern supermarket, especially endless kinds of milk. It would be too much for her. She’d feel cheated. Because back in her day, in India, she was known among the vendors(商贩) who went selling their wares from door-to-door.

You had to bring her the genuine article(真货), or you simply would not receive her custom(惠顾). In the 60s, custom was a huge thing. “She had a way with people,” my granny used to say. “If you mess with her, you get told off and never ever again enjoy her custom.’

The freshest fish, the best meat, the juiciest … they all went to Raelene first and only after she’d had her pick was the rest taken to be sold to others. How did this all come about? Well, it began with the milkman.

The milkman made his rounds around the colony with a huge can of milk on his bicycle. Raelene’s house happened to be at the milkman’s run. Once he got there, he’d take the bowl placed outside the Raelene’s door and measure a litre of milk. In most cases, it was just a routine business exchange.

However, one day, Raelene happened to be drinking tea at her friend Jill’s place. The milk in the cup was so thick it gave the tea such a rich taste. “Show me your milk, Jill,” said Raelene. Jill let her have a look. And something things in her mind.

Jill happened to live at the very head of the village so she got the first delivery(递送) of milk, which was very good, pure, thick. But by the time the milk reached Raelene’s door, it had water added.

This Raelene found out about. And once “the cat was out of the bag”, Raelene said to the milkman, “If you want to keep my custom, you’ll bring your cow with you to my door and milk it right before my eyes. Otherwise, I’m not interested.”

And you know what? The milkman agreed. Those were, indeed, different times.

Teenagers in England do much the same as children in America do. They enjoy sending messages by their mobile phones and they also like swimming, listening to the latest music, watching TV and surfing the Internet.

How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays? Let’s follow Sally, a British teenager, and spend five days with her during her school holiday.

Day One

After breakfast, Sally’s mother went out and left her alone at home. She checked her mobile phone during lunch—one of her friends sent her a message early in the morning. Dinner was at 6:30 p. m. After that, she finished her English homework. Then she surfed the Internet.

Day Two

Sally and her mother paid a visit to their friends and went swimming together. Later, they went shopping for clothes and books, and had dinner in a restaurant.

Day Three

She went to the supermarket with her mother to buy fish and chips for lunch as well as some pens. After she got back home, she spent the next few hours surfing the Internet and watching TV.

Day Four

She surfed the Internet. Her mother took her out for lunch before she went to work. She then read stories after lunch.

Day Five

She woke up at 2 p. m., and so did her mother. They went to a park. Her mother met some friends there. When they got home, it was already time for dinner. Afterwards, she did her homework until 10 p. m.

When I was in middle school, I was on a family vacation in Washington DC. I found there was a homeless man down the street.

On our final day in the city, when my parents went for an evening walk, I went out of our hotel room and ran down the street to the homeless man.

He looked at me, surely not expecting anything from a middle school girl. I asked him what he wanted to have for dinner. He replied “Bread and water”. I ran into the store and bought a big bag of bread and a bottle of water. I ran back with a smile on my face and handed the bag and the bottle to him. His smile has been in my mind ever since.

I came back to the hotel room and when my parents returned, my dad told me he had a story for me. He asked if I remembered the homeless man down the street from our hotel and I shyly nodded. He then told me a story. As they were returning from their walk, they saw the homeless man was sharing a bag full of food with other homeless people around. They were all smiling and laughing as they ate.

I smiled at my dad but I have never told him to this day the other half of the story. Till today, I still haven’t forgotten that man’s smile but I wish I had the courage to do this more often. One small kind action can begin a ripple effect (连锁反应) of kindness. So please, share a smile and do something kind for the people in need.