The Parrot that is not for sale

On the first floor, there was an elderly man named Mr. Wang, who was a bird enthusiast with no children or family. He had many beautiful birds, such as the Tiger-skin Parrot, Peony Parrot, Hwamei, and Pigeons. However, Mr. Wang's favorite bird was a plain black parrot with missing feathers on its head and mottled feathers on its body. Despite its appearance, the parrot had a talent for mimicking various voices, from old to young, and high to low pitches. Every morning, when Mr. Wang removed the black cloth covering the birdcage, the parrot would say in a hoarse voice, "Drink water, take your medicine." Following its instructions, Mr. Wang obediently drank a glass of water and took a blood pressure pill.

After taking his medicine, Mr. Wang would take his beloved parrot to the park for a walk among the other bird enthusiasts. The park was filled with people walking their birds, and as soon as Mr. Wang's parrot arrived, it became the center of attention. The parrot would sing in a clear and melodious voice, "The air is so fresh in the morning, oh-oh..." It was a song that a little girl from the first floor used to sing to the parrot every day, and over time, the parrot learned to sing it too.

One day, a well-dressed middle-aged man with a big belly walked past Mr. Wang's birdcage during his morning exercise and was fascinated by the parrot. He asked Mr. Wang, "Are you willing to sell this parrot?" Mr. Wang shook his head and replied, "I'm not selling it." Undeterred, the man asked, "How about five thousand yuan?" and then offered ten thousand yuan, but Mr. Wang refused, stating that he would never sell his parrot for any amount of money. The other bird enthusiasts in the park tried to persuade Mr. Wang to sell his parrot, arguing that he could train another one, but Mr. Wang remained silent, gazing at the hanging tassels of the poplar tree, and murmuring to himself, "It's almost Qixi Festival."

On Qixi Festival, Mr. Wang brought some pastries and his parrot to the cemetery to visit his deceased wife. She had passed away four years ago, and the cypress tree that Mr. Wang had planted by her grave had grown to be over a meter tall. Mr. Wang carefully swept a clean area in front of the grave and placed the pastries on it, whispering, "Please eat, these are your favorites." Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the cemetery, rustling the paper on the ground, and the parrot cried out, "Drink water, take your medicine!" It was the voice of Mr. Wang's wife. Mr. Wang looked at the parrot and then at his wife's tombstone, and tears flowed down his face. "I drank, I took it. You remind me every day, how could I forget?" he sobbed.

Mr. Wang had thick blood and high blood pressure, and when his wife was alive, she used to remind him every morning to drink a glass of water on an empty stomach and take a blood pressure pill. A few years ago, when his wife was seriously ill and about to pass away, the only thing she worried about was Mr. Wang's well-being. Mr. Wang had a poor memory, and without his wife, who would remind him to take his medicine? His wife looked out from the balcony and saw the clever parrot. So every morning, when sheopened the birdcage, she would say to the parrot, "Drink water, take your medicine." Watching the parrot learn to say these two sentences, his wife finally closed her eyes peacefully.

Although his wife had passed away, her voice still echoed every morning, reminding Mr. Wang to take his medicine and drink water on an empty stomach. In this way, she stayed with him in the world, even after she had left. Thus, Mr. Wang could not bring himself to sell the parrot, which had become a precious reminder of his wife's love and care for him. The parrot that could not be bought was a symbol of a love that could not be quantified with money.