Just a can of abalone

There is an ongoing drama series on Channel 8 about reunion dinner. In one of the scene, the old man brought out several cans of abalone, each depicting a year of non-attendance by his children, while his dead wife sit in front of the TV.
That scene brought tears to my eyes. Not because of the dead wife but the cans of abalone.

I wondered how many of my ex-students remembered the story about my Uni friend who came from a poor family in Negri Sembilan. He was here on a scholarship but the scholarship barely covered his Uni fees and when he first came here, he had to find alternative sources of income to see him through daily needs.
Then there came a point in time when he was left with only $2 in his pocket and he had to make the choice of saving it or having a meal. In the end he was so hungry, he bought the food.

After graduation from Uni, there was one night on the eve CNY when I received a surprise call from him. He was calling from the train and he told me in his excited tone that on his lap was a can of abalone that he bought with his salary and he was bringing it to celebrate CNY with his family.
A can of abalone.
Some of us never thought more of a can of abalone.

PS: suddenly I realised that I may have mentioned this before. But nevertheless, I am reminded every CNY when there is abalone on TV