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The artist goes to bed at 5 p.m. and wakes up at 1 a.m. He then works till around 2 p.m. "When you are truly focused, everything is silent, as if you are the only one in the world. Time seems to slow down," says Tsai, who was in Shanghai last month for the launch of the English book of his works on ancient Chinese philosophy.

"I can create a book in no more than five days," he says. "We cartoonists don't work like novelists who have to write one word after another. We create in our mind a complete picture in the blink of an eye."

Despite his age, Tsai says that he still works for hours. In fact, his goal now is to complete 500 new books in five years! "I just completed a new series on Buddhism (佛教) and made two animation (动画) films and I plan to start a new series about Eastern wisdom," he says.

Born in 1948 in Taiwan, Tsai has been creating comic books (漫画书) on Chinese classics that have won popularity around the world since 1984. His works have been translated into 26 different languages, with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide.

The old man smiled and said, "Don't worry. I can make stone soup for all of us. I just need a big pot, water, and firewood." Curious, the villagers brought what he needed. The old man took out a smooth stone from a silk bag and dropped it into the boiling water.

"This will be a fine soup," he said, "but a bit of cabbage would make it better." One villager went home and brought some cabbage. "With some salted beef, it would be amazing," the man added. The butcher heard and brought beef. Then the old man mentioned onions, potatoes, and carrots, and soon more people brought vegetables. The pot was filled with food.

The soup smelled so good that even the baker brought fresh bread. The villagers shared the meal, laughed, and told stories. It was the best soup they had ever tasted.

Afterward, the mayor (市长) offered to buy the magic stone, but the old man refused. "The soup came not from the stone, but from people working together," he said. "You don't need the stone — you just need each other." Then he smiled and went to sleep.

Ram was a poor rickshaw puller (人力车夫). One night, he took a rich businessman to the train station. The man 1 Ram and hurried off. He was Ram's last passenger of the day.

When Ram got home, he found a small bag on the back seat of his rickshaw. There were 50 shiny gold 2 inside. His heart beat fast. "This must be that man's," he thought, and couldn't 3 all night.

At dawn, Ram went back to the station to look for the owner but had no 4. On his way to the police station for help, Ram saw the businessman walking down the street 5. "Excuse me, sir," Ram quickly ran over. "You left this bag of coins in my rickshaw." The businessman was both 6 and happy. "I thought I'd lost them forever. I need this money for business today. Thank you so much," He decided to visit Ram's family to show his 7.

When he came to Ram's home, he was again shocked—Ram 8 needed the coins more. He wanted to help, but Ram 9 any money. Finally, the businessman offered to help Ram's two children get a good education. He invited an expert to teach them.

Years later, both children finished their studies and found good jobs. They always remembered their father's words: Be 10, and it will pay you back.