At the age of six or seven, Lin Qinnan, a Fujian provincial graduate from Min County, was studying with a private tutor. The tutor was in reduced circumstances, often short of rice to cook with. As Lin found it, he hastened home to fetch a bundle of rice, packing them into a sock and carrying it to the tutor. The tutor was angry and accused Lin of stealing the rice, and he declined the offer. As Lin returned home and told his mother what had happened. His mother smiled, "You are kind-hearted, but that was not the proper courtesy of sending a gift to your teacher." Then she ordered the preparation of 100 liters of rice for the tutor, and the tutor accepted.