He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

Man At DoorOutside, stood a tall man wearing a black raincoat and black rubber boots. He said that he was a salesman and asked politely if our mother or father was at home.

Without thinking, my brother said, "No." He asked if we would like to buy some comic books, which he was selling. I quickly explained that we were not supposed to buy anything without our parents' permission.

Then, as I was about to close the door, he forced his way into our house. He took out a knife and forced me to tie up my brother's hands with some rope which he took out from his pocket. I tied up his hands but I tied it in a special way so my brother could untie himself. The man then tied my hands up and locked both of us in the kitchen.

Soon, he went upstairs to search the bedroom for valuables. I managed to teach my brother to untie the rope on his hands. He then untied me. I rushed to the telephone to call the police, but the line was dead. The doors were all locked from the outside and I did not have the keys to unlock them. Luckily, the robber forgot to lock the kitchen window. My brother managed to get out of the house through the window and I told him to go to the neighbourhood police post and call for help.

My brother brought the police to our house and the robber was caught. We had to go to the police station to make a report. At the police station, we found out that the robber was a wanted criminal whom the police have been trying to catch for a long time. The police thanked us for our good work.