Every morning, Johnson woke up early and took an old bag to the subway station. He would take the subway to Central London. There he would collect scrap (废品).He did this every single day.
He had collected scrap for 20 years. His house was dirty, and a bad smell came out of the house. The neighbors could not stand the smell anymore, so they called the police officers to deal with the problem. The officers opened the door and cleared the house. They found some money in his house. The police soon knew that Johnson was not a truly poor man because he could live a normal life with the money. They decided to try to stop him collecting scrap.
In the evening, the police found Johnson near his house. One of the officers told him that there was no need for him to collect scrap anymore, but he said nothing. The next morning he woke up as usual and continued collecting scrap.
A couple of days later, the police knew that Johnson had to send much money to his old parents. They were badly ill for many years in a small village. Although they could get relief (救济金) from the government, Johnson refused. He believed he could make money by his own hands. After knowing the truth, the officers announced the fact to the neighbors. All of them understood and admired Johnson.
Johnson had no great plans or dreams all his life. He won praise from others because he kept independence in his mind. The earlier people learn to be independent, the more meaningful life they will get.
