Of my big clan, the member I admire the most is Cousin John. We share the family name, but we are not close kith and kin.

Hopeless grades and his family’s financial difficulties deprived John of a proper education. He even quitted primary school. It was a pity, for my cousin did not have a slow mind. He was often a winner in poker games with us. His PC game prowess was first rate. And he treated us very kindly. That is not the reason why I worship John as my idol, though.

When John was 16, his father died of a heart attack, leaving him all alone in the world. His mother had long before eloped with a villager who had made a fortune. His father’s legacy was a lot of debts, which fell upon John’s tender shoulders.

At his father’s funeral, I saw John kneeling before his father’s coffin, his eyes blank. He looked numb and hopeless.

After his father’s death, our extended family took turns caring for John. Day by day, he became thinner and thinner. He was often found alone, silent, staring into space, as if he were an alien from Mars.

One day, John disappeared from the village, leaving behind a slip of paper, which read, “Thank you all for your kindness. I will take care of myself. Don’t worry about me.”

Five years passed before John returned to the village. I will never forget the moment when he turned up in our yard. Dressed in in-style sportswear, he was all smiles, lugging behind him a suitcase. I did not recognise him at first sight. It was not until he started talking that I realised that it was none other than Cousin John.

He said warmly, “Oh, Mary has grown into a beautiful girl!”

I blushed instantly. He took out a Barbie and presented it to me as a gift. John looked so cool then that I decided that I would have a boyfriend just as handsome in time.

John had got presents for everyone, a sweater for Dad and an MP3 player for my brother, for example.

It was beyond us what John had achieved in his absence, but it seemed that he had made a small fortune. 3 days after he came back, he went to our town and rented a house on the main thoroughfare, which he had converted into a net bar. At the time there were only two net bars in town, my cousin’s included. So his business could not have been better.

One year later, John got married to a beautiful lass, who had been his primary school sweetheart. They lived happily ever after. His net bar grew steadily. A couple of years later, his wife gave birth to two twins, a boy and a girl.

After the kids started school, John always made time to help them with their homework in person. He did not treat his kids the way most conservative dads do theirs. Instead, he treated them as friends.

Three years ago, he bought the other net bar in town. His business has expanded tremendously. Although his service is one of its kind there, he does not hike the rate. By now, he has paid off all the debts, and his wealth has accumulated.

It is popularly believed that once a man gets rich, his heart will rot. This stereotype does not fit Cousin John. He is still as kind and generous as before. When he is free, he comes and plays a game of chess with Dad. When we need a hand, he is there.

John often says, “I would have been homeless without your help all those years.”

A self-made man, John is my idol.