During the Han Dynasty, a scholar named Zhu Maichen was very poor in his youth. He supported himself by cutting and selling firewood daily. Despite his poverty, he was diligent in his studies, often reciting texts as he walked.

His wife, ashamed of his humble circumstances, eventually left him.

Years later, Zhu Maichen passed the imperial examinations and became a high-ranking official (a prefect).

His former wife then came to him, pleading for reconciliation. Zhu Maichen poured a basin of water on the ground in front of his horse and told her that if she could collect all the spilled water, he would take her back.