Fa Hein wanted to turn copper into gold. All his experiments had failed badly but he still believed that one day, he would be able to turn copper into gold. He had wasted all his ancestral wealth on his foolish dreams. His wife was very worried. She consulted a friend of her late father. He asked her to bring Fa Hein. “I would like to pass on a family secret to you. I know how to turn copper into gold,” said the old man to Fa Hein.
Fa Hein was overjoyed. “But first, you must bring me the fallen leaves of coconut palms watered from copper vessels,” the old man said. “This means I will have to grow them myself and it will take a long time,” replied Fa Hein. “Yes, it will. But it will be worthwhile,” said the old man.