Setting: A small noodle shop in Chengdu. The two friends, Li Wei (the superstitious one) and Chen Hao (the rational thinker), are finishing dinner.
Li Wei: (pushing away his rice bowl, leaving a few grains at the bottom)
Okay, I’m done. No way I’m touching those last bits. You know what they say—if you eat all your rice, your future wife’s face will be full of pimples.
Chen Hao: (raising an eyebrow while polishing off his bowl)
You actually believe that? So I’m dooming my future wife’s skin every time I don’t waste food?
Li Wei: (nodding solemnly)
Yes! My grandmother told me. Her grandmother told her. It’s a tradition! It’s about balance. If you’re too perfect, the heavens will balance it out. So leave some rice—save your spouse’s complexion.
Chen Hao: (laughs)
So let me get this straight. The rice in my bowl controls the pores on someone else’s face… who I haven’t even met yet?
Li Wei:
Exactly! It’s karma, destiny—whatever you want to call it. Look, my cousin Xiaoyun always scraped her bowl clean. Guess what? Her husband has skin rougher than the Great Wall’s bricks.
Chen Hao: (sips his tea, amused)
Or maybe he just doesn’t moisturize. Ever think of that?
Li Wei:
Hao, you can mock me all you want, but these beliefs have lasted generations. That means something.
Chen Hao:
You know what else lasted generations? Bloodletting with leeches. Doesn’t mean it was a good idea. Look, I get it—traditions have value, they give people comfort. But this one doesn’t even make logical sense.
Li Wei:
Logic isn’t everything. There are things beyond science.
Chen Hao: (smiling gently)
Sure, but science isn’t about rejecting mystery—it’s about asking the right questions. Like, has anyone ever tested this rice-skin connection? Do dermatologists ask their patients, “Hey, did your spouse always finish their rice?”
Li Wei: (grinning)
Maybe they should! And besides, you scientists always want numbers. But feelings? Intuition? Culture? You can’t measure those with a microscope.
Chen Hao:
True. But we can study skin conditions. Acne is about oil glands, hormones, maybe diet—not grains of rice. Also, think about the food waste. Imagine if everyone left rice just to protect imaginary cheeks!
Li Wei: (pauses, then shrugs)
Fine. Maybe I’ll sometimes finish my rice. But only if I feel my future wife has a strong skincare routine.
Chen Hao:
Fair compromise. And hey, if she ends up with perfect skin, I’ll let you take full credit. “Thanks to my strategic rice-leaving policy.”
Li Wei: (laughs)
Exactly! See? A little superstition, a little science—balance! Like yin and yang.
Chen Hao:
As long as it ends with empty plates and full hearts, I can live with that.
[They clink tea cups and order another round of dumplings, still laughing.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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