"When I was a boy, we didn't make fun of our elders, we respected them."
The boys paid no attention, and Grandfather continued to mutter a disjointed stream of complaints and rants, but this time he was more careful and didn't burn his mouth. They all began to eat, using nothing but their hands, making loud noises with their mouths and smacking their lips audibly. The third boy, Hair-lip, surreptitiously put a pinch of sand on the mussel the old man was holding to his mouth, and when the sand reached his mucous membrane and gums, laughter erupted again. He was aware that they had made a fool of him, and he spat and mumbled until Edwin reluctantly gave him a waterskin of fresh water to rinse his mouth with.
Edwin asked, "Where's the crab, Ho-Ho? Grandpa wants a snack."
Once again, Grandpa's eyes flashed with greed as he ate the crab. It was a complete shell, with legs and all, but the meat had long since left. With trembling fingers and a murmur of eagerness, the old man broke off one of the legs and found it empty.
"Where's the crab, Ho-Ho? Where's the crab?" he cried.
"I was joking, Grandpa. There's no crab! I never find any."
The boys were filled with joy as they saw the tears of disappointment streaming down the old man's cheeks. Unaware of this, Ho-Ho placed a freshly cooked crab on the empty shell. A cloud of sweet-smelling steam rose from the white flesh that had been stripped from the split legs, which excited the old man's nostrils and he looked down in surprise.