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Chopsticks had one round end and one square end. The round end symbolized heaven, the square end symbolized earth, corresponding to the idea that heaven was round and earth square. As there were two of them, they also embodied the yin-yang philosophy behind heaven-round, earth-square: Taiji was one, yin and yang were two; heaven and roundness symbolized movement, while earth and squareness symbolized stillness. When holding chopsticks, the thumb and index finger were above, the ring finger and little finger below, and the middle finger in between, representing the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and mankind. This was the ancestors' understanding of the relationship between people and the world.

Wang Bin still wasn't very good with chopsticks and used them clumsily. His chubby little hand gripped their lower ends, and rather than separating them like adults did when picking up food, he crossed them together. Though his father had specially made him a pair of small chopsticks, he still couldn't control them well. As he ate from his big bowl, he constantly had to use his other hand to readjust their position. His hands were like pig trotters, never able to get a proper grip, and the chopsticks even occasionally fell.

Still, his inability to skillfully control the tool did not affect his appetite in the slightest. With a roasted duck leg in one hand and chopsticks in the other, he buried his face in the big bowl and wolfed down porridge. Every so often, he picked up some food himself. Though most of it fell onto the table before reaching his mouth, he made up for it with diligence. He didn't waste what fell onto the table either, using his little chopsticks to pick it up bit by bit. When he got too impatient, he simply grabbed it with