Recently, a friend of mine referred an ayi to me. My friend assured me she was a good cleaner, quick and trustworthy. I met her, left her with my key, and when I came home I was so amazed at all the work she did for a mere 35 yuan ($5.1) an hour.

When I went into my room, I saw that she had not only tidied up but hung up and arranged my clothes as well. I had just come back from a 12-day trip to Thailand, so my room was messier than usual.

I was so happy about the transformation that I tipped her 200 yuan and thanked her profusely for all her hard work. A clean house and the feeling of doing something nice in return had me feeling happy and satisfied. That is, until my friend messaged me about my "kindness" a few days later.

When I began reading the long WeChat message, I knew something was up.

It read, "I know you were trying to be nice by giving the ayi a tip, but she just messaged me and said it is easier to clean your house and she makes more money there. She has now canceled on me three times."

I felt horrible! I was just trying to do something nice, and it backfired. What's worse is that it backfired on the person who helped me find the ayi in the first place.

A similar incident happened at my friend's restaurant.

She asked one of her kitchen ayi to come to her house and do some cleaning. When she went home, she paid her well and offered her a few drinks. Later, the ayi went back to the other kitchen staff and bragged about what happened and how much she was paid. It caused a huge problem with the other workers, and unfortunately for her, she was fired because of it.

After speaking to several friends, I became aware that it was not customary to tip or pay an ayi an exorbitant amount of money because it can cause them to work slower and stretch out their hours for more money and even cause problems for other clients. My friends suggested that if you really wanted to thank your ayi, wait for a holiday or Chinese New Year and offer them a red envelope.

I have since told my ayi that she can only work for three hours at a time, and she is just as punctual and efficient, probably expecting the promised red envelope to make it all worthwhile.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.