A century of poverty

Chapter 117 Growth

I once saw a saying that goes, "The pine tree grows ever greener under the weight of snow, and the plum blossoms become ever redder after the frost." I must be ambitious and raise my children to be good people, study hard, and develop skills that surpass those of others.

The Fifth Prince and Erkang, along with other young people in "My Fair Princess," are skilled in both literature and martial arts.

The line "childhood training" spoken by Wang Yaru in the TV series "Aspiration" inspired me. I started paying attention to information about training classes.

I enrolled my child in a calligraphy class, where he practices calligraphy for an hour every Saturday afternoon.

As I waited outside, I heard the teacher inside leading the reading: "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless. The sun and moon shone brightly, the stars and constellations were arrayed in the sky. Alright, students, practice according to the words hanging in front."

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, a strong southerly wind arrived. Su Longmao was five years old, healthy, clever, and lively. After playing "running around town" with his friends, he would rest inside, sit on the radiator, hold onto the security bars of the window with one hand, brace his feet against the radiator, and cross his legs. His rosy little face was like a ripe red apple, and his bright eyes sparkled with mischief.

He has grown up and is no longer an infant nestled in his mother's arms.

By evening, he had gone to bed early after a day of wild and unruly antics, breathing peacefully and steadily.

The child, having played wildly all day, is indeed a picture of mischievousness flashing before my eyes. An urge to describe it compels me to pick up my pen. Though I cannot write poetry, these lines better suit my current state of mind.

early spring,

Call the child outside.

spring breeze,

Playing and roughhousing with the children.

The child's red ears,

Bring her rosy cheeks back into the house.

The scent of the wind

Bringing the dust from the earth into the house.

Sitting on the radiator,

Clutching the window railing,

Raised calves

It shows a mischievous side.

Shedding their infancy and weakness,

That's how children grow up.

Spring daytime,

The child's spirits were lifted.

into the night,

Give him back a pair of sleepy eyelids.

Oh!

child,

Spring breeze and beautiful dreams

Fly with them! Fly...

Taking advantage of the time, I took my child to the Xinhua Bookstore to experience its atmosphere.

I went to each counter to look at the books: "Scientific Knowledge," "Chinese Literature," "Foreign Literature," and "Children's Comics." I told him what each book was.

After looking at the comics for a while, I asked, "Do you know pinyin now?"

"I know him," he replied.

"How about we buy some comic books and storybooks with pinyin to read at home?"

"good!"

Together we picked out two books: *Grimm's Fairy Tales* and *One Thousand and One Nights*. I bought a copy of *Reader* magazine and a copy of *Yilin* magazine to take home.

Beside the bustling mall entrance, there was a cardboard box filled with very pretty red, green, and yellow chicks.

Su Long stopped and stood in front of the cardboard box: "Mom! I want chicks."

I said, "We don't want them. These chicks are too young; they won't survive."

Chicken seller: "Who says they can't be raised? All my chicks are top-notch; I guarantee they'll all survive."

After saying that, he put his hand inside and made a "cheep cheep cheep" sound, and the chicks chirped even more happily.

Su Long: "I want to live!"

"Okay, I'll buy two. How much is one cable?" I asked.

"One yuan, two yuan for two." He said, taking out two chicks, putting them in a plastic bag, and handing it to Su Long. I took out two yuan and gave it to him.

Su Long was delighted and picked it up to look at it.

I led him to the bicycle, unlocked it, helped him onto the back seat, and we rode home without getting off.

When I got home, I put the chicks on the kang (a heated brick bed) and then went to soak some millet.

Su Long: "Can I feed it rice?"

I said, "Give them less. They're like ducks that won't die from overfeeding and chickens that won't starve. Giving them too much isn't good!"

I found a piece of paper and spread it on the kang (a heated brick bed). Su Long grabbed a handful of millet and flicked it onto the paper. The chicks happily ran over to peck at the millet, while the children watched from the side.

"Su Long, let's go!" Xiao Jiu, who was half a year older than him, came to find him to play. When she saw two chicks on the kang (a heated brick bed), she stopped and stayed. The two children played with toys and teased the chicks.

Su Long said, "Tell your mom to buy you two too!"

Xiao Jiu'er: "My mom won't buy it for me."

"Little Jiu'er! Little Jiu'er!" his grandmother called from the alleyway across the street.

"Ah!" Little Jiu'er replied.

His grandmother came over.

"You're here, Second Aunt," I greeted her.

"This child, you know, always leaving him here for me to watch over. I don't have time at all. I have to go to the vegetable garden later; I've been tending those seedlings for days, and I don't even know if they've sprouted yet. I also need to come back early to cook for your second uncle," his grandmother said in one breath.

I said, "Go do your work, let him play with Su Long here. I think your child is quite well-behaved and not naughty!"

"What's the point of being honest? He won't learn anything. His teacher said your child is smart and can learn anything quickly. Our child is destined to be a worker when he grows up," his grandmother said.

"I think Su Jiu'er is very good, steady and always dressed so neatly," I said.

"Go on your way!" Xiao Jiu urged his grandmother.

"You're complaining that I said it?" His grandmother said with a playful laugh as she turned and left.

With the arrival of the chicks, Xiao Jiu'er would come to play with Su Long whenever she had time.

Because of the dirty ditch by the roadside, there are many flies in the summer, and I always have a fly swatter in my hand.

Swatter the flies over, then use a fly swatter to hold them and throw them to the chicks. Over time, the chicks will come running to peck at the flies as soon as they hear the fly swatter.

Su Long asked, "Mom, aren't you afraid the flies might be poisonous if you feed them to the chicks?"

I told him, "Flies contain bacteria but are not poisonous. They also contain protein. Chicks have super strong stomachs, so the bacteria can't do anything to them. Eating them won't poison you; in fact, they'll make you grow faster."

Su Long found it fun and often took a fly swatter to kill flies, along with his chicks. Sometimes, after swatting the flies, they would crawl or buzz around, and the chicks would rush forward to peck and swallow them, their movements nimble and unexpected.

One day, Su Long and Xiao Jiu'er were playing with the chicks. I brought two fly swatters, one for each of them.

He said, "Catch chicks and swat flies. Keep track of how many you swat. If you swat ten, you'll get a 'Golden Monkey' (milk candy). Come and collect your candy after you've finished."

"Okay!" the two children agreed in unison. They happily raised their fly swatters and started swatting. The two chicks followed suit, swatting one and pecking at the other. The children got more and more excited, swatting flies from inside the house into the yard.

Just then, Su Jiu'er exclaimed, "Wow! There's a 'big old man' here!" With a swift movement, she slapped down a huge green fly. "Whoosh—" The door opened, and I rushed out, shouting, "Jiu'er, quickly take the chicks back inside and close the door so they can't get out. Come on! Come in, get your candy—here you go!"

He closed the door and came back inside. "How many do you have?" Su Long replied, "Twenty-six."

I said, "Round it up, it's three dollars for you."

He then asked Su Jiu'er, "How many did you hunt?"

Su Jiu'er: "Fifty-five."

"Okay! Rounding down, you get six."

The two children happily accepted the candy and skipped outside to play.