Chapter 67 Unwittingly Incriminating
In October, the afternoon sun in the Gobi Desert has lost its midday scorching heat and become warm and gentle, its rays shining down and illuminating every corner of the playground.
Under the sunlight, every grain of sand on the newly laid sand dunes seemed to shimmer with gold. Principal Ji had specially arranged for several truckloads of fine yellow sand to be brought from the depths of the Gobi Desert to prepare for the art classes.
A section of the playground was marked out, and sand was laid out flat, specifically for students to draw and have classes.
Cheng Cheng stood in the center of the golden sand, sleeves rolled up, a warm smile on her face: "Classmates, today we'll use the twigs in our hands as paintbrushes and the sand as our canvas. Follow me..."
The children surrounded her, their faces beaming with excitement and curiosity, chattering like a flock of jubilant birds.
Cheng Cheng bent down, willow branches rustling across the sand, sunlight outlining her focused profile, her skin radiant and glowing white!
For initial learning, the course doesn't need to be too difficult. Moreover, she and Principal Ji discussed that the main purpose of offering this course is to cultivate the children's interest and refine their character.
Therefore, when preparing her lessons, she chose simple line drawings that are easy to operate and learn. They are relatively easy to use and suitable for sand painting teaching. Children can feel a sense of accomplishment when they learn them, which can also increase their interest in drawing.
She first used willow branches to draw several simple circles and lines on the sand, combining them as she taught.
"Look, students, this is a round head. Now, let's add two round ears on top of the head, and a pointy mouth..."
"Look, doesn't it look like a cute little monkey?"
The children exclaimed "Wow!" in amazement, immediately captivated.
Seeing this, Cheng Cheng smiled and gently guided, "Now, move your little fingers and draw a circle like the one I just drew..."
Upon hearing this, the children squatted down and began to imitate the gesture clumsily but earnestly, using the twigs in their hands to tap the sand.
As Cheng Cheng made her rounds, she told the children about the birth of the stone monkey, "Classmates, the little monkey we're drawing now has an extraordinary origin! He sprang from a big rock..."
"That was a long, long time ago, on the other side of a distant sea, there stood a very, very tall mountain called Flower Fruit Mountain..."
Cheng Cheng's voice was gentle and detailed as she recounted the story, but suddenly her tone changed, "With a deafening roar, the immortal stone cracked open, radiating golden light!"
"Then, from the crack in the rock, a round stone ball rolled out. This stone ball rolled on the ground and with a bang, it turned into a lively stone monkey..."
Cheng Cheng's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a hook, firmly gripping every young heart.
She didn't need to pay attention to maintaining classroom discipline at all; the children were completely absorbed in the lesson, and none of them caused any trouble. Even the most mischievous children were now half-squatting and half-lying on the sand, meticulously sketching Sun Wukong in the sand.
Little Lingxiao squatted in the first row. For her, imitating her mother drawing a Sun Wukong in the sand was too easy.
She finished quickly, then looked at the strange and somewhat unformed "monkeys" of her classmates around her and frowned slightly.
At that moment, a little boy next to her stared wide-eyed at the drawing of Sun Wukong by the little girl the teacher had brought.
Wow! Little sister, your drawing looks just like hers!
Xiao Lingxiao glanced at him, then at his drawing, and then silently moved a little closer. Pointing at the boy's drawing with a small twig, she spoke calmly, like a little teacher:
"Your ears are drawn too low. They should be drawn on top of your head, and they should be drawn round."
As Xiao Lingxiao spoke, he demonstrated on the empty sand next to him. The boy seemed to understand but not quite, but after making the corrections, it really did look like a monkey!
The little boy looked at his sister with surprise and admiration in his eyes.
Soon, several more children who couldn't draw well gathered around, and Xiao Lingxiao took on the role of a little teaching assistant, patiently guiding the older children word by word.
"Draw the head a little smaller!"
"Here, the body can be drawn a little thinner!"
"Its ears are too big! It's become a big-eared monkey!"
As Cheng Cheng watched this scene, all her previous worries—fears that she wouldn't fit in or would be too withdrawn—were miraculously soothed away.
Perhaps this is the meaning of education: not to force children to conform to a uniform pattern, but to protect their uniqueness and allow them to grow in their own way.
Sunlight bathed her body, and Cheng Cheng felt a sense of contentment and peace. She smiled slightly, radiating a sense of tranquility that slowly unfolded.
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Once October arrives in the Gobi Desert, the days grow colder and colder, with the chill deepening day by day.
Before the first frost, the base issued a notice to carry out the autumn harvest, mobilizing family members and logistics staff to dig up the sweet potatoes planted in the summer as soon as possible, harvest them, and store them in cellars to prepare for the long winter.
Cheng Cheng and her friends arrived late and missed the best time to plant sweet potatoes. That afternoon, she brought Xiao Xiao back from school.
From afar, one could see a lively scene in front of Sister Toya's courtyard.
Toya was bending over, unloading a heavy basket from a wooden cart, and carrying the basket into the yard. With a splash, she dumped it on the open ground, creating a small mountain of fresh sweet potatoes still covered in damp soil.
"Sister Toya, you've had so much to show for yourself today!"
Upon hearing the sound, Toya straightened up, patted her muddy hands, and her face beamed with the joy of a bountiful harvest and the rosy glow of labor.
When she saw Cheng Cheng and her daughter, her eyes lit up. "Little Cheng, Xiaoxiao, you've come back just in time!"
"These sweet potatoes are growing exceptionally well this year! I'm harvesting the last of them today, otherwise they'll be ruined if the ground freezes in a couple of days!"
"Take a basket of these later, and you can steam, roast, or boil them for Xiaoxiao! They're so sweet!"
"Oh, you guys are a bit late. If you had come two or three months earlier, you could have planted sweet potatoes in time and had a good harvest by now!"
"Our winters are long here, so if we put sweet potatoes in the cellar, we can eat them until spring!"
As Toya spoke, she bent down to pick up sweet potatoes. Some of them were rotten, but she picked up the big, good ones and the small ones that could be roasted, and put them into the basket.
Seeing this, Cheng Cheng quickly let go of Xiao Xiao's hand and strode forward: "Sister Tuoya, that's enough! This is too much! You worked so hard to grow it, keep it for yourself."
Without a word, Toya blocked Cheng Cheng's outstretched hand, saying, "Why are you being so polite with me! This stuff isn't worth much; it's just for fun!"
Toya packed a basket of sweet potatoes and carried it to Xiao Cheng's yard next door.
"Then I won't be polite! Thank you, Sister Tuoya!" Cheng Cheng said sincerely.
Little Lingxiao came over, curiously touching a sweet potato still covered in dirt with his little hand, then looked up, his dimples curving upwards: "Thank you, Auntie Tuoya~"
Toya laughed and said, "No need to thank me! Just let me know if you need more food!"
Cheng Cheng accepted the sweet potato and watched Tuoya leave.
Looking at the fresh basket of sweet potatoes, he waved his hand and said, "Tonight we're having sweet and delicious sweet potato rice!"
"Okay, Mom!"
In the evening, Zhou Yue came home from get off work, and the family of three sat around the table.
On the dining table, orange-red sweet potato chunks were mixed with rice, steamed until soft and tender, emitting a sweet and juicy sweet potato aroma.
Little Lingxiao scooped up a large sweet potato with a spoon and put it in his mouth. His cheeks were stuffed full, and he mumbled, "It's delicious!"
Zhou Yue took a bite, and the natural sweetness and soft, glutinous texture of the sweet potato spread in his mouth. The fresh sweet potato, just dug from the ground, was very juicy and indeed delicious.
Cheng Cheng thought so too. Looking at the little girl's satisfied expression, she had an idea and said, "Sister Tuoya gave us a lot of sweet potatoes. I'll dry some sweet potato chips for Xiaoxiao as a snack tomorrow."
Peel the sweet potatoes, steam them until cooked, slice them, and sun-dry them for a day or two. They will become soft and chewy, and taste the best!
If it's dried too much, it will become hard and chewy, making it unpalatable.
"Okay! Okay!" Little Lingxiao immediately agreed happily to his mother when he heard there were snacks.
The next morning, Cheng Cheng mixed sweet potato puree with flour to make a pot of steaming hot, sweet sweet potato noodle soup for the family of three for breakfast.
Before heading to the library for work, I steamed a pot of sweet potatoes. After they were cooked and cooled for a while, I cut them into evenly sliced pieces and placed them in the sunniest spot in the yard to dry.
When I came back from get off work at noon, I saw that the side of the sweet potato slices facing up had evaporated, especially the edges, which had formed a slightly dry skin, but the middle and bottom were still soft and chewy.
Xiao Lingxiao followed behind, watching longingly. Cheng Cheng smiled, reached out, picked up a piece, and handed it to her.
The little girl took it, took a bite, and found that the texture was completely different from the sweet potato rice she had last night and the sweet potato noodles she had this morning. The outer layer was a bit chewy, but the inside was soft, sticky, and sweet, and it was especially delicious!
"Mom! It's delicious! I love it!"
While chewing, Xiao Lingxiao mumbled something indistinctly, and then reached for another piece with her little hand.
Cheng Cheng couldn't resist picking up a slice and tasting it. The sweet potato slices had only been dried for a morning, and their semi-dry, semi-moist state seemed to make them even sweeter.
The mother and daughter took turns eating slices of sweet potato, and before they knew it, they had eaten half of the sweet potato slices drying on the winnowing basket, feeling that they were already half full.
Looking at the remaining sweet potato chips and Xiaoxiao's still-unsatisfied expression, Cheng Cheng chuckled and said, "Let's not cook lunch, let's just steam some sweet potatoes for lunch."
Xiao Lingxiao nodded, looking at the remaining sweet potato chips in the winnowing basket with reluctance, "These sweet potato chips will be eaten when Dad comes back!"
When Zhou Yue returned home from get off work in the afternoon, his daughter pulled him to try some sweet potato chips. He obediently bent down and took a bite from his daughter's hand.
The unique taste and sweetness caught his eye, and he exclaimed, "Mmm, delicious!"
Little Lingxiao was even happier to receive his father's approval!
The family of three huddled together, each taking a slice, and quickly finished off the few remaining sweet potato chips that had been drying in the sun all day.
However, as evening fell, a subtle atmosphere began to permeate the room.
Eating too many sweet potatoes can cause flatulence!
In October, the temperature in the Gobi Desert can drop to several degrees below zero at night, so doors and windows are kept tightly closed.
The smell became increasingly noticeable, and the family of three looked at each other in bewilderment.
Little Lingxiao covered his nose, his little expression full of disgust, "It stinks!"
Cheng Cheng suppressed a laugh, exchanged a glance with Zhou Yue, and then instructed the man to open the window to let in some fresh air.
He gently poked the little girl's forehead. "Will you eat sweet potatoes again tomorrow?"
Little Lingxiao covered half of his face with his small hands, revealing a pair of bright black eyes. He blinked, seemingly deep in thought.
"eat!"
As soon as the little girl finished speaking, a series of "plop plop" sounds were heard.
In an instant, Cheng Cheng covered her nose and took a few steps back, distancing herself from her beloved daughter.
Little Lingxiao stared at his mother without blinking, a hint of hurt in his expression.
"Mother……"
Then, the little girl glanced at her father, who was standing by the window, smiling at her, but did not come over.
The next second, one of the three people released a poison gas bomb, making a "poof" sound with a whistling quality.
Cheng Cheng was the first to raise her hands: "It wasn't me!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue couldn't help but smile and asked his daughter, "Xiaoxiao, what idiom did we learn before?"
Xiao Lingxiao covered his mouth, but his voice was loud and clear: "You confessed without being asked!"
Cheng Cheng, enraged and embarrassed, shouted, "Fine, you lot, watch my poison gas attack!"
"Dad, save me!"
"Mom, don't come any closer!"
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Author's note: Goodnight
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