Sister is a robot

Author: Xiao Dingli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Little girl Maoyaya lives on the second floor of No. 88 Changfeng Street. The stairs grow up from the right shoulder of the house. The wide stair railing, covered with dust from years of age, is a favorite spot for birds coming and going. When no one is looking, they even leave their droppings there. With the wind, sun, and rain beating on it, many lovely flowers and plants grow from the droppings, turning the stairs into a flower-sleeved staircase. If guests come, Maoyaya would introduce, "Look, that flower-sleeved staircase—it's my home!" Maoyaya's father and mother are both music teachers. In the hallway-like living room, there's a broken piano. Her father often plays it clumsily, with notes floating all over the room. Maoyaya would catch the notes with a butterfly net and put them in a clear glass bottle, sealing it with a cork. The notes would bump and clink inside the bottle, making a beautiful and melodious "ting-ting-ting" sound. If her father played the piano and her mother sang, the notes would blend with the melody, making them hard to catch.
Reading excerpt: Maoyaya came to a private dental clinic with her saved three-mao coin and a white dog named Baiyun. A long-faced doctor was sitting in the clinic, holding pliers and "" cutting dentures. Seeing Maoyaya and Baiyun, he said impatiently, "Get out, this isn't a place for kids to play." "We're here to get dentures," Maoyaya said. "I only do dental restorations, not fitting new ones," the long-faced doctor said, rolling his eyes. Baiyun didn't understand what was happening and stared blankly at Maoyaya. After thinking for a moment, Maoyaya said, "Maybe the word is 'restore,' not 'fit.'" "Right, 'fit' means to fit keys, you know?" the long-faced doctor rubbed his eyes. "Are both of you getting dental restorations?" "It's Baiyun who needs it," Maoyaya replied.