2006-Extracurricular Reading-(Part 1)

Author: Extracurricular Reading Editorial Department
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The Moon Closest to Me
When I stepped out of my home and turned back, I clearly saw the white hair on my mother's temples and the glistening tears beneath the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. In the relentless cycle of years, many festivals have gradually faded from my memory, but only the Mid-Autumn Festival remains etched in my heart. In my childhood, our family struggled financially. To support the education of my three brothers, we all had to tighten our belts, rarely enjoying a delicious meal on ordinary days. However, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, no matter what, my mother would always make sure to steam a pot of sweet "mooncakes" for us by hand. Thus, the Mid-Autumn Festival became the second most cherished festival in my heart after the Spring Festival. It was also on that day that, in my mother's embrace, I learned about the magnificent palaces and osmanthus trees on the moon. In those palaces, there were a pure and noble little white rabbit and the beautiful but lonely Chang'e, the Moon Goddess. From then on, the Mid-Autumn Festival moon became not only a beautiful and heartwarming hope for me but also a romantic and moving attachment.
As time passed, both of my older brothers found jobs outside and often didn’t come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yet every Mid-Autumn night, my mother would still set up stools and tables in the yard as she had in the past, dividing the mooncakes into five portions and placing them on the table. As a young, greedy child, I would finish even my parents' two portions of mooncakes and still feel unsatisfied. Sitting on a small stool, I would suck on the remnants of mooncake on my fingers, my eyes fixed on the remaining two portions. At that moment, my mother would walk over, feigning anger, glaring at me, and then discreetly placing the mooncakes on an incense table where I couldn’t reach.
I didn’t understand why the delicious mooncakes were left there and couldn’t be eaten. Every time I tried to sneak a bite, my mother would quickly notice, grab my ear, and drag me to my father, who would scold me severely. Thus, a long-standing mystery remained unsolved in my heart: why were the good mooncakes placed there and forbidden to eat?
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