Primary School Volume - First Zhejiang Province Young Literature Stars Writing Competition Award-winning Works Collection

Author: Zhejiang Writers Association Young Literature Branch
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: A patch of earth, a falling autumn leaf, twirling gently into the pond, creating ripples. After a while, a splash broke the calm surface. "Caught! Caught!" A boy of three or four years old jumped around, a small tadpole swimming in his cup. A boy stood by the window, watching the twirling falling leaves. "Hey, come play!" Wang Chao's clumsy voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He smiled and shook his head, turned around, and tidied up the scattered, unsightly exercise books on the table. Then, he pulled the wobbly table that had been knocked askew. The classroom was as noisy as a vegetable market, with shouts, screams, and roars all mixed together. His ears felt like they were about to burst, yet he remained unmoved. He tightened his clothes, leaned against the window, and suddenly recalled the scene when he first entered the school. Who knew that this cheerful child had once carried a deep scar in his heart?
Back then, the young him was nine years old and had come to this vast, bustling city with his migrant worker father. When he first stepped into the school, he gazed curiously at this magical place, unable to take his eyes off it. When he entered his own class, he was overjoyed, hoping to be an ordinary student. But reality was different. When the teacher, Ms. Lin, introduced this new student from Jiangxi, the class began to stir. Strange glances were thrown his way. Some whispered "Ah," others whispered and pointed, and some even laughed. His hair was yellow and lifeless, with a few strands tangled. He wore an oversized black polyester jacket that was worn in several places, faintly printed with the image of a clumsy superhero, looking ridiculous. When he nervously introduced his very ordinary name, "Tu Gen," the whole class burst into laughter. He lowered his head, stared at his feet, and was at a loss, unable to look at anyone. Despite the teacher's urging, no one wanted to sit with this messy, uncouth country bumpkin. He was very sensitive, and his fragile heart was almost shattered.
Back home, he poured out all his grievances, tears flowing like a broken dam. His mother quietly wept, his father frowned and smoked silently in frustration. The harsh smell of cheap tobacco made his eyes sting. One after another. After a while, his father's hand rose, and with a "" sound, it landed on his face. "A boy doesn't cry easily. Are you even a boy? You shameless! We won't compare money with others; we'll compare grades!" From then on, he studied diligently, shutting out all distractions. The unit test finally arrived. When the papers were handed out, his heart pounded faster than a rabbit's. The classroom was so quiet that even a needle dropping could be heard. Looking around, he saw all kinds of people: those stretching their necks to peek at the answers, those exchanging glances, and those scratching their heads, all starting to ask for help. He refused firmly and seriously. Then he quickly finished the test and handed it in. The teacher took the test in astonishment, clearly puzzled. The next day, the teacher walked in with the test, beaming and full of energy, ready to announce the scores. "Third place, Wang Chao; second place, Yang Dong." The two walked up proudly. "First place, Tu Gen." He couldn't believe his own ears. The classroom's air seemed to freeze, and everyone seemed unwilling to believe the fact. That guy Wang Chao grumbled, "Hmph." He had forgotten how the teacher once set an example for him, only knowing that joy filled his entire heart. But this happiness was only temporary. Since people knew he was poor, they often taunted him: "Do you have a four-wheeled car?" "Do you have King of the Racers?" "His family doesn't even have a computer!" "What computer? They can't even afford a TV, let alone a computer!" "Haha, hehehe" He could only cover his ears with both hands and endure the ridicule.
One day, he walked the winding, narrow alley home. Suddenly, he heard faint voices shouting, "Kid, give me money!" A stumbling drunk suddenly appeared in front of him, violently attacking a student who was fiercely defending his wallet. Tu Gen took a few bold steps forward—wasn't that classmate Wang Chao? Gradually, the man's blows grew heavier. Tu Gen's face turned pale—wasn't the drunk trying to kill him? He jolted and shouted, "Stop the fight! Call for help!" The drunk froze in shock. Tu Gen grabbed Wang Chao and ran, sprinting all the way out of the alley. The two gasped for breath after running for a long time before stopping. "Here, for you," Tu Gen said, seeing Wang Chao's nose still bleeding, and took out a crumpled, cheap tissue from his bag to give him. Wang Chao looked at him hesitated for a moment, then crumpled it and stuffed it into his nose. Wang Chao said, "Don't say anything about this today." He nodded. After this incident, he faintly felt that his classmates were no longer as harsh to him as before. Several times when classmates tried to "bomb" him, Wang Chao would stop them with a look. Gradually, Wang Chao, Yang Dong, and many others became his close friends, and he couldn't believe it! With so many friends, he also became more cheerful.
Tu Gen's home was at the end of the winding alley. The backyard had a spacious vegetable patch with neatly growing, hand-shaped radishes. His mother often stir-fried radish leaves for him, and the taste was incredibly fresh. Of course, this was something city kids didn't know; they only knew radishes and even complained about them being unpleasant. But for country kids, they were considered excellent, and many would even sell them like Tu Gen's mother. One day, the art teacher announced, "Bring radishes next class; we're going to draw still lifes of radishes." Wow! The smelly radishes, the class started to tease. Some began to pretend to vomit. Tu Gen, however, was overjoyed—his family had so many! "Get it yourself!" So he ran excitedly home, dropped his bag, and rushed into the yard, digging out six large, strong radishes.
"Ring ring" Another art class. The moment the teacher stepped into the classroom, she asked, "Did everyone bring radishes?" "Um" "Oh dear" "Ah?" The classmates stared at each other, and the teacher's face turned from sunny to stormy, signaling that trouble was coming. Just then, Tu Gen "stepped forward": "Teacher, I brought radishes! Are these enough for everyone?" "Hmm? Six in total, just one for each group!" The teacher's face brightened again, and she praised Tu Gen greatly. At break, the classmates gathered around, discussing excitedly. "Tu Gen really has a sense of collective honor!" "His contribution should be recorded!" At this moment, Wang Chao seized the opportunity: "How about applying to record Tu Gen's contribution at the class meeting?" "Good!" "Good!" Tu Gen's heart was as sweet as honey, and a warm feeling began to spread in his heart. The classmates and Tu Gen gradually became friends, and they even started calling him affectionately "Genzi." "Genzi, how do you do this problem?" "Genzi, I can't figure this out!" Every time, Tu Gen answered patiently, teaching the classmates their lessons. Gradually, he became everyone's little teacher, and they always turned to him for help. At the class meeting, Tu Gen's application for "Caring for the Collective" was approved. At the end of the term, when he ran for Outstanding Student, he received all the votes!
Now, Tu Gen has become everyone's trusted good class monitor and diligent Chinese language class representative. His story inspires everyone!
It's still that pond, still that child. The child's mother looked gently into the cup, where a tadpole swam. "Child, let it go! It will become a frog and eat pests! It needs to live in this pond family!" "Will it become a frog prince?" The child asked innocently, lifting his face. His mother looked at him and nodded firmly. So they crouched down, letting the tadpole swim into the water. The tadpole swam farther and farther, sparkling in the golden evening glow, looking beautiful and strong.
Comment: From this short story, you can see the character development and portrayal, the atmosphere created and enhanced, and the elevation of the theme and exploration of the subject. For a primary school student, these characteristics already tell us about the use of literary techniques. Techniques can show an understanding and maturity in writing. Although the author's steps are still a bit unsteady, we can already see a noble aspiration and an eager approach to literature. What is truly precious is that from this short story, we read more than anything else a humanistic sentiment that respects personality and advocates understanding. This sentiment is a noble one. (Zhao Bingbo, renowned children's literature writer) P3-7