Eastern Classic Fairy Tales - (3) (Color Illustration Edition)

Author: Yi Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: In the southern region of Shanhua, during the rainy season, it rains day and night, with heavy rain pouring continuously. Almost all farmers are unable to work in the fields. In a village near the foot of the mountain, there lived a poor family named Ruan A-shun. The whole family relied on a few acres of for their livelihood, but during the rainy season, they couldn’t go out to work. At this time, the whole family had to rely on stored potatoes and sweet potatoes to survive. One day, Ruan A-shun sat on the doorstep, staring blankly at the white rain outside, thinking that if it rained like this, life would be difficult in the future. He had a son named A-hong, who was only ten years old. Although young, A-hong was very smart and sensible. Seeing his father’s worried expression, little A-hong knew his father must be worried about the family’s difficulties and thought he had to find a way to help the family. Thinking this, little A-hong gently sighed, and soon, the little dog Wang Wang, the little cat Mi Mi, and the little monkey Tiao Tiao came to A-hong’s side. These three little ones were A-hong’s best friends. No matter how much fun they had outside, as long as A-hong sighed, they would come to his side. Little A-hong gently said to his three good friends, “This rain won’t stop anytime soon. Let’s go out and head to the mountains. Once the rain stops, we’ll gather some mushrooms and wild vegetables to feed the whole family.” The moment he finished speaking, the three little companions immediately understood and called out together, each starting to get busy. The little dog Wang Wang turned around and ran into the inner room, carrying a straw hat out; the little cat Mi Mi snatched a small shovel from the stove; the little monkey Tiao Tiao dragged out a raincoat and a small backstrap from behind the door. A-hong saw everything in front of him and smiled, put on the raincoat, put on the straw hat, and put the backstrap on his back, holding the small shovel as he went out. The three little companions also jumped and lined up one after another, following him.
On the hillside, the trees were lush, and the weeds grew thickly. The heavy rain fell on the trees, on the grass, and flowed down the mountain as small rivers with a rushing sound. A-hong walked in front, and the three little companions followed behind. They arrived at the middle of the hillside, and suddenly the rain stopped. A-hong happily took off his straw hat, looked around, and saw that the thick clouds had opened a winding crack, with a ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds and shining on the trees on the hillside. A-hong waved his hand and said, “Come on, let’s gather some mushrooms while we have the chance.” Saying that, A-hong bent down and started picking mushrooms. The mushrooms grew in the grass and under the branches, with round crowns and sturdy bodies, growing in clusters and piles. The three little companions also busied themselves around, handing the mushrooms they picked to A-hong. In no time, A-hong’s backstrap was already full of mushrooms. A-hong looked back at the mushrooms in his backstrap and felt very happy, thinking that if his father saw him pick so many mushrooms, he would surely praise him. After all, these mushrooms were delicious, and the whole family loved this kind of small mushroom. At this moment, a call came from not far away, “Everyone come quickly, everyone come quickly.” A-hong put down what he was doing and ran over. He saw the little dog Wang Wang using both his front paws to try to move a large stone. However, the stone didn’t move at all. The little cat Mi Mi looked puzzled and