To Little Readers: Sweeter Than Candy

Author: Xiaoling Dingdang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: This book is one of the "Series for Young Readers," a collection with the magic to transform ordinary lives into extraordinary ones. Recommended by thirty mainstream youth media outlets such as "Huaxia Youth" and "Youth Express," it is a timeless treasure worth preserving! This volume is titled "Sweeter Than Candy," featuring lively and fun stories that make you smile while teaching you to harmonize with others. Would you rather live in harmony with the world, seeing friends' warm smiles, or stand apart, rejected by glances and mocked by words? Here are twenty-nine magical spells of the lollipop that can make relationships "sweeter than candy." Additionally, Mr. Shoes brings ten stories of mischievous creatures, reminding you not to become the protagonists of such tales.
A smile flower blooms in a bottle on a distant island. There stands a peculiar fruit tree, lush and vibrant, blooming with fragrant white flowers in spring. After the flowers fade, a golden fruit appears on the tree—only one! The golden fruit shines as brilliantly as the sun, yet no one has ever tasted its flavor, not even the king. On the day the king ascended the throne, he vowed to the heavens to protect this golden fruit from harm. Why? The king himself didn’t understand, only that it was an ancient tradition passed down by his ancestors.
On the night of the full moon in August, the golden fruit grows two wings and flies away from the branch. The king’s youngest son is fascinated by this strange fruit. No matter how odd his requests, his father always finds a way to grant them—except when it comes to this golden fruit. The moment he mentions it, the king’s face turns stern, and he shakes his hand, saying, "No! No one can touch that fruit—not even you, my prince!" The more the king forbids it, the more the prince yearns for the fruit.
On his tenth birthday, the prince manages to distract the guards and climbs the tree to pluck the fruit. Overjoyed, he holds the golden, fragrant fruit. He swallows it whole and gasps—its taste is a hundred times sweeter than a hundred apples combined! The prince licks his lips, longing for another.
When the king discovers what happened, he is both angry and anxious, plagued by worry every day, fearing something terrible will occur. And indeed, on that year’s full moon night, the gates of the palace are violently knocked on, a sudden sound shattering the silence and sending shivers down everyone’s spine. The king, trembling, orders the guards to open the door. A whirlwind of colorful robes enters—a fairy with a face twisted in fury. "Where is my Joy Peach?" she demands furiously.
The king stutters his reply, "I’m sorry, my reckless child ate it. It’s my fault—I failed to protect it. He doesn’t understand, Your Majesty, please don’t blame him. I will take full responsibility." The fairy’s eyes widen in disbelief, "Ate it? Oh, what will we do?"
Turns out, the Joy Peach is a vital ingredient for the fairy to create something called "liking." One fruit produces two danfen of "liking" (danfen is a unit of weight in the heavens, roughly the size of an egg). These two danfen are then distributed to newborns, giving each a tiny speck—enough to make them love their parents, cherish their toys, and care for those around them. Don’t underestimate that speck—it’s the foundation of all love and kindness in a child’s heart.