The Happy Little Potato"

Learning to Walk

I lay in my mother's arms, blissfully drinking my milk.

Grandma and Dad continued their conversation outside for a while. I had no desire to listen; I didn't want to hear a single word from her mouth, because nothing good ever came out of it.

Another day passed. Early the next morning, Dad went out to work again. According to Mom, Dad worked odd jobs; sometimes there was work, and sometimes there wasn't. That was why our family had so little money and was so poor.

As for Grandma, she raised some chickens and ducks, so she couldn't go out to work either. Although we had poultry, she never once stewed a chicken for Mom. She raised them all to be sold for money. I had no idea what she did with the money from the sales. It seemed Grandma also liked to play mahjong; perhaps she lost all the money gambling.

Last night, Dad had changed me into a new diaper, and it was incredibly comfortable. As long as Dad was home, I wouldn't have to endure being wiped by the black rag. I hoped that today, Grandma would use a tissue on me.

Today, I made a big mess in my diaper again. Grandma happened to come into the room just then. Seeing my state, she quickly took off the diaper. She was a little different today; she didn't say a word.

Then, she turned to my mother. "These diapers must be so expensive. I'm going to wash this out. After it dries, it can be used a second time. In another two days, you get out of bed and change your own child's diapers, you hear me? Otherwise, my son will scold me again. I haven't gone to play mahjong in days, all because you two are holding me back!"

"Ma, Jian Guo said these diapers are single-use. You can't use them a second time. They'll have bacteria, and it'll be bad for Little Potato," Mom reminded her.

"Such a fancy thing, and you only use it once? You spendthrifts are too wasteful. What bacteria? If you wash it clean and dry it in the sun, it can be used again. A little girl isn't that delicate." With that, Grandma took the diaper outside to wash it.

Watching her leave, I was speechless. I'd just have to see if she could actually dry that diaper.

Over the past two days, because Dad had reprimanded her several times, she finally stopped using the black rag on me. I was greatly relieved, knowing I could enjoy a few comfortable days.

A month went by, and Mom was able to take care of me on her own. I was very happy, but Mom was also very frugal. She always used tissues that had already been used once on me. Every day, I would anxiously wait for Dad to come home, so I could be a little more comfortable.

Seeing that Mom's health had improved, Grandma immediately made her help with chores. "My son works so hard outside all by himself, and you don't even know how to help. All you do is enjoy a life of leisure at home. I can take care of Little Potato. You get out there and find work, earn some money, and help ease my son's burden."

Mom was worried about me and wanted to protest, but Grandma cut her off. She shoved Mom out the door, leaving me all alone.

Once Mom was gone, Grandma shot me a vicious glare. Her eyes made me tremble with fear. What was this old hag planning to do to me now? With my parents gone, my situation was truly dangerous! What should I do? Oh, heavens! Oh, earth! Will someone please come and save this child!

I didn't dare cry or make a fuss. Grandma placed me in a large wicker basket. Then, a voice from outside called, "We're missing one for mahjong, are you coming?"

Grandma immediately replied, "Yes, be right there!" and left to play mahjong.

I was all alone in the room. I looked this way and that, and slowly, I fell asleep. In my dream, I seemed to have grown up. I could take care of my parents, and I had earned a lot of money. I was incredibly happy and began to laugh out loud. "Hahaha, hahaha!"

The sound of my own laughter woke me up. I opened my eyes to find I was still in that old, tattered basket. There was no one around to look after me. Mom and Dad were out working, and Grandma was out playing mahjong.

I realized I had wet myself again. A large patch of my pants was soaked. Having peed so much and pooped a little too, my stomach was completely empty. What now? I was hungry! I wanted milk. Mommy, please come back soon. Your baby can't hold on much longer.

I knew Grandma was at mahjong and wouldn't be back for a while. I could only resign myself to fate. I didn't know how long I could last, but I hoped I could hold on until my parents came home. I could feel the urine seeping onto my back; it was an awful feeling. I had basically given myself a bath in pee today. I tried to pull at my clothes and pants, but my infant hands were too short and wouldn't obey. When would I grow a little bigger? Oh, dear lord!

After who knows how long, I felt I really couldn't take it anymore. I was too hungry. Suddenly, I heard someone passing by the door. I began to wail with all my might, hoping to attract the passerby's attention.

"Waaah, waaaah!"

I don't know how long I cried. My throat felt like it was on fire. I held my breath, trying to stop the cries, but an infant's body is truly hard to control. After trying for a long time, I slowly managed to quiet down.

Just then, an old grandmother walked in from outside. It was as if I had seen a ray of light. The old woman looked at me kindly. "Oh my, whose little baby is this? Why are you crying so sadly? Here, let Grandma hold you. Oh, dear, the little one has soiled her pants. Your clothes are all soaked. Come, let Grandma change you."

She held me and cooed, searching my room for clean pants. She patted my back. "Don't cry now. Grandma will change your pants. Little one, where are your parents? Why is no one looking after you? Leaving a little baby like you all alone." The old grandmother clumsily changed my clothes and pants.

I was starving. I had to let her know. I pouted my lips, and tears streamed down my face as I began to wail again. I didn't care about my raw, hoarse throat. This was my last hope.

The old grandmother looked around. "Why is your house so run-down? Are you hungry, little one? Let me see where your family's milk powder is. I'll help you look. Don't cry, don't cry."

The old woman searched our house for a long time but couldn't find any formula. I wished I could speak and tell her that we didn't have any. When Mom was home, I drank her milk, but now my grandma had chased her out to work. I didn't know what I could drink.

Perhaps seeing how poor our family was and being unable to find anything to eat, she picked me up and walked outside. Bobbing along in her arms, I arrived at a stranger's house. I figured this must be her home. It was much nicer than ours. They had a television and a washing machine, things I had never seen in my own house.

The old grandmother held me and said, "What a good baby. You know Grandma is looking for food for you, so you stopped crying. Be a good girl. Grandma will go make you some formula right now. This is the formula my granddaughter drank last time. They moved to a new house and left it behind. I'll go mix some for you right away!"

After bustling about for a bit, the formula was finally ready. She was very meticulous, blowing on it to cool it down before feeding me. I think this was the first time I had ever had milk powder. If my own grandmother knew, she would surely say, "That stinking girl gets to drink that fancy foreign stuff? What a waste!"

I gulped it down until I was full. My stomach felt warm and comfortable. I thought to myself that when I grew up, I must repay this kind old grandmother.

Just like that, she took care of me for the entire afternoon. When she brought me home, my own grandmother had just returned. Seeing the old woman holding me, my grandma became furious. "You busybody, who told you to hold my granddaughter? Are you trying to steal children?"

"Why did you run off to play mahjong by yourself? You left such a small baby at home, crying her heart out. She was soaked in her own pee and starving, and you didn't even feed her. Aren't you afraid your son and daughter-in-law will scold you when they get back?" the kind woman said, displeased.

"You old hag, who asked you to meddle so much? This slip of a girl, does she deserve to drink such expensive foreign formula? Our family's business is none of your concern. Don't come to my house again, you hear me? And don't you dare gossip outside or say anything to my son," my grandma snarled, snatching me from the old woman's arms.

The kind old grandmother could only shake her head helplessly and leave.

My grandma carried me into the room and tossed me back into the wicker basket. She glared at me fiercely. "You stinking brat, what are you crying for? Why did you draw other people here? If you cry again, I'll stuff your mouth with a sock."

Hearing her words, I knew my days ahead would not be easy.

I endured another day, and my parents finally came home from work. They had no idea that Grandma hadn't looked after me at all. They thought she had changed for the better, so they decided they could now go to work with peace of mind.

In the days that followed, I lived in agony. Poor, tiny me. Grandma ignored me every day, and I was always hungry and cold. Occasionally, a neighbor would help look after me. I wished I had no thoughts, no feelings. Then it wouldn't be so hard to bear. I would rather be a fool, so I wouldn't have to feel such pain and sadness.

The days passed one by one, and soon I was a year old. I could babble a few simple words. Every time my parents heard me speak, they were overjoyed. When I called out "Daddy, Mommy" in my sweet, baby voice, Dad would happily pick me up and say, "My adorable Little Potato can talk! Oh, that's wonderful!"

I was proud of myself for learning simple words. I could also crawl now. Sometimes, when Grandma ignored me, I would crawl over to get something to eat myself. I finally didn't have to suffer like before. I even learned to use the toilet by myself.

In the last few days, I decided I had to learn to walk. As long as I could walk, Grandma wouldn't be able to bully me like this anymore.

I wanted freedom. I wanted to walk on my own like an adult. So, I decided to secretly learn to walk to give my parents a surprise.

Every night, when my parents were sound asleep, I would quietly slip out of their arms. I would carefully stand up and shakily take my first step. Wow! I was standing! Though I was a bit wobbly, I was still very happy. I knew that as long as I kept practicing, I would definitely learn to walk.

The next day, after Grandma went out to play mahjong, I decided to practice properly. I shakily stood up and started walking. Suddenly, my foot slipped, and I took a big tumble, landing face-first. A huge wave of pain washed over me, and I couldn't help but burst into tears... they streamed down my face. I touched my smarting cheek with my small hand and saw red stains of blood. I knew I must have scraped my face; it would probably swell up.

After a while, I cried myself out. I endured the pain and slowly crawled back into the house. I grabbed the new tissues Dad had bought with his last paycheck and clumsily wiped the blood from my face. The sharp, stinging pain made me hold my breath and suck in a sharp gasp of air. I knew I had to be strong because there was no one who could help me.

After cleaning the wound, I decided to rest for a bit before practicing again. After a short break, my face didn't hurt as much. But my stomach was getting hungry. I skillfully made my way to the kitchen to find food. On the bottom shelf of a wooden rack was an old, blackened-yellow pot containing some rice porridge. I poured it into a chipped bowl and drank it down.

After finishing the porridge, I felt my strength return. To be safe, I decided to crawl back to my parents' room to continue practicing. I had learned my lesson this time; I couldn't be so reckless. I had to be steadier. I used my little hands to hold onto the edge of the bed and began to practice walking.

For the next few days, I practiced walking in secret every day. I became steadier and faster. I discovered that walking was really fun. I could freely explore the world and go anywhere I wanted.

Finally, I learned to walk! I felt incredibly proud and excited. I decided to give my parents a surprise, to let them know I was no longer a baby who needed to be carried everywhere.

One evening, as my parents were in their room talking about work, I quietly walked out. I carefully approached them and shouted, "Daddy, Mommy!" Hearing my voice, they looked up in surprise. Seeing me standing before them, they were overjoyed.

"My Little Potato, you've learned to walk! You're amazing!" my parents praised me together. Dad happily picked me up, lifted me high, and spun me around. I was so happy because I knew I was finally no longer a baby who needed to be carried.

From that day on, I decided to become more independent and confident. I would no longer let Grandma bully me. I would protect my mother, and when I grew up, I would earn lots and lots of money to give my parents a good life. And I could walk anywhere I wanted to go.

Occasionally, I would even walk by myself to a large tree in the village to play. If I got hungry or tired, I would just walk home on my own.