The Happy Little Potato"

School at My Own House

As I arrived at my front door, some villagers were chatting nearby. Seeing me return, one of them asked, "Little Potato, did school let out this early?"

"No, not yet."

"If school's not out, why are you home?"

"I have to go home and sharpen my pencil. It got too short to write with."

"You came home to sharpen a pencil? Haha! Wouldn't the teacher sharpen it for you?"

"The teacher wanted to, but I said no. I have to go home and sharpen my pencil."

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!"

The villagers all looked at me and burst into laughter.

I couldn't understand why they were laughing. These adults all think they're so clever. I decided not to argue with them. I had important business to attend to.

I went inside and grabbed the kitchen cleaver. I clumsily began to sharpen the pencil. It took a long time, and the pencil just got shorter and shorter. Watching it shrink, my nose tingled, and tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't hold them back, and they started to fall, drop by drop.

My heart ached for my pencil. Dad worked so hard to earn money. If the pencil was gone, we'd have to spend more money to buy a new one. Just then, for some reason, Dad came home. He saw me crying and ran over worriedly, hugging me. "What's wrong, my Little Potato? Didn't you go to school today? Why are you at home crying all by yourself?"

Seeing Dad made me cry even harder. With tears and snot running down my face, I sobbed, "Daddy... I... came home to sharpen... my pencil... but I did it wrong, and the pencil got short."

Dad looked at the pencil in my hand and comforted me. "It's okay, Little Potato. Daddy bought lots of pencils. We'll just get a new one, alright? Don't cry now. We're a primary school student now, we can't be a crybaby." After saying this, he went into the room and got a new pencil.

"Little Potato, wipe your tears. Daddy will sharpen it for you," he said, patting my head.

"Okay," I replied, wiping my tears and nose with my sleeve.

"Hmm? Did school let out this early today, Little Potato?" Dad asked, puzzled.

"No, I came home to sharpen my pencil."

"Oh. Wouldn't the teacher sharpen it for you?"

"I don't want the teacher to help. She doesn't sharpen them well."

"Oh, is that so? Well, from now on, Daddy will sharpen your pencils for you!" Dad said with a cheerful smile.

Holding the freshly sharpened pencil from Dad, I felt happy again. I skipped all the way back to school.

When I arrived, I saw that all the students were out playing on the playground. I stared at them, completely baffled, and slowly made my way towards the classroom, glancing back every now and then to see what they were playing. I went inside and saw the teacher at her desk, diligently grading homework.

I walked over and pointed at the students outside. "Teacher, why are they playing outside? Isn't it class time? Is school over?"

"Oh, Xiao Tudou, you're back from sharpening your pencil?" the teacher asked, looking at me with a smile.

"Yes, Teacher. It's sharpened."

"Then hurry and finish today's assignment and give it to me to grade. Off you go!" The teacher gestured for me to go to my seat.

I returned to my desk and finished the assignment in no time. When I handed it to the teacher, I couldn't help but ask again, "Teacher, is school over?"

"Not yet, Little Potato. There's one more class. You'll go home for lunch, and then you have to come back for the afternoon session. Don't forget to come back this afternoon, okay?" the teacher told me calmly.

"Oh, okay, I understand, Teacher."

I never knew school was this great. You have class for a bit, and then you get a break. And during the break, you can go play on the playground! The thought of playing sent me running towards the playground too.

I remembered that Xiao Digua was supposed to be a student here. I decided to go look for him. Oh, right, he should be in the fourth grade now. I'd go check the fourth-grade classroom. As I was walking, a bell rang. The students on the playground all started running back to their classrooms. I didn't know what was happening. In just a few minutes, the playground was empty. I was still trying to find the fourth-grade classroom. I knew my numbers and saw that each classroom door had one. I searched and searched and finally saw the number four. I happily peeked into the classroom, my eyes darting everywhere, but after a long search, I couldn't see Xiao Digua.

Just then, the fourth-grade teacher saw me. "Little friend, class has started. Why aren't you in your classroom? What grade are you in? What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for a friend, Teacher."

"What friend? Class is in session, don't run around. Hurry back to your class."

"Teacher, I'm not running around, I'm looking for—" Before I could finish, the teacher cut me off. "Go to class! Don't disturb the other students."

With that, the teacher shut the classroom door with a click. I had no choice but to trudge back to my own classroom.

After class, I went home for lunch. Dad had gone out to work again, and Mom wasn't home either. Grandma was eating by herself. I carefully got a bowl and came to the table to eat. Grandma kept a stony face and didn't speak to me. I cautiously picked up some vegetables and chewed slowly.

At the quiet table, Grandma quickly finished her meal. She hastily put down her bowl and chopsticks and said to me, "Wash the bowls before you go back to school." Then she ran out. I knew she was in a hurry to get to her mahjong game.

After she left, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I no longer had to eat so timidly. I scarfed down my food, then skillfully cleared the dishes, wiped the table, and washed the bowls. Seeing the floor was a bit dirty, I grabbed the broom and started sweeping. After finishing all the housework, I locked the door and went back to school.

The following days were all the same, repeating over and over. Nothing new ever happened, and I never saw Xiao Digua at school. Sometimes, on Saturdays and Sundays, I would go to the old spot where we first met, hoping to see him. But a whole semester went by, and he never came.

During the summer vacation, I was at home doing my homework. It felt a bit stuffy inside, so I took my workbook to the big tree at the village entrance. I brought a small stool from home, set my homework on the stone steps under the tree, and began to work diligently.

As I was writing, I suddenly heard what sounded like Xiao Digua calling my name. I looked up, and it was really him.

"Xiao Tudou, Xiao Tudou, I'm on summer vacation!"

I smiled at him. "Sweet potato, sweet potato, this is potato. Please respond!"

"Potato, potato, this is sweet potato. Roger, roger."

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!"

We both laughed happily.

"Xiao Digua, you said you're on summer vacation, but why didn't I ever see you at school?"

"Xiao Tudou, you started school too? I'm in fifth grade now. This school doesn't have a fifth grade, so I have to go to one farther away. I live with my relatives, so I don't have a chance to come back on weekends to play with you. But it's okay now, I'm home for the summer vacation. I can finally play with you, hehe."

"Oh, so that's why. No wonder I couldn't find you. I'm in school now, too. I'm a first-grader! I thought you were in fourth grade, so I even went to the fourth-grade classroom to find you, but you were never there, and the teacher just shooed me away," I said, tilting my head and feeling quite proud of myself.

Looking at Xiao Digua's simple, honest face, I felt a sense of peace for some reason. Then I said to him, "Xiao Digua, you know, it's been so long, I thought you had forgotten about me!"

"How could I? We're going to be friends for life. Don't worry, I will never, ever forget you," Xiao Digua said, looking at me sincerely.

"Really, Xiao Digua?"

"Really. Truer than a pearl. Xiao Tudou will always be my best friend, hehe!"

"Xiao Digua, do you have summer homework? Look, the teacher gave us this summer workbook! I know how to do all the problems inside," I said, holding up my workbook and waving it at him.

"That's great, Xiao Tudou! We have summer homework like this too. From now on, we'll get it for every summer and winter break."

"Have you finished yours yet?"

"Not yet. I was in such a hurry to come find you as soon as I got home. I'll bring my homework over tomorrow, and we can do it together, okay, Xiao Tudou?"

"Okay!"

I was very happy that summer. With Xiao Digua by my side, we did our homework and played together every day. Occasionally, we'd walk by the school to take a look. We saw that it was being renovated; one of the surrounding walls had been knocked down.

"The school is broken? What do we do? How am I supposed to go to school next semester, Xiao Digua?"

"Don't worry, Xiao Tudou. By the time school starts, it will definitely be fixed."

"Oh, okay!"

Summer vacation passed in a flash, and soon it was time for school again. But the school hadn't been rebuilt yet. When I went to register, the teacher said that the first and second-grade students would be attending class in a nearby villager's home. And it just so happened I was starting the second half of first grade. After registering, I went home and discovered that our living room was filled with desks and chairs, and a small blackboard was hanging on the wall.

I understood. The school had rented our house! Haha, I was so happy. From now on, I could attend school in my own home!

That evening, my parents came home and told me the school had rented our house for the first-graders. Morning exercises would be held in the open space outside our house. I think they rented it for a year and probably gave our family a little bit of money. Grandma was also very happy about it; she was all smiles when she looked at the teacher. But when she turned to look at me, her expression changed instantly.

The next day, lots of classmates came to my house. I was thrilled. During class, as the teacher was lecturing, an old grandmother walked into our house. She didn't know our home had been rented out and that class was in session. She was holding a popsicle. It was the same kind old grandmother who had held me when I was a baby, the one who saw me crying pitifully after my grandma had abandoned me, who held me and took care of me for an afternoon.

She stood there stunned, holding the popsicle and looking at all the people in our house. "Is this Little Potato's house?" she asked, looking all around.

"Ma'am, we're having class right now. Who are you looking for?" the teacher asked gently.

"Grandma, I'm here! Grandma!" I cried out when I saw her. I quickly ran over and took her hand.

"Little Potato, why are there so many children in your house? Someone gave Grandma a popsicle, and since my grandchildren aren't home, I brought it for you!" she said, handing me the popsicle with a cheerful smile.

The popsicle was in a porcelain cup, probably to keep it from melting. I quickly took it and licked it.

"Xiao Tudou, it's class time! No eating. Put the popsicle in the house and eat it after class!" the teacher said, stopping me sternly.

"Okay, Teacher." I replied, then led the old grandmother outside. "Grandma, we're in class. You should go home for now. I'll come visit you after school." She smiled and nodded, and I watched her slowly walk away.

I licked the popsicle one more time before slowly making my way back into my home-classroom.

The teacher saw me still savoring the popsicle and said again, "Put the popsicle away quickly. You can eat it later."

I put the popsicle in our kitchen, then went back to my seat to listen to the teacher. But my mind was completely filled with thoughts of that popsicle. I ran back to the kitchen and took two more bites.

The teacher was at her wit's end. She called out my name loudly, "Xiao Tudou, it's class time! Just because this is your house doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! Last semester, you ran home in the middle of class to sharpen a pencil, and you wouldn't even let the teacher help you. Now you're not paying attention and keep running out to eat a popsicle. You know, you've made a very deep impression on me. You can't do this next time, okay? Pay attention!"

The teacher scolded me sternly, but I didn't really feel anything. A moment later, I went to eat the popsicle again. The teacher was about to scold me again when I immediately said, "Teacher, the popsicle is melting! It will be a waste if I don't eat it. Didn't you say we shouldn't be children who waste food?"

My words left the teacher even more speechless. "Fine, fine! Just finish it quickly. Hurry up! I'll wait right here for you to finish, and then we'll continue the class!"

And so, under the watchful eyes of the entire class, I took big bites of my popsicle. More than twenty little kids stared at me, some of them even drooling. The teacher couldn't take it anymore. Seeing all the drooling children, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Class, stop staring! Wipe your drool. We can't be like Xiao Tudou, okay? You can't eat during class time, understand?" the teacher instructed her students.

"Yes, Teacher!" the students replied in unison.

I paid no attention to what the teacher was saying and just focused on diligently eating my popsicle. The teacher kept urging me to hurry up, but I acted as if I couldn't hear her, slowly enjoying my treat.

As she rushed me, she covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. When I finally finished, I leisurely returned to my seat.

"Alright, alright! Xiao Tudou is finished. We can officially begin class now!" the teacher announced and continued her lesson.

I sat at my desk, still l*****g my lips. My mouth felt cool and refreshed; it was very comfortable. It was my first time ever eating a popsicle! I didn't hear a single thing the teacher said for the rest of the class. All I could think about was when I would get to eat another popsicle!!!