The three little ones had begun their adventure. Mi Le picked three small sticks, and they rhythmically tapped them on the ground. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and leaves. As a child who naturally loved plants, the big forest was a place Su Youli had always yearned for.
“Where are we supposed to find mushrooms? This is so hard.”
Having grown up in a big city, Mi Le and Niu Niu were undoubtedly unfamiliar with wild mushrooms. Three little heads came together.
Su Youli whispered, “Mushrooms are usually under fallen leaves and dead wood, and some grow at the roots of big trees… Daddy says they’re very shy. Most mushrooms don’t grow very big; they hide themselves.”
The little one’s knowledge of mushrooms came from what his fathers had told him and the educational information in his handmade book. It was the first time Mi Le had heard Youyou talk so much at once. Anyway, the younger brother was good-looking, so everything he said was right. The area the production team had designated for them was at the entrance to the forest, where the weeds and thorns wouldn’t hurt the children.
In the frame, Su Youli moved slowly, crouching down, searching for mushrooms without blinking. The weather had been dry lately, making it somewhat difficult to find mushrooms. Mi Le got distracted by other things. In the treetops reaching for the sky, a few squirrels were hopping around. Mi Le had only seen squirrels in the zoo, so seeing wild ones was a novelty.
“Youyou, look! Squirrels!”
Mi Le excitedly pulled Su Youli up to chase after them. Su Youli’s attention was diverted, but his mind was still on finding mushrooms. The squirrels in the forest were small and agile. They vanished in the blink of an eye. The little one only had time to see the trembling treetops.
“I didn’t see them,” he said, sounding a bit disappointed.
Mi Le patted him reassuringly. “It’s okay. I’ll keep my camera on this time. I’ll definitely catch them.”
The little one nodded and continued crouching down, carefully searching for mushrooms. After a while of searching, the little one finally spotted a cluster of mushrooms hiding under a big tree. He excitedly raised his camera and ran over. Su Youli didn’t know the name of this type of mushroom. His good habit, taught by his fathers from a young age, meant he didn’t recklessly reach out to touch them.
The little one stepped on the fallen leaves and walked forward, crouching in front of the mushrooms. They were pale yellow, several of them, tenderly hidden under the big tree, with a bit of dew on them. The little one’s heart pounded. He was curious about how mushrooms grew.
Probably by drinking dew from the forest and absorbing nutrients from the soil. They shouldn’t get too much sun…
The little human cub wearing the little red hat crouched in front of the mushrooms, raised the camera hanging around his neck, and took several photos. After taking the pictures, he observed them carefully for a while longer before remembering to call his friends. Niu Niu and Mi Le thought Youyou was amazing. He was the first to find mushrooms, and he generously shared them with them.
Next, the three children found three or four more types, one after another. Victory was in sight. Su Youli was immersed in this “adventure,” feeling the charm of nature in the process of finding mushrooms. Several small mushrooms, whose names he didn’t know, grew on the grass. Each one was like a little elf peeking out from the grass. The little one cautiously reached out a finger and gently touched them.
They felt slippery to the touch, and they shook when poked. Each type of mushroom looked different. Some were like little umbrellas, others seemed to be wearing little cloaks. Su Youli excitedly raised his camera. Because he was short, he couldn’t photograph the back of the mushrooms. He turned around several times to capture them from all 360 degrees.
This was the fifth type of mushroom he had photographed. One more type, and he would have won. The little one was over the moon. He turned his head to call Niu Niu and Mi Le over to take pictures together. Suddenly, the strap around his neck was tugged, and then his chest felt empty. The little one realized his camera had been snatched.
Cen Yuankai aggressively raised the camera, looking very pleased with himself. “Shorty, this camera is mine now. You can use this one.”
He threw the camera with no pictures on it in front of Su Youli and hung the stolen one around his own neck. The little one was stunned. His little hands were still hovering in the air in the position of holding the camera. His crouching posture hadn’t changed. In his understanding, you couldn’t take things that belonged to others. He never imagined someone would just snatch his camera away.
“I don’t want it! Give me back my camera!” Su Youli stood up and reached out.
Cen Yuankai looked down at Su Youli, who was a head shorter and looked very delicate. He snorted, rolled his eyes, and said, “If I snatch it, it’s mine. You asked for it, showing off in front of me.”
The little one hadn’t been showing off at all. Cen Yuankai was lying. This bad-tempered child who liked to snatch things was the most annoying child Su Youli had ever met.
“Give me back my camera!”
The little one’s eyebrows shot up, and he spoke very loudly, his mouth pressed in a firm line. Cen Yuankai didn’t care. He just hadn’t expected this little milk dumpling to get angry. The angrier he got, the more pleased Cen Yuankai felt.
He stuck out his tongue and made a face at him. “Nyah, nyah, not giving it, not giving it. Hit me if you can!”
Su Youli clenched his little fists, his soft, cute little face scrunched up. The little one was a very well-behaved child. Even when he was very angry, his first instinct was still to ask an adult nearby for help.
The cameraman couldn’t bear to see him wronged. He advised, “Kai Kai, that’s Youyou didi’s camera. We can’t take things from others.”
Cen Yuankai squinted his eyes. Seeing both cameramen speaking up for Su Youli made him even angrier. He had experienced how strict the production team was this morning. These adults wouldn’t indulge him like his father. In short, he hated them. Cen Yuankai glared viciously at Su Youli, snorted, grabbed the camera, and ran off.
Su Youli chased after him. All the photos he had taken were on that camera. He couldn’t let someone else have it. The little one had a soft personality, but that didn’t mean he would tolerate being bullied. The forest path was uneven. Cen Yuankai hadn’t run far when he nearly tripped. Su Youli had quickly caught up and was reaching for the camera strap.
Cen Yuankai almost lost his balance. Seeing Su Youli holding the strap, he gritted his teeth and shoved him hard. The ground was covered with fallen branches and rotting leaves, with intricate roots and many stones. Hitting his head would be disastrous. In that critical moment, the little one remembered what Coach Xiao Lin had taught him. He nimbly crouched down and stuck out his little leg, tripping Cen Yuankai.
It’s sad that there are children like Cen Yuankai in real life whose parents have not set/ taught them boundaries.
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