Meng Yan's Transformation

While Yunqing was speaking, she scooped out two small spoonfuls of white sugar, screwed the lid of the sugar bottle, and prepared to hide the can containing the white sugar.

"Mom, how did you make this sugar? Please teach me. If I learn the magic trick of turning it into white sugar, I won't have to ask you for white sugar anymore."

Zhan Mengyan stared with curious eyes as she spoke.

"Zhan Yingying was rewarded for her performance at the consolation ceremony, so can't I be thanked by others? I can't do the gaoqiao, but I have other talents. I just went to the front street and cut clothes for Lao Liu's family of four. I also wrote Spring Festival couplets and painted two pictures for them. His old lady insisted on giving me this bag of white sugar. I said no, and she said she would give it to me even if she chased me home. The old lady said that if I didn't want it, it meant that her gift of thanks was too little, and she even wanted to catch a big rooster for me. The big rooster was chased all over the yard by the old lady's grandson, so I took the opportunity to go home. Halfway home, her son caught up with me and forced the bag of candy on me, but he turned around and ran away. I put the white sugar in the kitchen when I got home. When I came in, I saw you two peeling the candy wrappers, so I teased you and said, "Let me perform a magic trick. I wanted to give you a surprise. If mom could make white sugar appear out of thin air, our family would have become rich long ago. You silly girl, I was teasing you, but you took it seriously."

As Yunqing spoke, she gently pinched Zhan Mengyan's nose with her hand.

"Aunt Zhan, are you home?"

A boy's voice came from the gate.

Yunqing, Zhan Yingying and Zhan Mengyan came to the door after hearing the sound.

A boy, about twelve or thirteen, stood at the gate, his hands tightly gripping the wicker handles of a bamboo basket, his fingers slightly white from the strain. The basket was covered with a red cloth. A large, glossy-feathered rooster, its claws bound by hemp rope, flapped its wings restlessly, making a small, rustling sound against the edge of the basket. His blue trouser legs were stained with dirt, evidently from his hasty arrival. Sweat clumps of hair on his forehead fluttered softly in the warm winter sun and breeze. He glanced at Yunqing with a restrained gaze, the weight of the basket forcing him to alternate between his left and right hands. His round face flushed slightly, revealing the youthful energy and nervousness typical of his age. The rooster suddenly raised its head and crowed, startling the boy so much that he hurriedly pressed down the basket's lid. A few pieces of fallen red fluff stained his sleeves, like scattered cinnabar speckling the blue fabric.

"Mingming, how did you get to my house? Look, you must be exhausted from catching this big rooster. Look at the sweat. Go inside and rest for a while. Then go home and tell your grandma: I accepted the white sugar. You can take this big rooster back home with you."

While Yunqing was speaking, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Liu Mingming's forehead.

"Aunt Zhan, my grandmother sent this rooster to you. Please accept it. Keep it as a dish for your family's New Year's Eve dinner. Grandma said: Aunt Zhan is in good health and has helped us all morning. A little white sugar and a rooster cannot express her gratitude. If Aunt Zhan doesn't accept the rooster, Grandma said she will not let me go home. Aunt Zhan, please don't make it difficult for me. Let me successfully complete the task that Grandma gave me."

As Liu Mingming spoke, he looked at Yunqing with anticipation and stuffed the basket containing the big rooster into Yunqing's hands.

"If your grandmother won't let you go home, then stay at our house and be my son. Let's see if your grandmother is willing to let you go. This big rooster is so beautiful. It would be a shame to kill it and make a dish out of it. It would be much better if you could take it home and keep it to crow for your family at dawn."

As Yunqing spoke, she stuffed the basket containing the big rooster into Liu Mingming's hands.