Colorful years

"I'm so happy! I played jacks, hopscotch, and stick games with San San, Gui Gui, and Hou Hou, and we even went to the river to play in the water and catch fish!" Cong Cong said excitedly.

"That's good! But be careful in the future, and don't go to dangerous places to play," Mom instructed.

"Okay, Mom!" Congcong replied, then continued eating with his head down.

After dinner, Congcong sat in the yard with his parents to enjoy the cool evening air.

The night was as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars, and a gentle breeze caressed their faces, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Congcong raised his head and looked up at the stars in the sky, his heart filled with happiness and contentment.

He recalled the joyful times he had spent with his friends during the day, and those wonderful memories shone in his heart like brilliant stars.

What a joyful day! Congcong thought to himself, and a smile crept onto his lips.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and drowsiness gradually crept in. Finally, he closed his eyes and drifted into a sweet dream.

In his dream, he was still playing with his friends, and their laughter and cheers still echoed in his ears.

They chased and played, carefree, as if time had stood still at that moment.

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Congcong opened his eyes early.

He couldn't wait to jump out of bed, wash up, quickly get dressed, and prepare to go out.

He was going to find San San, Gui Gui, and Hou Hou, as they had agreed to play a brand new game today—rolling iron hoops.

The game of rolling a wire hoop requires a wire circle and an iron hook. The hook is attached to the hoop, and then the hoop is pushed forward.

It may sound like an easy task, but when you actually put it into practice, you'll realize that it involves a considerable amount of skill!

Congcong was incredibly excited and could hardly contain his surging enthusiasm. He was eagerly anticipating exploring that fun and fascinating world of games with his friends.

Finally, when Congcong arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place, he was pleasantly surprised to find that San San, Gui Gui, and Hou Hou had been waiting there for a long time! Each of them was holding a carefully crafted iron ring and hook in their hands, and their young faces were all beaming with bright and joyful smiles.

Just then, his sharp-eyed friends spotted Congcong rushing over and eagerly surrounded him. They then excitedly showed him their exquisitely crafted iron hoops, enthusiastically sharing their unique tips and practical techniques for handling these small hoops.

Congcong listened attentively to his friends' enthusiastic explanations, nodding occasionally to show his full understanding of these valuable experiences. Then, he carefully took the iron ring and hook from his companion and, full of confidence, began to try and replicate the method he had just learned, making the iron ring roll smoothly on the ground.

However, the ideal was far from reality. In the beginning, this seemingly docile and obedient iron ring was like a naughty child, completely disregarding Congcong's feelings, either willfully falling to the ground or recklessly veering off course.

Despite this setback, the strong and brave Congcong was not discouraged or disheartened. On the contrary, he patiently adjusted his standing posture and the amount of force he applied with the iron hook time and time again, persevering in his exploration and gradually becoming familiar with the knack of controlling his balance.

Persistence pays off. After practicing several times, Congcong gradually had an epiphany—that as long as he maintained a balanced distribution of force, the small iron ring could roll steadily and smoothly forward at high speed, just as he wished.

As time went on, Congcong became more and more skilled, and he could make the iron ring move in a straight line and even pass through obstacles.

"Brother Congcong, look how well you roll!" San San said enviously.

"Haha, you can do it too!" Congcong encouraged.

His progress amazed his friends, who applauded and cheered for him. Congcong felt incredibly proud, knowing that all of this was inseparable from the help and encouragement of his friends.

So the four children pushed the iron hoop through the village together. They went across fields, crossed streams, and went around trees, having a great time.

At midday, the sun was high in the sky, and the heat was so intense that it was hard to breathe.

The four children then went to rest under a big tree. They sat in the shade, eating watermelons and peaches they had brought from home, and chatting.

"Brother Congcong, what do you think we should do this afternoon?" San San asked.

"Hmm... how about we play hide-and-seek?" Congcong suggested.

“Great! Great!” the other three children chimed in.

So they started playing hide-and-seek.

Congcong was the first to look. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, and then began searching.

He looked around, searching for his companions. Soon, he found San San hiding in the grass and Gui Gui hiding behind a tree.

But Houhou hid very well, and Congcong searched for a long time but couldn't find him.

"Hey, where did you hide? I can't find you!" Congcong shouted.

"Haha, I'm here!" A voice came from the tree. It turned out that Houhou had climbed up the tree and was hiding in the foliage.

"You're so cunning!" Congcong said with a smile.

And so, they ended their game of hide-and-seek amidst laughter and joy.

As evening fell, the four children gathered together again.

They planned to watch the village elders play chess.

The elderly are always very focused and serious when playing chess; sometimes they frown and sometimes they smile broadly.

The four children watched and listened quietly. Although they did not understand the rules and techniques of chess, they were inspired by the old people's focused and serious spirit.

“Grandpas playing chess is so much fun!” San San said.

“Yes! I want to learn to play chess in the future!” Congcong said.

“Great! Let’s learn together from now on!” Gui Gui and Hou Hou responded one after another.