This area was at the edge of the beach. Piles of garbage were scattered along the reef, with a forest beside it. They should have looked like they did in the photo, green and lush, guarding the ocean. But somehow, they had become like this. The camera captured the four little ones’ surprised and sad faces, a stark contrast to their eager departure earlier.
“Brother Qiqi,” the little guy said softly, gripping his brother’s hand tightly.
Pei Qiqi held his hand, turned around, and discussed it with Mi Le.
“Let’s walk into the forest and take a look.”
Mi Le nodded. He also didn’t think there would be any “treasure” here. It was all trash. But the further they walked, the more they realized there was even more trash in the forest. The low shrubs and thick trees hid everything well, making this place a garbage dump. Cigarette butts half-buried in the dirt, plastic bottles, food containers discarded on the grass. Even though trash cans were placed at intervals along the road, with signs clear enough for a two-year-old to understand, there was still garbage everywhere.
Seeing this trash stirred a small ripple in Su Youli’s pure world. He had grown up on Yunshui Street, where the townspeople depended on the Yunshui River. Since he could remember, his two fathers had told him that the Yunshui River was the mother of everyone in Yunshui Town. No one would hurt their mother; they would only protect her carefully and be grateful every time they drank water.
So the little guy had always thought of the sea and rivers as sacred. The little guy felt this place didn’t look like the photo at all. It didn’t look like a place where treasures would be found. After walking a little further, they saw piles of trash left behind by campers. Up close, they could even smell the sour stench of rotting food. Niu Niu was clearly scared by this sight. Her face, which had been so cheerful, crumpled.
She gripped the seashell she had found on the beach earlier and said, her voice a little teary: “It’s so dirty here. Let’s go back.”
Pei Xu remained silent, holding Youyou’s hand tightly. His eyes darkened as he looked at the trash. He felt sad. The children’s reactions were different yet equally sincere. They hadn’t seen this forest and sea in their most beautiful state, but they knew it shouldn’t look like this. Mi Le looked up at the sky. The treetops reaching toward the blue sky rustled in the sea breeze. But he probably wouldn’t encounter the little squirrel he had met in Nianbai Village in a forest like this again.
A quiet forest, a forest with foul smells floating in the air. Perhaps the little animals that once called this place home had already packed their bags and moved elsewhere. The forest was lonely. That was Su Youli’s strongest feeling. He felt the forest was sick, covered in countless wounds. The four little ones stood there, unsure what to do next. Should they leave? But they couldn’t move. It was as if a spell had been cast over them. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby, like some kind of wild animal moving through the underbrush.
Su Youli’s attention was caught. He tilted his head and pointed it out to Pei Xu. “Brother Qiqi, there’s a sound over there.”
Pei Qiqi followed his gaze. A narrow path was completely hidden by weeds. From their angle, they couldn’t see anything, but the plants on both sides were shaking violently. He instinctively stepped forward, placing himself between Youyou and whatever was coming. Under the watchful eyes of the ‘Treasure Hunt Team,’ a pair of hands parted the bushes from the middle. Then, a child emerged from within.
The boy was about seven years old, with dark skin marked by years of working and playing under the sun, giving him a healthy glow. The child stared at the group that had suddenly appeared in the woods. His lips were pressed tightly together, his brows furrowed, forming a clear crease on his forehead. Behind him followed several other children with similar skin tones, all eyeing the four little ones warily. The ‘Treasure Hunt Team’ stood at a distance, and the two groups engaged in a silent standoff.
The seven-year-old was bumped on the shoulder by one of his companions. “A Ming, are they tourists too? Why are they carrying cameras?”
A Ming scowled. “They must be here to film some kind of show.”
Haicheng had over a hundred islands, and theirs was just one of them. A few years ago, tourism had developed rapidly. Aside from some recreational activities, the island didn’t charge admission for any of its attractions. Everything was free, drawing large crowds of tourists. Over time, the island had lost its former purity and beauty.
Seven-year-old A Ming and his friends spent their weekends and holidays walking along the beaches and through the woods, diligently picking up trash. Their elementary school also organized annual clean-up activities on the island. But no matter how hard they tried, the pollution always seemed to spread faster than they could clean it up.
The arrival of large numbers of tourists had transformed this place beyond recognition. A Ming felt that his home had become this way because of those inconsiderate visitors. Now, four cleanly dressed children appeared in A Ming’s line of sight. Seeing them only made his frown deepen, his eyes filled with hostility. At a critical moment, Mi Le stepped up to ease the tension, projecting his leaderly aura.
“Hey there, brothers. How are you doing?”
A few of the children beside A Ming were around Mi Le’s age. Still childlike and innocent, they laughed when Mi Le addressed them as “brothers” in his warm, earnest tone. These four children were all quite good-looking, especially the little curly-haired one in the middle.
The little curly-haired boy had delicate features that drew the gazes of children who naturally appreciated beauty. They kept glancing his way. The little guy looked to be under three years old, small and short, and seemed rather timid. His small hands were tightly gripping the hand of the unsmiling boy beside him.
A Ming narrowed his eyes. “Who are you calling brother? Don’t call me that!”
Mi Le wasn’t intimidated at all, because he noticed that each of these children had a black plastic bag tied around their waist, and they were wearing rubber gloves and holding grabbers. Mi Le, who had been in kindergarten for two years, recognized this setup well. His kindergarten teachers would also have them dress like this on activity days, and then a bunch of little ones would line up like a “train” to go pick up trash.
At first, many children had been reluctant. Everyone thought garbage was smelly and didn’t want to go near it. But the teachers told them that picking up trash was about protecting the environment, and protecting the environment was everyone’s responsibility. Cleaning up trash was a very honorable thing to do.
Mi Le couldn’t wait to join them. He raised his basket and called out: “We can help you pick up trash too! Let’s be friends!”
Perhaps moved by his sincerity, A Ming and the others actually walked closer, though they still maintained a hint of caution.
T/n: Hi lovely people. Thank you for reading this. Noticed the frequent updates? I’ve been sytockpiling chapters, yayy!! I’m aiming for a daily update or at least 3 in a week. Thanks for reading all this way<3
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