Thank you, Ethylene, for the coffee<3
Two minutes later, the children walked up to Mi Le and his group. They had been out picking up trash, so they naturally carried some odor with them. Even though they had sealed the garbage bags tightly, the smell of sweat and grime still clung to them. In the past, A Ming and his friends had encountered many children vacationing on the island. These dark-skinned children had often been called little beggars, people saying only beggars would pick up trash.
A Ming had been deeply hurt when he first heard such things. But as he watched the trash on the beach slowly disappear thanks to his efforts, he realized he was doing something meaningful for his home. As for those who called him a beggar, he no longer paid them any mind.
When they got closer, Mi Le grinned and walked over. “Hello! My name is Mi Le. What are your names?”
His cheerful personality was similar to that of the children who had grown up on the island. Soon, some of them stepped forward to greet him.
Mi Le nodded repeatedly, pointing at their trash bags. “I’ve picked up trash at school too! I collected ten pounds all by myself. Ten pounds!”
Mi Le thought he was super impressive! He gestured with his fingers, crossing them to show the number ten.
“I even got a ‘Little Environmental Guardian’ certificate last year!”
Mi Le puffed out his little chest, very proud. A Ming, who had been silently observing them, was visibly surprised when he heard this. He scanned Mi Le’s face. There was no contempt or disgust. Instead, he saw openness and an eagerness to join in.
“My name is A Ming,” he said to Mi Le.
Once they exchanged names, they were friends. Mi Le introduced him to his other friends.
“This is Youyou, this is Pei Xu, this is Niu Niu. And he’s A Ming. You all heard that, right?”
Pei Xu nodded, still holding Su Youli’s small hand as he stood beside him.
“Hello,” he said to A Ming.
With so many new people around, Niu Niu felt shy and hid behind the cameraman, her cheeks flushed. The little guy didn’t hide. He just kept staring at A Ming. When Mi Le brought A Ming over to him, the little guy blinked his big eyes and pointed at the black plastic bag tied around A Ming’s waist. The bag was big enough to hold two children. Su Youli thought this big brother was really impressive.
“Big brother, you’re amazing,” the little guy whispered to Qiqi, tilting his head.
Pei Qiqi stared at that large black plastic bag for a long time with his dark eyes. A Ming’s bag was almost full. He must have been picking up trash for a long, long time. The children, who had been standing apart, now seemed to have been “mixed together.” The dark-skinned island children and the four little ones with woven baskets mingled.
Knowing they were filming a show, A Ming and his friends didn’t plan to stay long. When the cameraman asked if they would be willing to appear on camera, A Ming hesitated for a moment before declining. Su Youli could clearly see that Uncle Da Mo and the others were a bit disappointed by this answer. The little guy tugged on Uncle Da Mo’s pant leg and motioned for him to crouch down.
Da Mo complied, holding his camera on his shoulder as he crouched in front of him. “What is it, Youyou?”
The little guy smiled and patted his knee. “Uncle Da Mo, Brother A Ming and his friends are all sweaty.”
Da Mo didn’t understand what that had to do with them.
Seeing his puzzled expression, the little guy pointed at himself. “Youyou’s clothes were bought new by Mom. This morning, Brother Xiao Tang helped Youyou comb his hair and put on lotion.”
The little guy spread open his little hands. “In the car just now, Dad also helped Youyou wipe his hands clean.”
Da Mo was even more confused. He thought the little guy was just showing off how clean he was, so he went along with it: “Youyou is very clean and very pretty.”
The little guy nodded. “Yes. Because Youyou knew he was going to film today, so he dressed up nicely. Brother Qiqi, Brother Lele, and Sister Niu Niu also dressed up nicely.”
“But Brother A Ming and his friends were busy picking up trash and didn’t get to wear their nicest clothes. They even got some dust on them.” The little guy had said so much that his mouth was dry. At this point, Da Mo finally understood the little guy’s meaning. Children had self-esteem. A Ming and his friends didn’t want to show their messy, dirty side on camera. In fact, A Ming and his friends had often encountered people pointing phones at them without even asking, shoving cameras in their faces.
The islanders all made their living from the sea, but they were still struggling. With tourism finally developing in the past two years, A Ming and his friends didn’t dare to get into arguments with tourists. The fact that these cameramen asked for their consent before filming was already better than most. Children who grew up on the island were naturally broad-minded. They didn’t feel inferior because of their clothes. They just wanted to appear clean when they were on camera. Because they didn’t want to be mocked for being sloppy, for not caring about cleanliness, or for smelling like fish.
“Thank you, Youyou. I understand now. We’ll ask for their permission and do interviews at their homes. Is that okay?”
Even though the little guy was only three and a half, Da Mo wasn’t treating him like a child. He seriously asked for his opinion.
“That’s okay. That’s great.” The little guy tilted his head and gave Uncle Da Mo a big thumbs up.
Brother A Ming and his friends were so impressive. They definitely needed to appear on TV looking their best. A Ming and his friends wanted to leave. Even though they liked their new friends, they still had work to do. Su Youli held his little basket and watched A Ming and his friends walk back into the woods, their garbage bags bulging at their waists. As soon as the island children entered the forest, they scattered. Some bent down, some crouched, each one carefully picking up trash.
The little guy also crouched down. In front of him was a small cactus, and hanging from its roots was a piece of rotting black plastic. The little guy’s favorite color was green. He loved everything in nature. These pieces of trash clung to the plants, slowly eating away at their lives. Without a second thought, the little guy reached out to remove the trash. Pei Qiqi quickly used his grabber to pick up the plastic piece and put it in his own basket.
“Youyou, there are gloves in the basket. Let me help you put them on.”
He didn’t stop the little guy’s action but helped him put on protective children’s gloves. The little guy obediently held out his hands for Brother Qiqi to help him, watching the dirty piece of plastic get placed into the clean basket.
“Brother Qiqi, aren’t you afraid of getting dirty?”
He remembered that Brother Qiqi hated dirty things. He kept himself spotless every day; even the soles of his shoes were clean.
Pei Qiqi held his little hand and crouched down in front of the cactus. “The plastic was covering it, so it couldn’t breathe. As long as I can help it, I’m not afraid of getting dirty.”
The little guy’s eyes sparkled. “Youyou will help too!”
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