On Monday, Xixi happily carried her cloth doll to kindergarten, where every child brought their own handmade doll. But not all of them were made with their parents' help. Lan Xin was pitiful, pouting as she complained to Xixi, "My dad is on a business trip, and my mom couldn't make it well, so the nanny helped me make it."
Following Teacher Shen's instructions, the dolls the children brought were mostly similar, differing only in the color of the fabric. The boys' dolls were mainly blue, white, and brown, while the girls' came in a variety of colors. Xixi's pink one was quite common, alongside purple, magenta, light green, and cream-colored dolls.
But differences still needed to be highlighted. Teacher Shen picked out a few children whose dolls were well-made with neat stitches to praise. Don't think it was all girls—most of those praised were boys! After all, their dolls were made by their mothers...
Xixi was one of only two girls praised, the other being Chen Shiyun, whose boxing coach father had married a clever and dexterous nurse mother. Xixi's doll was singled out because it had an extra little hat sewn from red fabric. On Sunday, Murphy, bored with nothing to do, had cut a piece of red cloth and added it for Xixi.
When Teacher Shen praised Xixi, she specifically held up her doll, turning it around for all the children to see. She even "interviewed" the little girl: "Xixi, how did you think to add a little hat here?"
Xixi stood up, her little hands clasped in front of her chest, a bit shy but honest as she said, "My mommy made it. Mommy said Little Red Riding Hood is brave and smart, and she wants Xixi to be like Little Red Riding Hood too."
"Oh? Why is Little Red Riding Hood brave and smart?" Teacher Shen asked curiously.
"Because Little Red Riding Hood defeated the big bad wolf and saved her grandma," Xixi said, lifting her little head with a hint of pride. "My daddy told me."
"Wow!" The children sitting in a circle around her exclaimed in surprise.
"Is the big bad wolf really scary?" Yang Luoqi shrank her head and asked timidly.
"I've seen a big bad wolf at the zoo. It's not scary at all, smaller than my dog!" Chen Shiyun shouted.
Lan Xin pouted, displeased, and said, "Who says it's not scary? My dad says if I don't behave, he'll let the big bad wolf eat me!"
Teacher Shen was a bit amused and exasperated. After the children finished their chatter, she whispered something to Xixi and then led her to the center.
She clapped gently and said, "Xixi told me the story of Little Red Riding Hood is very exciting. How about we let Xixi tell us the story of Little Red Riding Hood?"
Whether to support her or just join in the fun, the children clapped enthusiastically. Chen Shiyun even got into a rivalry with Lan Xin, and when everyone else stopped, they kept clapping away.
Teacher Shen smiled and stepped aside, but once she moved away, Xixi grew nervous. This was the first time she was telling a story to others! It felt different from telling it to her parents. Her friends were all staring at her intently, and Xixi felt like she couldn't speak.
"Th-this story, it was, it was told to me by my daddy," Xixi stammered as she began, but the more she stumbled, the more nervous she became.
Luckily, Teacher Shen came to her rescue. She smiled and said, "It's okay, Xixi, take your time. Everyone, let's clap for Xixi to encourage her, okay?"
Meanwhile, Teacher Mu handed Xixi her cloth doll. Holding the doll gave her something to rely on and a prop, and the little girl managed to tell the story haltingly.
"Daddy said Grandma gave that big sister a little red hood, and she really liked it, so later, later she was called Little Red Riding Hood," Xixi said, pointing to the red hat on her doll.
"Later, Grandma got sick. Mommy said: Little Red Riding Hood, take the cake to Grandma. If Grandma eats the cake, she won't be sick," Xixi recounted, missing some details and with a limited vocabulary, but to the other children's ears, it was as thrilling as an adventure story, no less exciting!
Including Chen Shiyun, all the children listened intently, their eyes glued to Xixi, not blinking.
From delivering the cake to Grandma, to meeting the big bad wolf on the road and talking with it, to the wolf running to Grandma's house, tricking her into opening the door, eating her, and pretending to be her lying in bed...
Xixi's story indeed lacked many details, like Little Red Riding Hood's happy encounters on the way or the wolf's inner thoughts, but what was impressive was that she remembered the main plot and told it in a clear, logical order.
The children grew tense. Lan Xin clenched her little fists, her lips tightly pressed together, as if she were Little Red Riding Hood herself, afraid that opening the door would get her eaten by the wolf.
"Little Red Riding Hood got to Grandma's house, and the big bad wolf was on Grandma's bed, wanting to eat Little Red Riding Hood," Xixi said, still skipping many details, but it was gripping enough that she hugged her doll tightly, the atmosphere tense.
"But Little Red Riding Hood saw it!" Xixi's face lit up with a happy smile. The little girl spoke more fluently as she went on, her voice cheerful for Little Red Riding Hood. "She saw the wolf's paws, all hairy, and claws too, so scary!"
"Th-then what?" Lan Xin grabbed Yang Luoqi's hand in fear.
Yang Luoqi was also scared, and the two little girls huddled together for comfort.
"Little Red Riding Hood was very smart! She told the wolf she was going to get the cake," Xixi said.
The story's plot had changed from the original. Yang Yi had adapted it for Xixi, saying Little Red Riding Hood tricked the wolf into thinking the cake was still outside. In reality, Little Red Riding Hood noticed but was still eaten by the wolf, only to be saved later by a hunter.
"Then, then Little Red Riding Hood went to find the hunter uncle, and the hunter uncle helped her defeat the big bad wolf and saved Grandma," Xixi finished the story.
"Wasn't Grandma eaten?" Nan Zhaoyu, who had been listening carefully, raised his little hand to ask.
"Because Grandma was in the wolf's belly. The hunter uncle cut open the wolf's big belly, and Grandma came out!" Xixi gestured with a circle of her hand.
"Very good! And thank you, Xixi, for telling us the story! Did you all enjoy it?" Teacher Shen came up, smiling, and patted Xixi's shoulder.
"Yes!" The group of children nodded excitedly, as if they were the brave and smart Little Red Riding Hoods themselves.
"So, this story teaches us..." Teacher Shen started to explain the moral, but Xixi wasn't listening.
The little girl was beaming with joy, her chest puffed out. She had told a story, and told it completely—what a sense of achievement!
At that moment, Xixi just wanted school to end quickly so she could rush home and tell her parents all about it!
But it was still early, not even noon yet, so Xixi would have to wait a long time.
She didn't notice that her other friends were also looking at her eagerly—Lan Xin, Yang Luoqi, and Chen Shiyun—like they usually waited to eat lunch together.
But this time, it wasn't because of the delicious food Xixi's dad made, but because of the story Xixi had told. The little ones all wanted class to end so they could gather around and ask Xixi if she had any more interesting stories!
It seemed the little girl was about to become the center of her friends' attention again!