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Ho-Shing and Yong-Hu sat at the edge
of the river, their furry legs dangling into the water, just enough for
their large paws to get wet. "This feels good. It is so hot and so humid
today," Yong-Hu said.
Ho-Shing nodded in agreement and
swirled his feet around in the clear water. "See the fish swimming by?" he
asked.
Yong-Hu looked down. "Oh, yes. There
are many of them."
"They are so content with their
lives, just swimming along, enjoying the cool water, being carried down
the river with the current. Their only worries are large birds and a
fisherman’s net," Ho-Shing said.
Yong-Hu grabbed a handful of mud and
put it in his paw. He began to shape it into a small animal. Ho-Shing
looked over at him. "Yong-Hu, you are making a Nini-Gou from the mud. It’s
like clay, isn’t it?"
"What am I making? I thought I was
making a puppy. What did you call it?" Yong-Hu asked.
"A Nini-Gou. That is what the people
in Henan Province call them. They are clay puppies, or other small animals
too," Ho-Shing explained.
"I’m making a Nini-Gou," Yong-Hu
laughed. He finished shaping his puppy and put it down on a nearby rock to
dry. "Why don’t you make one too?"
"Perhaps I will," Ho-Shing said. He
scooped up a handful of mud and started working it with his paws. Soon he
had made something.
Yong-Hu began to laugh. "That’s the
funniest looking Nini-Gou I’ve ever seen. What kind of animal is that
supposed to be?" Ho-Shing didn’t answer. He continued to shape the clay.
He reached over and pulled a twig off a bush that was growing on the
riverbank. "What are you doing?" Yong-Hu asked, curiously.
"I’m making a whistle." Ho-Shing
poked holes into the clay animal and then scooped the extra dirt out.
"I’ll set it down here and let it dry and then you’ll see what I mean."
Soon the rock was covered with Nini-Gou. There were all kinds of
odd-looking animals. Children love to play with these.
"Maybe we could take one of these to
Li-Ming. She gave us the umbrella when we needed it. Perhaps she would
enjoy playing with these little Nini-Gou," Yong-Hu suggested.
"What a thoughtful idea! I’m sure
she would. After they dry, we’ll take them to her village and leave them
on her doorstep. When she comes outside to play, she’ll find them. She’ll
not know it was us. It is better that way," Ho-Shing said.
"They sat at the river for a few
hours. The clay dried in the hot sunshine. "Ah. They are dry now," Yong-Hu
said, touching them. He gathered them in his arms.
"Perhaps it would be better if we
got a large leaf to carry them in. You might drop them if you try to carry
so many at a time," Ho-Shing said. He stood up and went in search of a
leaf. "Here is one." He put it down on the ground. Yong-Hu put the clay
figures onto the leaf and Ho-Shing folded it over them.
"Much better," Ho-Shing said. Yong-Hu
picked the package up and the two pandas headed towards the village. The
sun was setting when they arrived. "It’s dark and now is a good time for
us to leave them. Nobody will see us. Go and put them in front of the
door. We’ll sleep in the woods tonight so we can see her tomorrow when she
finds them."
Yong-Hu snuck up slowly and set the
Nini-Gou down, one at a time, near the door. When he had finished placing
the last one, he ran back to Ho-Shing. They giggled with joy at their
deed. That night, as the moon shone high in the sky, the pandas slept.
"What is this?" they heard. Both
pandas sat up. "Li-Ming, somebody has left a gift for you. Come and see.
Clay animals."
Li-Ming ran outside. "They are
beautiful. I will play with these every day," she said, picking each of
them up and examining them. "But who brought them for me?" she asked her
father.
"It doesn’t matter. Whoever it was
didn’t want recognition. Whoever it was did it out of kindness and caring
for you. Enjoy them, my little Li-Ming," her father said.
Ho-Shing and Yong-Hu heard. "She
likes them," Yong-Hu smiled.
"Yes. She does. Let’s go now, Yong-Hu,
before we are spotted near the village," Ho-Shing said. The pandas walked
back to the river, feeling good about what they had done. |
