Who is the world’s first family? In the new movie The Croods 2: A New Age, it’s the Croods! They live in a cave (洞穴), not in a house. They play with rocks, not toys. They wear fur coats, but no shoes. Let’s meet the members of the Crood family.

My name is Grug. I’m a caveman. I’m the father and also the head of my family. I need to keep my family safe. Sometimes I might be overprotective (保护过度). This is Sandy, my baby daughter. She has very hard teeth. She bites! This is Ugga, my dear wife. She is a nice woman. She wants our children to do what they want to do. This is Eep, my oldest daughter. She is strong and tough. She wants to explore (探索) the outside world. This is Thunk, my son. He is happy and lively. But he is not very smart . This is Gran, my wife’s mother. She is Eep, Thunk, and Sandy’s grandmother. She gets angry easily.

The Double Third Festival is an ancient Chinese festival. It comes on the third day of the third lunar month. The day is said to be the birthday of the Yellow Emperor ( Huangdi ). He, along with the Yan Emperor ( Yandi ), is considered to be the ancestor of all Chinese people. The date was fixed after the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, people often took a bath in the river on that day to wash away bad luck. Wang Xizhi wrote in his Lantingji Xu about how people took a bath and wrote poems while drinking from cups drifting along the river. In the Tang Dynasty, people enjoyed drinks and sightseeing. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people did activities like drifting cups, throwing stones, hiking and listening to music.

In modern times, it is mainly celebrated by the people in the southern parts of China. For the Zhuang people in Guangxi, it is a festival for young people to sing songs and find their true love. Bamboo dancing is another important activity for them. For the Li and Miao people in Hainan, it is a day for remembering ancestors. For the Han people, it is a time to go outside to enjoy flowers and cook eggs with jicai. The Han people believe the special eggs are good for their health.

7 . These days it seems that many people are trying to live with less. They’re discovering the joy of spending their time, energy and money on the things that matter most.

The more things you own, the more time you’ll spend cleaning and organizing them. Keep only the things you need, use or enjoy. You’ll be surprised at how much time you’ll have to do what you really want to do.

As you stop buying things you don’t need, your finances (财力) will improve. You can save the spare money and take a special trip or an interesting class instead. Learn to reward (奖赏) yourself with rich experiences, not things.

Once you break the accumulation (积聚）habit, your values change. You come to realize that things don’t bring lasting happiness. True happiness comes from making memories with loved ones.

Living simply makes you feel less stressful, improves your health and allows you to focus on what’s important. The good news is you don’t have to wait for a holiday to start living simply. Start living with less today, and discover the peace and happiness this lifestyle can bring.

8 . Some chicken feeders say the coronavirus (冠状病毒) has led more people in the United States to start raising their own chickens. The practice provides people with a new interest, animal friendships and fresh eggs.

Businesses that sell young chicks and chicken houses say they have seen an increase in need since last March. That is when U. S. health officials ordered people to stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Allison and Ron Abta live in California. They had talked about setting up a chicken house for years. They finally did so this summer. The couple’s three children were excited when their parents finally agreed to buy chicks. “These chickens are like my favorite thing, honestly,” said 12-year-old Violet. “They actually have personalities once you get to know them.” The baby birds lived inside the family’s home for six weeks before moving into their yard. It now houses the five hens and protects them from foxes and other animals that could hurt them.

Mark Podgwaite is a chicken feeder. He said he and other feeders have noticed an increase in need for chicks since the coronavirus began. The Abta family bought their chicks from Mill Valley Chickens. The farming business sells chickens and feed. It also builds chicken houses. Owner Leslie Citroen offers first-time chicken keepers some classes. She says her sales grew 400 percent in 2020.

Citroen said most of her buyers in 2020 were first-time chicken keepers. Some of them are parents looking for something to keep their children busy while at home. Others are “preppers” — people who want their own supplies (供给) of things if the world falls apart.

9 . When I was in middle school, I was on a family vacation in Washington DC. I found there was a homeless man in the street.

On our final (最后的) day in the city, when my parents went for an evening walk, I went out of our hotel room and ran down the street to the homeless man. I asked him what he wanted to have for dinner. He replied, “Bread and water.”I ran into the store and bought a big bag of bread and a bottle of water. I handed them to him. His smile has been in my mind ever since.

I went back and when my parents returned, my dad told me he had a story for me. As they were returning, they saw a homeless man was sharing a bag full of food with other homeless people around. They were all very happy. I smiled at my dad, but I have never told him the other half of the story. Till today, I still haven’t forgotten that man’s smile. I wish I had the courage to do this more often. One small kind action can begin a ripple effect (连锁反应) of kindness. So please, share a smile and do something kind for the people in need.