When I was about four years old, I started washing my face on my own. However, I always ignored the area behind my ears on purpose though my mom would often remind me.

One summer, in July of that year, my mom drove me to my grandparents’ house for our annual summer holiday visit. When we arrived, I was told that Grandma had gone on a trip with her friends and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. Feeling a bit down, I went to the yard to play while my mom and grandpa caught up on some things. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, I had a strong feeling they were talking about me based on their gestures and expressions. Later, my mom returned home, and she would come back to pick me up two months later.

After dinner that night, Grandpa asked me to take a bath before going to bed. Since I loved taking baths, I happily agreed. With the bathtub (浴缸) filled with water, Grandpa reminded me, “Just make sure you clean the area behind your ears really well. You wouldn’t want potatoes to start growing there, would you?”

“Potatoes?” I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at him. “Yes, potatoes. If you don’t clean the dirt behind your ears, potatoes might actually sprout (发芽) and grow there,” he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. “But I don’t have any potatoes behind my ears, Grandpa,” I said as I ran my fingers along the back of my ears. He took a quick glance and replied, “Oh, I see a couple of sprouts: starting right there!” He urged me to get into the bathtub immediately and scrub (擦洗) them away thoroughly.

I nodded, still in disbelief. This was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. Why hadn’t my parents warned me about this before? I wondered, but couldn’t find an answer. Nonetheless, I felt shocked by Grandpa’s warning.

I hurried to jump into the bathtub, carefully scrubbing behind my ears.

“What are you looking at behind your ears?” Grandma asked me curiously.

As the afternoon sun bathed the local beach with its warm, golden rays, four-year-old William sat on the beach with a mix of expectation and confusion. His dad, Steven, sat by his side. They were waiting for William’s friends to arrive and celebrate his long-awaited birthday party. William’s wide eyes, filled with hope and happiness, stared at the shoreline, looking for familiar faces.

He kept asking his dad where everyone was, and Steven just told him “they’re coming soon, ”trying to ease his son’s growing impatience. But the longer they waited, the more hopeless William became. He was extremely disappointed when the two invited families called and said they couldn’t make it to the celebration because of unexpected situations.

Steven watched his son, who had been eagerly expecting his special day for what seemed like ages. This year, William had been more aware than ever of his upcoming birthday, asking throughout the month when his birthday was, eagerly expecting a good time.

Feeling a sense of guilt for his son’s disappointment, Steven decided to turn to social media for help. He posted a lovely picture of him and William on the beach. Their faces were filled with a mix of hope and disappointment. The sincere words with the picture read, “William would love some friends to play with on the beach. To celebrate his fourth birthday, he has Hot Wheels, sand toys, dinosaurs, and we have some snacks and drinks. Any and all welcome. ”

William’s wish for companionship produced a strong response from the local people. They flooded the post with messages of support, birthday wishes, and offers to join the celebration. They were determined to make William’s day special.

“Going there. See you soon, ”one warm-hearted local commented on the post, promising to bring her family along. The message aroused the same feeling from many others, who were quick to follow suit.

Soon, the beach was filled with scenes of joy.

After hours of laughter and games, the sun began to set.

Daniel, a young architect, had recently moved to a new city for a promising job opportunity. Although excited about his new life, he found it difficult to adjust to the busy pace and distance from his family, particularly his younger brother, Vincent. Growing up, the two brothers had been inseparable, sharing a close bond despite their six-year age difference. Daniel had always taken on the role of Vincent’s protector and friend, guiding him through the ups and downs of childhood and adolescence, and supporting him in his pursuits.

One evening, after a particularly challenging day at work and feeling homesick, Daniel received a phone call from his mother. She told him that Vincent had been struggling with school and his personal life, and she believed that he needed his older brother’s guidance now more than ever. Feeling a sense of responsibility and concern for his brother, Daniel decided to take some time off work and return home for a surprise visit.

Upon arriving in his hometown, Daniel was greeted with a sense of nostalgia (怀旧) and familiarity. He immediately noticed the changes that had taken place in Vincent’s life during his absence, as well as the undeniable signs of his brother’s distress. Determined to help, Daniel took Vincent under his wing, spending hours talking and reconnecting with him. Together, they revisited their favorite childhood spots, looking back upon the happy memories they had shared and the lessons they had learned together.

Through their conversations, Daniel discovered that Vincent had been facing significant academic pressure and was struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation. The once-confident and outgoing teenager now seemed lost and unsure of himself. As the brothers continued to spend time together, they openly discussed their fears and aspirations, strengthening the bond they had always shared, and finding comfort in each other’s company.

As the days went by, Daniel could see the positive impact their time together was having on Vincent.

On the last day of his visit, Daniel had a heart-to-heart conversation with Vincent.

Alphabetical (字母表的) order was a big problem for Keisha Williams. In every list, on every line, in the lunchroom and the classroom, teachers put all the W’s together. Alice Wilkins was always one place ahead of Keisha.

“You two are going to be friends,” said the girls’ teacher, Ms. Mubarak, “whether you like it or not.”

Yeah, right. Could she be friends with Alice? “I doubt it,” Keisha thought. Alice was perfect. She was everything Keisha wasn’t. Alice changed her hairstyle every day. She always wore beautiful clothing. She had polish (指甲油) on her nails. Keisha had plain (普通的) nails, a very ordinary hairstyle — and not to mention her out-of-tyle clothes.

Alice had new fashionable notebooks. Keisha’s notebooks were boring black and white. Keisha complained to her mother that her notebooks were too plain. “They still have paper and lines,” her mother said. “You don’t need glitter (华丽) to make you smart.”

Keisha thought Alice’s mother treated her like a grown-up. Alice had a house key and said that she always let herself into her apartment. But when Keisha came home, she had to ring for her mother to open the door. And every time, her mother would give her a big bear hug. That’s for babies, Keisha always thought, trying to free herself from her mother’s arms.

One Tuesday at school when math tests were handed back, Keisha got her usual A.

Later, in the cafeteria, Keisha and Alice worked on math problems together.

The MP3 has become a new fashion on campus. I had long dreamed of owning a MP3. The more MP3 owners were on campus, the stronger my desire (渴望) became. Finally, during one of my monthly visits home, I begged my parents to let me buy one, “Dad, Mom, I ... I want to buy a MP3 ... , the one for …”

I swallowed (吞咽) the rest of my words. Did I really need to explain what a MP3 was? Surely everybody knew!

At first there was no response from my parents. But my little brother replied eagerly, “Me too!”

Then finally my dad spoke, “What! What is it for? This little stuff breaks down soon after you get it! It’s an absolutely useless expense (花费) …”

Then, I had an idea. When the summer vacation came, I lied to my parents that I couldn’t stay at home, because the school had supplementary (附加的) programs. As a result, I earned my money for a new MP3 through my part-time job.

I was at home the night before my new school when Mom came into my room. She sat on my bed, and patted me on the shoulder. Then she handed me a small box. “Take this. Don’t tell your father ... Now, study hard, okay?” she said softly.

“Mom, how did you ... ?” I asked.

“It’s from my own savings. Your father doesn’t know.” I sat alone for a long time with my new MP3, weeping (哭泣) silently.

When I went back to school, I decided to give up my part-time job so that I could study harder for my parents, for my dream. My motivation (动机) to study has never been so strong.

One afternoon, I was in my dorm when a classmate told me that my father was waiting for me downstairs.

I sat down and unwrapped (打开) the box.

People often talk about the “walls” that some individuals build around themselves. I was one of those individuals. Long after I divorced and became a single parent, I still wore my wedding ring. Maybe it was because I didn’t want anyone to know that I had failed at something in my life. Wearing that ring helped me pretend that everything was okay.

You think that people can’t see through those kinds of walls. But they do. They just know enough not to let you know that they see you are pretending. One day at work, however, pretending didn’t come that easily. I was on my coffee break with colleagues. Then my cell phone rang and the garage boss told me loudly the car repairs would come to $850. I looked worried. I needed that car to hold down my present job. Without it, I would have to walk fourteen miles to and from work in North Bay. I felt sick. I didn’t have a credit card, and I certainly couldn’t call the $28 in my bank account “savings”. But every problem has a solution, and in my case that meant I had to ask someone else for something—even if it was only a lift downtown after work. Luckily, my colleague Jane volunteered to give me a ride to the garage after work.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to come up with bright ideas about how to pay my garage bill. I figured I could borrow $200 from my mom and pay her back at a rate of $2.50 a week. I thought of what I had at home that I could live without and therefore sell. I finally decided the best I could do was to offer to type up invoices (发票) for the garage.

When Jane dropped me at the garage that evening, the owner asked me to step into his office.

Before I could say anything, he added, “People who you work with have been coming in here all afternoon.”