Siheyuan: A journey of mountains and rivers

When they arrived at the kindergarten gate, the teachers greeted them warmly. A young female teacher squatted down with a smile and said to Xiao Zhuzi: "Hello, are you Xiao Zhuzi? Welcome to our kindergarten, I am Teacher Li."

Xiao Zhuzi was a little shy and hid behind He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu gently patted his shoulder and encouraged him: "Xiao Zhuzi, don't be afraid, Teacher Li will take care of you."

Teacher Li extended his hand and said gently, "Come on, Xiao Zhuzi, let's go in together, okay?"

Xiao Zhuzi looked at He Yuzhu, then at Teacher Li, and finally mustered up the courage to hold Teacher Li's hand. He Yuzhu squatted down, smiled and said to his son: "Dad will always be here waiting for you, you have to be brave, understand?"

Xiao Zhuzi nodded, reluctantly let go of He Yuzhu's hand, and followed Teacher Li into the kindergarten. He Yuzhu stood at the door, watching his son's back gradually go away, feeling a little reluctant and worried, but more of expectation and trust in his son.

A few minutes later, Teacher Li came back. She smiled and said to He Yuzhu: "Don't worry, Xiao Zhuzi has adapted well and he will soon play with other children."

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief and felt relieved: "Thank you, Teacher Li. I hope he can grow up happily here."

When Li Xiaofen returned home, she saw the expression on He Yuzhu's face and asked with a smile, "How is Xiaozhu? Did you cry?"

He Yuzhu smiled and said: "He was very brave, he didn't cry at all, and he had a lot of fun playing with the other kids."

Li Xiaofen nodded: "That's good, our little Zhuzi has grown up."

In the following days, He Yuzhu insisted on sending Xiao Zhuzi to kindergarten every day. Gradually, Xiao Zhuzi also adapted to the life in kindergarten. He began to learn to share, get along with other children, and learned a lot of new knowledge and skills. Every time he came home from school, Xiao Zhuzi would excitedly tell He Yuzhu and Li Xiaofen the interesting stories that happened in kindergarten, which made them feel extremely gratified and proud.

One weekend afternoon, He Yuzhu and Li Xiaofen took their son to the park to play. Xiao Zhuzi ran on the grass, while He Yuzhu and Li Xiaofen sat on a bench and watched their son play.

"Yuzhui, look how happy Xiaozhuzi is now. All our efforts are worth it." Li Xiaofen sighed.

He Yuzhu nodded and held her hand gently: "Yes, we must continue to work hard to give him a good childhood."

Just then, Xiao Zhuzi ran over and said excitedly: "Mom and Dad, come and see, there are so many beautiful flowers here!"

Time flies, Xiao Zhuzi has grown into a tall and thin boy, entering adolescence. As he grows older, his sense of independence becomes stronger, but he also begins to have his own ideas and rebellious psychology. He Yuzhu and Li Xiaofen gradually find that Xiao Zhuzi is no longer willing to share everything with them like when he was a child, and sometimes even talks back to them over trivial matters.

One weekend evening, He Yuzhu was sorting documents in the study, while Li Xiaofen was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Xiao Zhuzi came back from school with an unhappy look on his face, slammed the door, and walked straight into his room. He Yuzhu heard the door, frowned, and felt a little worried. He walked to the door of Xiao Zhuzi's room and knocked on the door: "Xiao Zhuzi, you're back? Why are you so late today?"

Xiao Zhuzi's voice came from the room, with obvious emotion: "Don't call me Xiao Zhuzi, I'm not a child anymore!"

He Yuzhu pushed open the door, walked in, and saw his son sitting on the bed, his face full of anger and grievance. He walked over and asked gently, "What happened? Are you unhappy at school?"

Xiao Zhuzi raised his head, tears in his eyes: "You don't understand anything! You always think I'm still young and want to control me in everything!"

He Yuzhu felt helpless and distressed. He sat by the bed and tried to calm his son down: "We just care about you and hope you can study hard and have a bright future."

Xiao Zhuzi stood up angrily and shouted: "A bright future? That's your hope, not mine! I have my own dreams, and I don't want to always listen to your arrangements!"

He Yuzhu's patience gradually disappeared, and his voice became louder: "We are doing this for your own good! You are still young, and you don't understand many things. We are doing this for your future!"

Xiao Zhuzi loudly retorted: "I know much more than you think! You always say it's for my own good, but have you ever really listened to my thoughts?"

The two of them were at a stalemate, and the noise was getting louder and louder. Li Xiaofen heard the noise and walked in. Seeing this situation, she hurried forward to persuade them: "Okay, okay, stop arguing. Let's sit down and talk it out."

Xiao Zhuzi looked at his parents angrily, turned around and rushed out of the room. He Yuzhu looked at his son's back and felt powerless and heartbroken. He knew that there was a problem in the communication between him and his son, but he didn't know how to solve it.

Li Xiaofen held He Yuzhu's hand and said gently, "Don't be angry. He is in a rebellious state and needs our understanding and support."

He Yuzhu sighed and sat down on the chair tiredly: "But he doesn't want to listen to us at all now."

Li Xiaofen comforted her: "He needs time. We need to be patient, give him more space, and learn to listen to his ideas."

At night, He Yuzhu sat alone in the yard, with a lot of thoughts in his mind. How could the little Zhuzi who relied on him when he was a child suddenly become so unfamiliar? He recalled every little detail of himself and his son, and felt a sense of loss. Li Xiaofen came over and handed him a cup of hot tea: "Don't blame yourself too much, children will grow up, and we must learn to accept and adapt."

A few days later, He Yuzhu decided to have a good talk with his son. One evening, he found Xiao Zhuzi and whispered, "Can we talk? I want to hear your thoughts."

Xiao Zhuzi was silent for a while, and finally nodded. The two sat on a stone bench in the yard. He Yuzhu looked into his son's eyes and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I was too excited a few days ago and didn't listen to you carefully. You can tell me whatever you think."

Xiao Zhuzi lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then finally spoke: "I want to learn music. I really like music, but you always make me spend all my time studying."

He Yuzhu was shocked. So that's what happened. He said gently, "If you really like music, we can support you. Studying is important, but interests and dreams are equally important."