Short stories for left-behind children

Caring for left-behind children

Time: After school on a Saturday afternoon.

Location: Student’s home.

Characters:

Qiang Qiang: Male, fifth grade student in primary school.

Nai Nai: Female, over 60 years old, a strong grandma.

Teacher Zhang: Female, in her 30s, a powerful head teacher and Chinese teacher.

Ling Ling: Female, a strong classmate.

Peng Peng: Male, a strong classmate.

Scene: Ordinary urban household, living room, sofa, coffee table. There are several textbooks and homework books on the coffee table.

The curtain opens

Qiangqiang is sitting on the sofa

Qiangqiang: (sadly) Dear Mom and Dad, how are you? Have you forgotten that my son is at home...

Grandma: (loudly) Sing, sing, sing! You just know how to sing.

Grandma came on stage carrying a vegetable basket.

Grandma: (nagging) Look at you kid, you come home from school and don’t do your homework, so you just sing at the top of your lungs. What’s the use of singing? Can you be a singer? Can I be on CCTV?

Qiangqiang: (impatiently) Do your homework, do your homework, I don’t even understand, what should I do?

Grandma: I don’t understand why don’t you ask your grandpa? Isn't he tutoring you in your study?

Qiangqiang: (disdainfully) Humph, what does grandpa know? He can’t even add and subtract fractions, and he can’t pronounce Chinese pinyin accurately, yet he still tutors people.

Grandma: Grandpa doesn’t understand. Why don’t you ask Lingling from across the street and your friends upstairs? Aren’t they all your classmates?

Qiangqiang: Don’t mention them. Some of them sing in the choir, and some join the literary club to write poems and compositions. Besides, they are excellent students, do they think highly of me? .

Grandma: Who can you blame? Some people get 99 out of 100 points in the exam, but you get 86 in Chinese and 68 in math. During the parent-teacher conference, I was too embarrassed to put your paper on the table for fear that others would laugh at it.

Qiangqiang: You are afraid of being laughed at, and I am also afraid of being laughed at.

Grandma: (confused) Are you afraid of being laughed at?

Qiangqiang: If I don’t have a father or a mother, if I let an old woman go to a parent-teacher meeting, won’t people laugh at me?

Grandma: (helplessly) Alas! Didn’t your father and mother go to Guangzhou to work to make money?

Qiangqiang: They haven’t been home for two years, and they haven’t even received a letter.

Grandma: (sadly) Yes, people don’t go home and don’t even write letters. But they are busy.

Qiangqiang: Busy, busy! You don’t need your life for money, you don’t even need your children to make money.

Grandma: (shakes head) What a sin! (Putting the vegetable basket on the coffee table, he suddenly remembered) By the way, your father just called at noon.

Qiangqiang: (joyfully) What did he say?

Grandma: Let me ask you about your studies.

Qiangqiang: I only know how to study, and I also choose the time when I make a phone call. I don’t call in the morning, and I don’t call in the evening. I just call at noon when I am not at home. Do they still have me as their son in their hearts?

Grandma: Why not? Don’t they often send money back to keep you fed and clothed?

Qiangqiang: People need other things besides food and clothing. Do you understand?

Grandma: Don’t be born into blessings. What do you want that is not given to you? What else do you want? Do you want the stars in the sky?

Qiangqiang: (Shouting) I want maternal love! I want father's love! can you give it to me? (Singing) I am so lonely at home, like a grass falling on the mountain; although I have food and clothing, I always miss my parents...

Grandma: (helplessly) Why is this child so stubborn? . I'm old and confused. I can't help you, so I'll ask your teacher to come. (Goes to the phone and picks up the receiver)

There is a knock on the door.

Teacher: Is Qiangqiang at home?

Grandma: (nervously) Cao Cao is here. Why is your teacher Zhang here? (Complainingly) Look, if you are disobedient and do not study well, the teacher will not let you go.

Qiangqiang: (disgusted) I must be here to complain. You go ahead and sue me, I won’t accept your trick. (Gets up and walks into the back room)

Grandma went to open the door. Enter Teacher Li, Lingling and Pengpeng.

Teacher Zhang: Hello, mother-in-law! Hasn't Qiangqiang gone home yet?

Grandma: I went home early. I’m in the back room. (Worriedly) Teacher Zhang, I’m so sorry that Qiangqiang has embarrassed you.

Teacher Zhang: (surprised) You are so powerful, so what’s the shame?

Grandma: He doesn’t study well and his half-term exam scores were too bad.

Teacher Zhang: Qiangqiang’s study is pretty good. The result of this exam was a little low. That was because he was ill and hospitalized some time ago, which delayed his homework. Take the time to catch up, and you will definitely catch up.

Grandma: (Reassuredly) Oh! That's good, that's good. Teacher, children, please sit down quickly.

Teacher Zhang sat down, Lingling and Pengpeng took grandma’s basket and chose the vegetables.

Teacher Zhang: (Shouting to the back room) Qiangqiang, come out quickly and see what good news we have for you!

Qiangqiang: (rushing out of the back room) There is good news, is it true?

Lingling: Of course it is true. The lyrics you wrote, "Letter from Home," express the voices of left-behind children. The school magazine is preparing to publish it, and you also plan to recommend it to "Tutor Weekly."

Pengpeng: Our Xinya Literary Society also invites you to join.

Lingling: The school choir also hopes to participate.

Grandma: (anxiously) Qiangqiang is bad at studying, so it’s better not to drag him into clubs or groups or anything like that.

Teacher Zhang: Grandma, don’t worry about Qiangqiang’s studies. Student club activities are conducted in after-school time and will not affect study. Lingling, Pengpeng, I, and I took turns giving tutoring lessons on Sundays. We will never leave a classmate behind.

Grandma: During this period, Qiangqiang had some difficulty doing homework. His grandfather and I didn’t quite understand it, so we could only do it in a hurry. It'll be fine now. (Xiang Qiangqiang) Why don’t you thank your teachers and classmates!

Qiangqiang (happily) Thank you teacher! Thank you Lingling! Thank you Pengpeng!

Lingling: Qiangqiang, I heard that you set the lyrics you wrote to the music score. Can you sing it and listen to it?

Qiangqiang: OK. But I still need to make some changes, please wait a moment. (Enter the back room)

Grandma: (Suddenly enlightened) Hey, I’ve been talking for a long time, but I didn’t even let you take a sip of water. (Look at the water heater) The boiling water is finished. Teacher Zhang, please sit down for a while while I go to the kitchen to boil water. (End)

Lingling: Teacher Zhang, Qiangqiang’s birthday will be in two days. I suggest that our class hold one for Qiangqiang after school that afternoon, okay?

Teacher Zhang: OK, I support it.

Pengpeng: I agree too.

Qiangqiang: (Excitedly) It’s changed. Look at the revised lyrics (hand the paper to the teacher and classmates), I will sing. (Singing) Dear Mom and Dad, how are you? You are very busy at work now. How are you? My family is fine now, so my parents shouldn't worry too much.

Everyone: (Singing) Today I am writing to tell you that love and warmth have come to my home; today I am writing to tell you that love and warmth have come to my home...