After crying for a bit, Li Jingwen saw that no one was paying him any mind—even the bowl in Zhao Qing's hands had disappeared. In a huff, he crawled to the edge of the reed mat, reached out, and yanked off a fuzzy, dripping stalk of the water bamboo shoot plant, shoving it into his mouth.
"Oh my! Sweetie, you can't eat that!"
"Goodness! Why do you shove everything in your mouth?"
Meizi and Juhua shrieked at the same time. Zhao Qing was dumbstruck.
Terrified, Meizi rushed forward to snatch the water bamboo shoot stalk away. She hadn't expected the little boy's grip to be so tight; the stalk snapped in two, leaving a piece still in his hand. She had no choice but to pry his fist open and dig out the rest of the plant.
