8" Ten Ping (HA0010A)

Ever since my mother left for Hong Kong, I took over the responsibility to visit her mother – my nana every Sunday. Nana’s family was a little better off than my family back then, so there was a guarantee for some kind of snack every time I visited her. She even gave me a dollar every time I left. One dollar was worth quite a bit of money back in the 1950s, but I never thought to keep it for myself. I always brought it back and gave it to my grandmother to help support our family.

It was a Sunday in the middle of summer. My grandma gave Yu Ping, and me streetcar money to go visit nana. After we got off the streetcar near nana’s house, I stopped by Wing On Department store to look at my Miu Miu doll again. She was sitting gracefully in her beautiful blue dress. I couldn’t wait to grow up and wear that dress to university!

Right outside of the Wing On department store was a little store that sold “Ding Ding” candies. My sisters and I were naturally drawn into the scent of the candies. Immediately, our mouths filled up with water.

I searched around my pocket, found only the money for our return streetcar home. I expected my nana will give me a dollar after I visited her, so I decided to use up the streetcar money, and then replenish the streetcar money from the dollar from my nana. I purchased a little bag of “Ding Ding” candy and shared it with Yu Ping. It was quite tasty, there were even peanuts inside!

We proceeded to nana’s house right afterward. Nana was very pleased to see us. We had a very great time in nana’s house until the sky turned dark and it was time for us to go home. Nana gave me a big watermelon right before we left. Perhaps due to this reason, nana didn’t give us the one dollar that she usually did. Uh-oh, now I have no money to take the streetcar home. What should I do? I refrained from asking nana to borrow money, as grandma had taught us that good kids don’t borrow money from other people!

I, therefore, proceeded with the last resort, walking home. To make sure that we were going the right way, my sisters and I walked along the tracks of the streetcar. The road home was not easy at all, as I had to carry a watermelon that was half my size. We stopped at every stop to ask if the driver of the streetcar would allow three little kids would nicely transport us.

“I’m sorry sir, I have to rush home and my watermelon is breaking my back. Can you please let us board the streetcar? Even 1 station would be good?” I asked, in my sweetest child voice? But the drivers all politely refused my pleading.

We continued walking back along with the track home under the sun. My back was hurting from carrying the big watermelon, but I was determined to bring it back home. We stopped at every station along the way to see if there was a driver that could kindly transport us, but unfortunately, there was no such luck.

We finally reached home after three hours of walking. Grandma greeted us with a worried face as we were very late. I put down the watermelon and sat down in exhaustion. Yu Ping hastened to tell today’s story to grandma. After Yu Ping had finished, grandma looked at me in a strange expression, as if she was trying very hard to maintain a poker face. At last, she couldn’t help but break up in laughter.

“This is so silly,” she laughed, while her tears came out of her eyes. And then abruptly, she stopped laughing and turned to me with a serious look.

“Thank you Ten Ping, for your determination in sharing the watermelon with me. And most of all,” she gave a little pause, “I must praise you for carrying that watermelon home all by yourself. You never asked your siblings to share the burden, and that is very noble of you.”

And with that, grandma gave all three of us a great hug.