Chapter 104 Meeting the Island Kids

Chapter 104: An Encounter with Island Children

This area lay at the far corner of the entire beach, where trash piled up along the reef edges, right beside a stretch of woods.

They should have been lush and green, guarding this stretch of ocean just as in the photo, but for some reason, they had deteriorated into this state.

The camera focused on the shocked and sorrowful faces of the four little ones, a stark contrast to their excited expressions when they first set out.

"Brother Qi Qi," the little one whispered softly, tightly gripping his brother's hand.

Pei Qiqi held the small hand and turned to discuss with Mi Le.

"Let’s go deeper into the woods and check it out."

Mi Le nodded, also sensing that this place couldn’t possibly hold any 'treasure'—it was all garbage.

Yet, the further they went, the more trash they found scattered throughout the woods.

The low shrubs and dense trees provided better concealment, turning this area into a dumping ground.

Cigarette butts half-buried in the soil, plastic bottles, discarded takeout containers littering the grass—

Even though trash bins were placed at regular intervals along the path, with signs simple enough for a two-year-old to understand, the surrounding area was still strewn with waste.

Seeing so much trash stirred a wave of emotion in Su Youli’s innocent heart.

He had grown up on Yunshui Street, where the townspeople depended on the Yunshui River for their livelihood. From as early as he could remember, his two fathers had taught him that the Yunshui River was the Mother of everyone in Yunshui Town.

No one would ever harm their Mother; instead, they cared for her gently, feeling gratitude each time they drank from her waters.

Thus, the little one had always believed that seas and rivers were sacred.

Now, he felt this place looked nothing like the photo—it didn’t seem like a place where treasure could be found.

After walking a bit further, they came across piles of trash left behind by campers.

Up close, they could even smell the sour stench of rotting food.

Niu Niu was clearly frightened by the scene, her once cheerful face now twisted with distress.

She clutched tightly the seashell she had picked up earlier on the beach, her voice trembling with tears: "It’s so dirty here. Let’s go back."

Pei Xu silently tightened his grip on You You’s hand, his expression darkening as he stared at the trash.

He felt a pang of sadness.

The children’s reactions varied, yet all were deeply sincere.

They had never seen the woods and sea in their original, most beautiful state, but they instinctively knew things shouldn’t be like this.

Mi Le looked up at the sky, where treetops reaching toward the blue swayed gently in the sea breeze.

But he might never again encounter the little squirrel he had seen in Nianbai Village in woods like these.

Quiet woods, woods tainted by foul odors—perhaps the small animals that once lived here had long ago packed up and moved elsewhere.

The woods seemed lonely.

That was Su Youli’s deepest impression.

He felt the woods were sick, covered in countless wounds.

The four children stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.

Should they leave? Yet they couldn’t move a single step, as if spellbound, rooted to the spot.

Suddenly, a rustling sound broke the silence, like some wild animal moving through thorny bushes.

Su Youli noticed the noise and immediately tilted his head, pointing it out to Pei Xu: "Brother Qi Qi, there’s a sound over there."

Pei Qiqi followed his gaze and saw a narrow path completely overgrown with weeds. From their angle, they couldn’t see anything—only the plants on both sides shaking violently.

Instinctively, he stepped forward, shielding You You behind him.

Under the gaze of the Treasure Hunting Team, a pair of hands pushed aside the bushes from the middle.

Then, a child emerged.

The child appeared about seven years old, with sun-darkened skin—a sign of years spent playing and working under the sun, glowing with health.

He stared at the figures emerging abruptly from the forest, his lips pressed into a thin line, brows knitted tightly into a pronounced furrow on his forehead.

Behind him followed several other children with similar complexions, all eyeing the four newcomers warily.

The Treasure Hunting Team stood at a distance, and the two groups locked into a silent standoff.

One of the boy’s companions nudged him: "A Ming, are they tourists too? Why do they have a camera?"

A Ming frowned and said, "They must be here filming another show."

Haicheng had hundreds of islands, and the one they lived on was just one among them.

A few years ago, tourism had developed rapidly.

Besides a few entertainment activities, the island charged no entrance fees—everything was free, drawing floods of tourists.

Over time, the island gradually lost its original purity and beauty.

Seven-year-old A Ming spent his weekends and holidays combing the beaches and woods with his friends, diligently collecting trash.

Their elementary school also organized annual cleanup events on the island.

But no matter how hard they tried, the rate of pollution in the woods and sea always seemed to outpace their efforts.

The influx of tourists had transformed the place beyond recognition, and A Ming believed his home had become like this because of those careless visitors.

Now, four neatly dressed children appeared in A Ming’s line of sight.

At the sight of them, his already furrowed brows tightened further, his eyes filled with hostility.

At this critical moment, Mi Le took the initiative to break the tension, embodying his natural leadership.

"Hey, dudes, how’s it going?"

The children beside A Ming were around the same age as Mi Le and his friends—still childlike, kind, and innocent. Hearing Mi Le call them “brothers” in such a sincere tone, they broke into smiles.

These four children were all exceptionally good-looking, especially the curly-haired boy in the short-sleeved shirt in the middle.

The curly-haired boy had finely chiseled, delicate features, and children, naturally drawn to beauty, couldn’t help but keep glancing his way.

The little curly-haired boy looked no more than three years old, short and petite, and seemed quite timid, apparently frightened, his tiny hands tightly clutching the unsmiling boy beside him.

A Ming narrowed his eyes: "Who's your brother? Don't call me that!"

Mi Le wasn't afraid of him at all, because he noticed that each of these children had a black plastic bag tied around their waist, one hand wearing a rubber glove and holding a grabber.

This equipment looked very familiar to Mi Le, who had already spent two years in kindergarten. The teachers would have them dress like this on activity days, and then a group of little kids would form a "train" and go out to pick up trash.

At first, many children were resistant. Everyone thought trash was smelly and didn't want to get close.

But the teacher told them that picking up trash helped protect the environment, and protecting the environment was everyone's responsibility.

Cleaning up trash was a super honorable thing.

Mi Le couldn't wait to join them. He raised his basket and shouted, "We can help you pick up trash, too! Let's be friends!"

Seemingly moved by his sincerity, A Ming and the others actually came closer, though they still stayed a little cautious.