The staff set up the competition area on the concrete floor. The racetrack consisted of six lanes made of interlocking square transparent plastic, spanning approximately three meters in length.
Once the setup was complete and the staff withdrew, the parents brought their children over.
Xu Yi looked at the track and looked up at the director. “Director, will the crabs pinch the children?”
“That’s a good point,” Lu Zhou added, looking up. “Even adults can get pinched when handling crabs; it’ll be even easier for the little ones to get hurt.”
Gao Nianke leaned in from the side and asked, “Will the children just be choosing the crabs without actually touching them?”
The group began to discuss the issue.
Hearing that there would be crabs to play with, Little Doubao happily clenched her small hands, mimicking crab claws, and tried to “nip” Wen Ying’s nose. “Chirp! I caught Mommy!”
Wen Ying played along, leaning her head back and saying, “Ah! I’ve been bitten!”
Little Doubao giggled and continued “biting” Wen Ying’s cheeks and mouth. Hearing the laughter, Pei Zhiyun glanced over at the mother and daughter.
The production crew brought out six pre-selected crabs. The director picked up the megaphone and announced, “Don’t worry, everyone. These crabs were chosen in advance. To prevent the children from getting pinched, we have wrapped all the claws in clean white cloth.”
Everyone turned to look at the crabs in the transparent boxes. With their claws wrapped up, they looked like little patients covered in bandages. The crabs weren’t large, only about half the size of an adult’s palm.
The staff handed the boxes to the parents and then cleared the field. As soon as the parents took the boxes, the children struggled to get out of their arms to play with the crabs. Since the claws were tied, the parents weren’t too worried.
“Chirp, chirp.” Little Doubao crouched on the ground, gently poking the crab’s shell with her pinky finger. “Chirp, chirp.”
After playing for a while, she looked up and asked, “Mommy, are we going to eat it later?”
Pei Zhiyun, who was straightening her clothes with one hand on her hip, smiled and frowned slightly at the question. She shook her head. “No, we’re going to use it for a race. If we win, we get to go pick some fruit.”
“Oh,” Little Doubao said to the crab. “Little Crab, you better run fast in the race. If you win, I’ll give you fruit to eat.”
Pei Zhiyun watched her, her smile growing more tender.
While the other children were also playing with their crabs, one child burst into loud wails the moment the crab was brought near.
Song Mu knelt on the ground and pulled her second daughter, Gao Lin, into her arms, gently comforting her. “Look, the uncles and aunties wrapped up the little crab’s claws. It won’t bite. Linlin, look, your sister is playing with hers too.”
Hearing her mother call her name, Gao Yu immediately raised her head and walked over to coax her sister. “Sister, look, the little crab is fun! It scuttles around really fast. Don’t be afraid.”
Gao Lin’s crying subsided slightly, but she kept her hands tucked into Song Mu’s arms, refusing to come out and play.
Gao Nianke also crouched down, shaking Gao Lin’s small hand and asking softly, “Is Linlin afraid of the little crab?”
“Yes,” Gao Lin whimpered, her bright, cute eyes red from crying.
Gao Nianke suggested, “How about Mommy finds a lid to cover the crab? You can play with it inside the box, okay?”
Gao Lin nodded and whimpered in a tiny voice, “Okay.”
“Mommy will go find a lid for you.” Gao Nianke stood up and went to the director to ask for a cover. The plastic boxes were similar to kitchen storage containers but much larger, so they did have lids.
Once she returned with the lid, she covered Gao Lin’s crab and snapped the latches shut. “There, now you can play.”
Only then did Gao Lin stop crying. she stepped out of Song Mu’s arms and began carrying the box around, her mood much improved.
Watching the crabs which had only just been handed out already being worn out by the children, the director quickly grabbed the megaphone. “Alright, parents! We’re about to start the race. Following the order of the previous round, lanes one through six will be: Pei Lecheng, Lu Ming, Gao Yu and Gao Lin, Xu Guo, and Li Yan. Please take your places with your crabs.”
“Okay, let’s start!” The children were full of spirit.
Little Doubao carried her box with both hands and stood at the outermost lane. Pei Zhiyun and Wen Ying followed behind her like bodyguards. All contestants were at the starting line, waiting for the signal.
Because the track area was small and there were many parents and children, the space was crowded. The cameraman approached with his equipment and said quietly, “Could everyone make some room? I need to get some close-up shots.”
“Sure,” everyone replied, stepping back.
The cameraman crouched down to film the crabs. First was Pei Lecheng in lane one; her crab looked just as imposing as she did. When the camera moved to the second crab, the cameraman thought his eyes were deceiving him, one of the crab’s claws was broken off.
He continued filming the others, but when he got to lane four, there was no crab on the track. Raising the camera, he saw the crab was still inside Gao Lin’s closed box. After a close-up of the box, he moved to the right to finish with Li Yan’s crab.
Once the filming was done, the director raised the megaphone. “Alright, the race officially starts now!”
Beep—!
A staff member blew a whistle.
The children immediately released their crabs and began cheering at the top of their lungs. “Go! Go! Run, Little Crab! Go, go, go!”
The kids screamed themselves hoarse while the parents watched and laughed, more concerned with their children’s happiness than the actual results.
“Run! Why aren’t you running?” Lu Ming watched his crab stop after only a few steps and poked its shell hard. “Hurry up! We’re falling behind! Run forward!”
Seeing him pressing the entire crab down, Lu Zhou walked over. “Just touch it gently and it will move. Don’t press down so hard.”
Lu Ming looked up and shouted back, “But it won’t go!”
Lu Zhou’s expression darkened slightly. “That’s why I told you to touch it gently. How can it walk if you’re pinning it to the ground? Besides, you already pulled one of its claws off earlier.”
Lu Ming stood up, fists clenched at his sides, and said defiantly, “I didn’t mean to pull it off!”
“I didn’t say you did it on purpose,” Lu Zhou replied. “Just take it slow. Don’t rush.”
As Lu Zhou spoke, large tears began to fall from Lu Ming’s eyes. He sobbed angrily, “But it… it won’t run! I have to… press it…”
Before he could finish the sentence, he broke into a full-blown cry. Lu Zhou crouched down to comfort him, but Lu Ming pushed her away and ran toward Sheng Feng, hugging his leg. “Waaa! I don’t want Mommy! I want Daddy! Waaa!”
Lu Zhou sat back on her heels and let out a deep sigh. Pei Zhiyun and Wen Ying, standing nearby, saw everything but remained silent; it wasn’t their place to interfere in another family’s matters.
Meanwhile, the race continued. The crabs in lanes three and five had stopped. Gao Yu and Xu Guo were shouting louder and louder, “Go! Go! If you win, I’ll give you fruit!”
Pei Zhiyun looked at the other lanes. The crabs in lanes two, three, and five had all stalled halfway. Only Li Yan’s crab was consistently in the lead and was nearing the finish line. She looked down at their own crab; Little Doubao’s crab was slower than Li Yan’s, but it looked like it would take second place.
“Go, Little Crab, go!” Little Doubao cheered with clenched fists.
The little crab crawled unhurriedly toward the finish line, sometimes scurrying, sometimes stopping to rest, then continuing its leisurely pace.
“Oh! I won! I’m first!” A cheer erupted from the other side. Li Yan’s crab had reached the finish.
Little Doubao glanced over, frowned for a second, then went back to crouching and cheering. “Go, Little Crab! You can do it! We can do it! Go!”
Li Yan, having taken first place, turned and jumped into Zhang Yiwan’s arms. Zhang Yiwan picked her up and spun her around. “Our baby is so amazing!”
“Good job! High five!” Li Dai reached out.
Li Yan slapped her hand. “Oh yeah!”
With one winner already decided, the other children grew anxious. Their shouting grew louder, and some began nudging their crabs forward.
Though Little Doubao’s crab had taken a “strolling” approach to the race, it eventually crossed the finish line, securing a solid second place.
“Little Crab is amazing! Little Crab is amazing!” Little Doubao jumped up and clapped. She picked up the crab with both hands and ran to the director. “Director Uncle, I got second place!”
The director nodded with a smile. “Yes, Little Doubao is second.”
She then ran back to Pei Zhiyun, holding the crab up. “Mommy, we got second place! We can eat fruit now!”
“Yes, Little Doubao is wonderful,” Pei Zhiyun praised.
But Little Doubao shook her head. “Mommy is wrong. It’s not that I’m wonderful, it’s that the Little Crab is wonderful. So, I’ve decided not to eat it. I’m going to keep it as a pet.”
Pei Zhiyun knelt down and redirected her praise. “The Little Crab is wonderful. Then let’s take the box home together and raise it.”
“Thank you, Mommy!” Little Doubao held the crab high in the air. “Oh yeah! We’re second place!”
Ten minutes after the second-place finish, the remaining spots were finally decided. Third place went to Gao Yu’s crab, fourth to Xu Guo’s, and fifth to Lu Ming’s whose crab hadn’t even reached the finish line.
With the race over, the director raised the megaphone one last time. “Alright, today’s final competition is a success! Everyone can go collect their fruit according to their rank. The rule is: first through fifth place will receive five, four, three, two, and one type of fruit, respectively.”
As the director finished, the first-place winner picked up a basket and headed off to claim the fruit.