During the social distancing period back in March and April. I always heard children talking or playing wherever I was. Their conversation was my amusement as I walked by and accidentally heard it.
A boy behind the hedge raised his voice to call his friend at may be two houses away.
“Paul! Do you want to (cough … cough…) come over here? (cough… cough…)”
May be he shouted too hard and hurt his throat, he started to cough. After clearing his throat. He shouted again:
“Paul! (cough) I do not have corona! I just choked.”
“I haven’t understood anything you said.” A rather soft reply from somewhere, I guess he was Paul.
I was not supposed to be eavesdrop their conversation, I was just a passerby. Of course, I did not know how it went. But they were so cute. On another day, afternoon, at a different house.
“Hey, come now, play with us!” two boys on the street were talking to a boy who stood at his balcony.
“I can’t before I solve this question.” the boy on the balcony said.
“What? You are still doing your homework? What take you so long?” the boy on the street asked.
“Why don’t you help me?”
“What is the question?”
“4 multiplied by 3 equal to ?”
It brought back the memory of how I memorized the multiplication table when I was in my primary school year. Not so pleasant experience.
Anyhow, take the challenge, solve the problem, sit down and deal with the multiplication table sternly.
Years later, the boy will look back on the day when he was solving the question “4×3=?”, which took him an afternoon time, he even sacrificed all the fun playing with his friends. He then would laugh and say: “How ridiculous! Now, within one second, in fact, I do not even have to think to give the answer, 4×3=12!”