Where to go during winter vacation? Zheng Rufeng, who lives in Gulou, thought of the nearby scenery—in late January 2012, with the new school term approaching, she took annual leave and spent three days hiking with her 7-year-old son Wu Daqi, visiting attractions such as Xuanwu Lake and Purple Mountain. Later, the mother kept her promise and gave her son a 2,000-yuan bonus, but the boy used the money to buy a tent so he could go hiking again in the future and save on hotel costs.
       Zheng Rufeng’s biggest takeaway was that she found her child to be much stronger and more capable than she had expected. “It’s not that he couldn’t walk this far normally—it’s just that we never gave him the chance.”
       The Origin: A 2,000-yuan Bonus Sparks a Hiking Plan
       The origin of this legendary journey was purely accidental. “This year during the New Year, my son saved up quite a bit of lucky money and wanted to buy me an iPhone. But his lucky money was only a little over 3,000 yuan, and he was still short about 1,000 yuan. So the child said he wanted to earn that money himself.”
       The mother created an opportunity for him. “He had one week before school started, and I happened to have one annual leave day left. I thought, why not take him on a hiking trip around Nanjing? We’d start from our home in Gulou, walk around Xuanwu Lake, then hike up Purple Mountain, cross through it, and head toward the eastern suburbs. If he could complete this journey, I’d reward him with a 2,000-yuan bonus.”
       On the morning of January 31, mother and son set off. On the first day, they walked from home to Xuanwu Lake and then circled the lake. By the time they finished, it was already 6 p.m. “Honestly, it was the longest walk I’d ever taken, and my legs were sore. I asked my son if he wanted to keep going, and he said of course he did.”
       That night, the mother and son stayed at a nearby hotel. The next morning, they set out from the hotel toward Purple Mountain to begin their climb. Due to the previous day’s exertion, Zheng Rufeng’s calves were painfully stiff, and every step up the stairs hurt. But her son was full of energy, often taking several steps ahead before stopping to wait for his mom. Later, he simply held her hand to keep going. They reached the mountaintop around 4 p.m.
       The Journey: Dad Steps in as a Rescuer at a Critical Moment
       After finally descending the mountain, Zheng Rufeng considered giving up. “I thought, let’s skip the third day’s trip to the eastern suburbs—I’ll call my husband to pick us up. But my son insisted on finishing everything.”
       With no other choice, the mother and son walked along the Botanical Garden Road toward the International Youth Hostel at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum while calling to book a room.
       When asked why he had so much energy, the boy answered clearly: “Of course I have energy—I need to earn money to buy an Apple product.”
       The third day’s trip to the eastern suburbs was relatively easier. Sightseeing and taking photos, the scenery at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum was nothing new to the boy. He finally said he was tired, so the mother didn’t push him further, let him ride a small train for a bit, and then they took a bus home.
       Of course, there was also an important rescuer who appeared from time to time during this process—Mr. Wu Dajiang, Wu Daqi’s father.
       While the mother and son stayed at hotels, he visited them both nights without affecting his own work. And when the son’s snow boots turned out to be unsuitable for walking, it was Dad who delivered a pair of running shoes.
       The day after the mother and son returned home was February 3. That day’s news featured a story about a Nanjing Audit University student who spent 3,000 yuan traveling across Europe. Wu Daqi was inspired: “Let’s do a report like that too.”
       So the son dictated while the mother typed. Together, they managed to complete a Word document titled “A First-Grade Pupil in Nanjing Spends Three Days Backpacking Around Xuanwu Lake and Purple Mountain.” The written content of the report came from the boy’s dictation, and the accompanying photos were all taken by the mother during those three days of the trip.
       When they picked up the A3-sized, illustrated article from the print shop, Wu Daqi carefully examined it and even took on the role of “proofreader,” saying he wanted to check carefully for any typos.
       The newspaper was distributed in five copies, now being passed around among Zheng Rufeng’s friends. “Many people even liked it and asked us to print more!”
       Prize: An iPhone Becomes a Big Tent
       The previously promised 2,000-yuan bonus was handed over to the son in full.
       The mother began discussing the “Apple” issue with her son. “I told him we didn’t need an iPhone, so he changed it to an Apple computer in his article. But we don’t need that either. I asked him again and again why he wanted to buy an Apple product for me—I really don’t feel like I need one. Finally, he told the truth—it’s because having an Apple product makes it seem like our family is wealthy.”
This innocent answer made the mother laugh. “I told him, son, I think our family is just an ordinary one. But even though we’re ordinary, everyone is healthy, and work and studies are going smoothly. I think our life is just fine—we don’t need to buy an Apple product to show that we’re wealthy.”
       The boy laughed for a while and stopped insisting on buying an Apple product. In the end, they agreed to buy a big tent so that in the future, when they go hiking somewhere else, they can truly be backpackers and sleep in a tent.
       “My son asked me if we could walk to other countries. I said yes, we’d just need more time,” Zheng Rufeng said. She felt that this dream was much more interesting and adorable than chasing an Apple product to prove wealth.
       And so, a dream of chasing an Apple product came to an end, but a new dream was born.