With their masks on, they started to work. They knew the castle well, so they set traps around the treasure room. They put thin ropes on the floor. Near the door, they dug small holes and covered them with light boards. When the thieves finally came into the treasure room and reached for the jewels, they met the traps. Some fell into the holes, and some fell down because of the ropes.

Not long after, new trouble arrived. A group of pirates came to the castle. They shouted loudly and asked for all the treasures. The pirates were known for being rough and always wanting more. But the king and his friends, still dressed as cleaning ladies, were not afraid at all. They thought together and made a special plan.

They knew they had a special way to fight—their love for cleaning. They led the pirates into a room full of cleaning tools. As soon as the pirates were all inside, they turned on a simple but useful thing. Water pipes (水管) sprayed water from the corners, and soap dispensers (皂液器) made lots of bubbles. The pirates were very surprised. They slipped and fell on the soapy floor. They forgot about their swords (剑) and threats. Soon, they were caught, and their pirate attack failed.

— The Masked Cleaning Ladies: Save the Day and Meet the Pirates

This was the first time I had traveled so far by myself. And going to a far-away place I have never been before made me feel terrible. I held back my tears until I could no longer see my parents. As I was wiping away my tears, I realized that, from that moment on, I would have to do everything by myself.

After my arrival in Wellington, my teacher, Ms Lang, showed me around my new school. A few days later, I started having classes. There were only 20 students in each class. Only math, science, social studies and English were compulsory, and students could choose other subjects for themselves. I chose music, Japanese and health.

In New Zealand, students are very active in class, and teachers are not so serious. They often let us play games in class. We can sit with anyone we like, and the teacher can sit at her own desk or at a student's desk. The school had an easy manner, with few rules. Because there was no homework, we could join clubs or do anything we liked. I always went to the library after school, where I found a lot of books to help with my studies.

Studying in New Zealand is not the same as studying in China. In New Zealand, students depend on the library to gain knowledge instead of waiting for what teachers ask them to do. Time went fast. Two months after I arrived flew by. Then a week of exams began. I did not have to take these exams, because I had only been at the school for a short time. However, my math teacher encouraged me to take the math exam, as she thought I could do well. Though there wasn't much pressure on me, I worked very hard to get ready for the exam because I know that no pain means no gain.

When the day of the exam came, I found that I finished the paper faster than the other students. One week later, my teacher told the whole class who had got the top mark: It was me! I got 94 percent. All my classmates were very happy and said congratulations to me. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

       It was very difficult to get tickets for her show, because everybody wanted to see it, so she decided to give the painter two of the best seats. She hoped that this would make him work better and more willingly for her. He took the tickets without saying anything, and she heard no more about them until the end of the month, when she got the painter's bill. At the bottom of it were the words: "Four hours watching Miss Ball sing and dance: $3," with this note: "After 5 p.m., I get fifteen shillings an hour instead of ten shillings."