When I was young, my father used to grow carnations — a kind of flower that was red, pink and white. He took care of them with much love and devotion (挚爱). When he came home from work every day, he would enjoy watching them. And he used to tell us, "No one should touch my flowers. "
One day, my younger sister Clemence, who loved Dad very much, wanted to help him. So she cut the carnations from their stems (枝干) one by one and arranged them on the ground. She believed that Dad would be very pleased to see them that way. When Mom and I realized what my sister had done, we became completely speechless. However, my sister didn't know why no one showed her any appreciation (欣赏). When Dad came back, he went straight to watch the flowers as usual. Seeing his flowers lying on the ground like dead animals, he was surprised at first. He looked towards the street to see if it was any of the neighbor's children who could have done it. Then he looked at Mom in silence. Finally Mom, who always taught us to tell the truth, said, "No bad neighbors did this great job, only your lovely daughter Clemence. " Dad's face changed into a smile and then he said, "Do I have better flowers than my lovely daughter?" My younger sister smiled and hugged Dad strongly.
