Set a Purpose

Shu Fa’s village needs water. Find out how she helps.

Shu Fa lives with Uncle and Auntie in a village by the mountain. The land is dry and dusty. There is no water available for the villagers.

Every day, people must walk over the steep mountain to get the precious water. They fill their buckets with the water and carry it home.

One day, Shu Fa goes up the mountain. Near the path, she discovers a turnip. It is perfect for lunch. She pulls it out of the ground.

Snap! Water pours from the hole left by the turnip. Shu Fa is amazed! Now the villagers will not have to walk so far for water.

Illustration of a woman carrying sticks of wood, and another caring for a garden
Key Vocabulary

  • village n., a small town

  • available adj., here and ready for use

  • perfect adj., just the right thing

In Other Words

  • precious valuable and important

  • turnip vegetable

    Illustration showing three long turnips shaped a little like carrots

  • amazed very surprised

Cultural Background

This story takes place in China, where most people still live in the country. Many people in China, and in the world, have too little water. They dig wells or carry water using buckets.