My nickname is Little Dragon Girl, and my father's name is Big Dragon. He says our hometown is the birthplace of dragons, and many dragons live in the lake. I've always longed to go back home to find them. The opportunity finally came. Our whole family flew back to China from the United States. After celebrating the Spring Festival at my mother's hometown, my grandfather took us to Longmen Island, our hometown, for the Lantern Festival. Longmen Island is like a dragon embedded in the lake. Upon arriving, every household was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a festive atmosphere. My grandmother greeted me at the door, while my grandfather busied himself making dragon lanterns, mysteriously promising to take me dragon-hunting on the Lantern Festival night. My grandmother made small, pearl-like glutinous rice balls, my cousin taught me how to walk on stilts, and I even dressed up as lotus-picking girls, boatmen, and boatwomen with my family to participate in square activities. At night, the island and the lake became a world of lanterns, and the whole family enjoyed various kinds of glutinous rice balls together. Grandpa took me and my little cousin to release lanterns on the lake. Hidden in the center of the lotus lantern were small glutinous rice balls—these were for the fish to eat, and eating them would give them the strength to leap over the Dragon Gate and transform into dragons. The lake surface boiled, and fish leaped out. I suddenly understood the meaning of "leaping over the Dragon Gate," and that night I even dreamed that I turned into a golden carp and leaped over the Dragon Gate, becoming a real little dragon girl.
“我”的小名叫小龙女，爸爸叫大龙，爸爸说家乡是龙的故乡，大湖里藏着好多龙，这让“我”一直盼着回乡寻龙。机会终于来了，全家从美国飞回中国，在妈妈老家过完春节后，爷爷接我们去故乡龙门岛过元宵节。 龙门岛像一条龙镶嵌在大湖中，一上岛，家家户户张灯结彩，节日气氛扑面而来。奶奶在门口迎接“我”，爷爷忙着扎龙灯，还神秘地说要在元宵夜带“我”寻龙。奶奶搓着珍珠般的小汤圆，小堂哥教“我”踩高跷，“我”还和家人一起扮成采莲女、艄翁、艄婆参与广场活动。夜晚，岛上和湖上成了花灯的世界，全家团圆吃着各色汤圆。爷爷带着“我”和小堂哥放湖灯，莲花灯中央竟藏着小汤圆——原来这是给鱼儿吃的，吃了就能有劲跳龙门变龙。湖面沸腾，鱼儿跃出，“我”恍然大悟“跳龙门”的含义，当晚还梦见自己变成金鲤跃过龙门，成为了真正的小龙女。
“我”的小名叫小龙女，爸爸叫大龙，爸爸说家乡是龙的故乡，大湖里藏着好多龙，这让“我”一直盼着回乡寻龙。机会终于来了，全家从美国飞回中国，在妈妈老家过完春节后，爷爷接我们去故乡龙门岛过元宵节。 龙门岛像一条龙镶嵌在大湖中，一上岛，家家户户张灯结彩，节日气氛扑面而来。奶奶在门口迎接“我”，爷爷忙着扎龙灯，还神秘地说要在元宵夜带“我”寻龙。奶奶搓着珍珠般的小汤圆，小堂哥教“我”踩高跷，“我”还和家人一起扮成采莲女、艄翁、艄婆参与广场活动。夜晚，岛上和湖上成了花灯的世界，全家团圆吃着各色汤圆。爷爷带着“我”和小堂哥放湖灯，莲花灯中央竟藏着小汤圆——原来这是给鱼儿吃的，吃了就能有劲跳龙门变龙。湖面沸腾，鱼儿跃出，“我”恍然大悟“跳龙门”的含义，当晚还梦见自己变成金鲤跃过龙门，成为了真正的小龙女。
