HSK 4 · Story · 439 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/my-room

我的房间

My Room

Name: ________________ Date: ________

妈妈māma发fā来lái一yì张zhāng照片zhàopiàn。我wǒ的de床chuáng不见bújiàn了le。

窗chuāng边biān多duō了le一yì张zhāng长cháng桌zhuō，桌zhuō上shàng有yǒu剪刀jiǎndāo、布bù，还有háiyǒu一yì台tái我wǒ没méi见jiàn过guò的de缝纫机féngrènjī。

“那nà我wǒ回来huílái睡shuì哪儿nǎr？”我wǒ马上mǎshàng问wèn。

“客厅kètīng的de沙发shāfā能néng拉开lākāi。”

我wǒ看kàn着zhe这zhè句jù话huà，半天bàntiān没méi回huí。

周末zhōumò回家huíjiā，我wǒ没méi先xiān换鞋huànxié，直接zhíjiē走zǒu到dào房间fángjiān门口ménkǒu。书架shūjià也yě空kōng了le，墙qiáng上shàng那nà张zhāng高中gāozhōng时shí贴tiē的de海报hǎibào不见bújiàn了le。住zhù了le十几shíjǐ年nián的de地方dìfang，忽然hūrán像xiàng别人biéren家jiā。

“你nǐ的de东西dōngxī都dōu在zài这儿zhèr。”妈妈māma指zhǐ着zhe墙qiáng边biān的de三sān个gè箱子xiāngzi。一个yígè写xiě着zhe“书shū”，一个yígè写xiě着zhe“衣服yīfu”，最后zuìhòu一个yígè写xiě着zhe“别bié扔rēng”。

我wǒ打开dǎkāi写xiě着zhe“别bié扔rēng”的de箱子xiāngzi。里面lǐmiàn有yǒu坏huài掉diào的de耳机ěrjī、朋友péngyǒu写xiě的de卡片kǎpiàn，还有háiyǒu一yì本běn日记rìjì，只有zhíyǒu七qī天tiān的de内容nèiróng。

妈妈māma站zhàn在zài旁边pángbiān：“我wǒ不bù知道zhīdào哪些nǎxiē你nǐ还hái要yào。”

我wǒ忽然hūrán想起xiángqǐ，搬bān出去chūqu这zhè三sān年nián，我wǒ在zài这zhè间jiān房fáng里，一共yígòng只zhǐ睡shuì过guò五wǔ个gè晚上wǎnshang。

桌zhuō上shàng放fàng着zhe一yí件jiàn还hái没méi做zuò完wán的de蓝色lánsè上衣shàngyī。我wǒ以为yǐwéi是shì给gěi我wǒ的de，伸手shēnshǒu摸mō了le摸mō。

“别动biédòng，上面shàngmiàn有yǒu针zhēn。”妈妈māma说shuō，“这zhè是shì我wǒ的de作业zuòyè，明天míngtiān要yào交给jiāogěi老师lǎoshī。”

“你nǐ去qù学xué做zuò衣服yīfu了le？”

她tā点diǎn点头diǎntóu，拿起náqǐ衣服yīfu给gěi我wǒ看kàn。领子lǐngzi怎么zěnme做zuò，袖子xiùzi哪里nálǐ还hái要yào改gǎi，她tā越yuè说shuō越yuè快kuài。我wǒ第一次dìyīcì发现fāxiàn，妈妈māma也yě会huì说出shuōchū一yí大dà串chuàn我wǒ听不懂tīngbudǒng的de词cí。

窗外chuāngwài的de阳光yángguāng照zhào在zài布bù上shàng，她tā一yí站zhàn过来，就jiù挡住dǎngzhù了le阳光yángguāng。

“桌子zhuōzi换huàn个gè方向fāngxiàng吧ba。”我wǒ说shuō。

我们wǒmen一起yìqǐ给gěi桌子zhuōzi换huàn了le个gè方向fāngxiàng。她tā坐下zuòxià试试shìshi，说shuō：“这样zhèyàng更gèng好hǎo。”

晚上wǎnshang，我wǒ自己zìjǐ拉开lākāi客厅kètīng的de沙发shāfā。比bǐ想象xiǎngxiàng中zhōng宽kuān，也yě比bǐ想象xiǎngxiàng中zhōng舒服shūfu。

睡shuì前qián，我wǒ关掉guāndiào了le第二天dì’èrtiān的de闹钟nàozhōng。明早míngzǎo九jiǔ点diǎn要yào去qù听课tīngkè的de，是shì妈妈māma。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
张zhāngsurname Zhang
照片zhàopiànphoto; picture
沙发shāfāsofa; couch
句jùclassifier for phrases and lines of speech or verse
半天bàntiāna long time; quite a while
周末zhōumòweekend
先xiānfirst; in advance
地方dìfangplace
窗chuāngwindow
台táistation (radio, TV)
客厅kètīngliving room; sitting room
直接zhíjiēdirect; immediate; directly; straight

English (for the teacher)

Mum sent me a photo. My bed was gone.

There was a new long table by the window, with scissors, fabric and a sewing machine I’d never seen before.

‘Where am I supposed to sleep when I come back, then?’ I asked straight away.

‘The sofa in the living room pulls out.’

I stared at that sentence and didn’t reply for ages.

When I came home that weekend, I went straight to my room’s doorway without even changing my shoes. The bookcase was empty too, and the poster I’d put on the wall in high school was gone. The place I’d lived for over ten years suddenly felt like someone else’s home.

‘Your things are all here.’ Mum pointed at three boxes by the wall. One said ‘Books’, another said ‘Clothes’, and the last said ‘Don’t throw away’.

I opened the box marked ‘Don’t throw away’. Inside were broken headphones, cards from friends and a diary with only seven days’ worth of entries.

Mum stood beside me. ‘I didn’t know which things you still wanted.’

It suddenly occurred to me that in the three years since moving out, I’d slept in this room for only five nights altogether.

An unfinished blue top lay on the table. I thought it was for me and reached out to touch it.

‘Don’t touch it. There are pins in it.’ Mum said, ‘It’s my homework. I have to hand it in to the teacher tomorrow.’

‘You’ve been learning to make clothes?’

She nodded, picked up the top and showed it to me. As she explained how to make the collar and where the sleeves still needed changing, she spoke faster and faster. For the first time, I realised Mum could also say a whole string of words I didn’t understand.

Sunlight from the window fell on the fabric, and whenever she stood in front of it, she blocked the light.

‘Let’s turn the table around.’ I said.

Together, we changed the direction the table faced. She sat down to try it and said, ‘That’s better.’

That evening, I pulled out the living room sofa myself. It was wider and more comfortable than I’d imagined.

Before bed, I switched off my alarm for the next day. The one who had a class at nine tomorrow morning was Mum.