HSK 5 · Chapter 2 · 379 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/right-one-after-all

原来是这一把

The right one, after all

Name: ________________ Date: ________

小林xiǎolín回到huídào咖啡店kāfēidiàn时shí，刚才gāngcái的de男人nánrén正zhèng站zhàn在zài门口ménkǒu，手里shǒuli拿ná着zhe另lìng一把yìbǎ黑hēi伞sǎn。那nà把bǎ伞sǎn右边yòubiān歪wāi了le一块yíkuài。小林xiǎolín不用búyòng再zài看kàn，就jiù知道zhīdào是shì自己zìjǐ的de。

“对不起duìbuqǐ，我wǒ接jiē了le个gè电话diànhuà，一yì着急zháojí就jiù拿ná错cuò了le。”他tā说shuō着zhe，把bǎ伞sǎn递dì过去guòqu。

男人nánrén先xiān摸mō了le摸mō伞sǎn把bǎ下面xiàmiàn的de小xiǎo布袋bùdài，松sōng了le一口气yìkǒuqì。“钥匙yàoshi还hái在zài。谢谢xièxie你nǐ特意tèyì回来huílái。我wǒ姓xìng周zhōu，就jiù住zhù后面hòumiàn那nà栋dòng楼lóu。”

原来yuánlái，小周出门chūmén前qián把bǎ钥匙yàoshi放进fàngjìn了le伞sǎn上shàng的de小xiǎo袋子dàizi。他tā怕pà外套wàitào口袋kǒudai太tài浅qiǎn，坐下zuòxià时shí会huì把bǎ钥匙yàoshi弄丢nòngdiū。没想到méixiǎngdào，钥匙yàoshi没méi丢diū，整zhěng把bǎ伞sǎn却què跟gēn别人biéren回huí了le家jiā。

“你nǐ的de伞sǎn，我wǒ修xiū了le一下yíxià。”小周xiǎozhōu把bǎ那nà把bǎ歪wāi伞sǎn打开dǎkāi，指zhǐ了le指zhǐ右边yòubiān，“我wǒ找zhǎo店员diànyuán借jiè了le胶带jiāodài。撑chēng着zhe没méi问题wèntí，不过búguò风fēng太tài大dà还是háishi得děi小心xiǎoxīn。”

小林xiǎolín接过jiēguò伞sǎn，转了le半bàn圈quān。伞sǎn骨gǔ还是háishi有点yóudiǎn歪wāi，但dàn不bú像xiàng以前yǐqián那样nàyàng晃了le。“我wǒ本来běnlái一直yìzhí想xiǎng修xiū，就是jiùshì总zǒng忘wàng。”

“那nà今天jīntiān也yě不算búsuàn白跑báipǎo。”小周xiǎozhōu说shuō。

店员diànyuán从cóng抽屉chōuti里拿出náchū两liǎng条tiáo细xì绳shéng，一yì蓝lán一yì黄huáng。“一yì人rén一yì条tiáo吧ba，下次xiàcì就jiù认得rènde了le。”小周留下liúxià蓝lán的de，小林xiǎolín把bǎ黄huáng的de系jì在zài伞sǎn把上shàng。系jì好hǎo后hòu，他tā特意tèyì打dǎ了le两liǎng个gè结jié。

两liǎng个gè人rén走zǒu到dào门外ménwài，才cái发现fāxiàn雨yǔ已经yǐjīng停tíng了le。小周朝楼lóu后hòu走zǒu去qù，小林xiǎolín往wǎng家jiā的de方向fāngxiàng走zǒu。走出zǒuchū几jǐ步bù，他tā又yòu折了le回来huílai。

店员diànyuán抬起táiqǐ头tóu：“又yòu拿ná错cuò了le？”

“没有méiyǒu。”小林xiǎolín举起júqǐ带dài黄huáng绳shéng的de伞sǎn，“我wǒ的de茶chá还hái在zài窗chuāng边biān。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
另	lìng	other; another
钥匙	yàoshi	key
袋子	dàizi	bag; sack
外套	wàitào	coat; jacket; overcoat
整	zhěng	exactly; sharp (as in 十点整)
修	xiū	to repair; to mend; to fix
细	xì	thin; slender; fine
留下	liúxià	to leave behind
停	tíng	to stop; to halt
步	bù	step; pace
窗	chuāng	window
黑	hēi	black; dark

English (for the teacher)

When Xiaolin got back to the café, the man from before was standing at the door, holding another black umbrella. That umbrella was bent on the right side. Xiaolin didn’t need to look again; he knew it was his.

“I’m sorry, I took a phone call, got flustered and took the wrong one.” As he spoke, he handed the umbrella over.

The man first felt the little pouch under the handle and breathed a sigh of relief. “The keys are still here. Thank you for coming all the way back. My name’s Zhou; I live in the building just behind here.”

As it turned out, before he went out, Xiao Zhou had put his keys in the little pouch on his umbrella. He was afraid his coat pockets were too shallow and the keys would fall out when he sat down. He never expected that the keys wouldn’t get lost, but the whole umbrella would go home with someone else.

“I fixed your umbrella a bit.” Xiao Zhou opened the bent umbrella and pointed at the right side. “I borrowed some tape from the waiter. It’s fine to hold up, but you’ll still need to be careful when it’s very windy.”

Xiaolin took the umbrella and turned it half a circle. The ribs were still a little bent, but they didn’t wobble the way they used to. “I’ve been meaning to fix it; I just keep forgetting.”

“Then today wasn’t a wasted trip.” Xiao Zhou said.

The waiter took two thin cords out of a drawer, one blue and one yellow. “One each; next time you’ll know which is yours.” Xiao Zhou kept the blue one, and Xiaolin tied the yellow one to his handle. When he’d tied it, he made a point of tying two knots.

Only when the two of them walked outside did they find the rain had stopped. Xiao Zhou headed round to the back of the building, and Xiaolin set off towards home. After a few steps, he turned back again.

The waiter looked up: “Took the wrong one again?”

“No.” Xiaolin held up the umbrella with the yellow cord. “My tea’s still by the window.”