HSK 6 · Story · 679 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/sixty-seconds-chinese-short-story

六十秒

Sixty Seconds: a Chinese short story

Name: ________________ Date: ________

沈禾在zài上海shànghǎi一yì家jiā公司gōngsī上班shàngbān，几乎jīhū天天tiāntiān加班jiābān，常常chángcháng熬áo到dào深夜shēnyè。外婆wàipó住zhù在zài湖南húnán乡下xiāngxià，七十多岁qīshí-duōsuì了le，去年qùnián才cái学会xuéhuì用yòng微信wēixìn。每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang八bā点diǎn，外婆wàipó都dōu会huì准时zhǔnshí发fā来lái一yì条tiáo语音yǔyīn，一yì说shuō就是jiùshì六十liùshí秒miǎo。沈禾猜cāi，讲jiǎng的de无非wúfēi是shì些xiē家常jiācháng：菜园càiyuán里的de辣椒làjiāo红hóng了le，邻居línjū家jiā的de狗gǒu生shēng了le一yì窝wō小狗xiáogǒu，天气tiānqì要yào变biàn冷lěng了le。

可kě沈禾根本gēnběn顾不上gùbushàng听tīng。她tā总是zǒngshì在zài地铁dìtiě上shàng匆匆忙忙cōngcōng-mángmáng地de按àn住zhù那nà条tiáo语音yǔyīn，点diǎn一下yíxià，把bǎ它tā转zhuǎn成chéng文字wénzì，扫sǎo一眼yìyǎn就算jiùsuàn听tīng过guò了le。外婆wàipó说shuō的de是shì地道dìdao的de湖南húnán话huà，手机shǒujī上shàng显示xiǎnshì的de文字wénzì往往wángwǎng乱七八糟luànqī-bāzāo，十shí句jù里能néng猜cāi出chū两三liǎngsān句jù就jiù不错búcuò了le。有yǒu一回yìhuí，屏幕píngmù上shàng写xiě着zhe：“隔壁gébì家jiā的de鸭子yāzi会huì写字xiězì了le。”沈禾在zài地铁dìtiě上shàng笑xiào出chū了le声shēng，顺手shùnshǒu回复huífù了le一yí句jù：“好hǎo的de外婆wàipó，早点záodiǎn睡shuì。”

就jiù这样zhèyàng，一晃yìhuǎng过guo了le一个yígè秋天qiūtiān。

一yí个gè冬天dōngtiān的de晚上wǎnshang，八bā点diǎn整zhěng，外婆wàipó的de语音yǔyīn又yòu准时zhǔnshí来lái了le。沈禾照常zhàocháng把bǎ它tā转成chéng文字wénzì，却què愣lèng住zhù了le。屏幕píngmù上shàng的de每měi一yí个gè字zì都dōu清清楚楚qīngqīng-chúchǔ：“禾禾，明天míngtiān降温jiàngwēn，出门chūmén多duō穿chuān点diǎn。外婆wàipó在zài学xué普通话pǔtōnghuà，说shuō得de不好bùhǎo，你nǐ别bié笑话xiàohua。”她tā盯dīng着zhe这zhè几jǐ行háng字zì，来来回回láilái-huíhuí看kàn了le好几háojǐ遍biàn。

从cóng那天nàtiān起qǐ，外婆wàipó的de普通话pǔtōnghuà一天yìtiān比bǐ一天yìtiān清楚qīngchu。有yǒu一次yícì，她tā甚至shènzhì说shuō：“外婆wàipó今天jīntiān学会xuéhuì了le一个yígè新xīn词cí，叫jiào‘加班jiābān’。你nǐ少shǎo加jiā点diǎn班bān。”

春节chūnjié，沈禾回huí了le一yí趟tàng外婆wàipó家jiā。外婆wàipó的de桌zhuō上shàng摆bǎi着zhe小学xiǎoxué一年级yìniánjí的de拼音pīnyīn课本kèběn，书页shūyè已经yǐjīng翻fān得de卷juǎn了le边biān。旁边pángbiān坐zuò着zhe一个yígè八bā岁suì左右zuǒyòu的de男孩nánhái，正zhèng一本正经yìběn-zhèngjīng地de纠正jiūzhèng外婆wàipó：“不bú对duì，是shì‘四sì’，不是búshì‘十shí’。”外婆wàipó跟着gēnzhe念niàn，念niàn得de有些yǒuxiē吃力chīlì，却què格外géwài认真rènzhēn。念niàn完wán，她tā笑xiào着zhe介绍jièshào：“这zhè是shì隔壁gébì家jiā的de伢子yázi，刚gāng会huì写字xiězì，现在xiànzài是shì我wǒ的de老师lǎoshī。”沈禾愣lèng了le一下yíxià，恍然大悟huǎngrán-dàwù：原来yuánlái会huì写字xiězì的de鸭子yāzi就是jiùshì他tā。

晚上wǎnshang，男孩nánhái偷偷tōutōu告诉gàosù她tā：“奶奶nǎinai说shuō，你nǐ回huí她tā的de消息xiāoxi，老是lǎoshì对不上duìbushàng。她tā问wèn你nǐ过年guònián回不回家huíbu-huíjiā，你nǐ说shuō‘早点záodiǎn睡shuì’。”

沈禾半天bàntiān没有méiyǒu吭声kēngshēng。她tā想起xiángqǐ了le那nà一个个yígègè被bèi她tā匆匆cōngcōng扫sǎo过guò的de六十liùshí秒miǎo。

临走línzǒu那天nàtiān，她tā对duì外婆wàipó说shuō：“外婆wàipó，以后yǐhòu您nín还是háishi说shuō湖南húnán话huà吧ba。”外婆wàipó有些yǒuxiē迟疑chíyí：“那nà你nǐ听得懂tīngdedǒng吗ma？”沈禾说shuō：“我wǒ听tīng。”

回到huídào上海shànghǎi的de那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，八bā点diǎn，外婆wàipó的de语音yǔyīn准时zhǔnshí到dào了le。沈禾戴dài上shàng耳机ěrjī，把bǎ音量yīnliàng调tiáo大dà，没有méiyǒu再zài把bǎ它tā转成chéng文字wénzì。外婆wàipó说shuō的de又yòu是shì地地道道dìdì-dàodào的de湖南húnán方言fāngyán，有yǒu好几háojǐ句jù她tā没méi听懂tīngdǒng。可是kěshì这zhè六十liùshí秒miǎo，她tā从头cóngtóu听到tīngdào了le尾wěi。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
外婆	wàipó	grandmother (mother's mother)
语音	yǔyīn	voice (message, input, assistant)
红	hóng	red
显示	xiǎnshì	to show; to display; to demonstrate
屏幕	píngmù	screen
鸭子	yāzi	duck
拼音	pīnyīn	pinyin (romanization of Chinese)
翻	fān	to turn over; to flip
念	niàn	to read aloud
格外	géwài	especially; exceptionally
深夜	shēnyè	late at night
学会	xuéhuì	to learn; to master

English (for the teacher)

Shen He worked for a company in Shanghai; she did overtime almost every day, often staying up late into the night. Her grandmother lived in the Hunan countryside; she was over seventy and had only learned to use WeChat last year. Every evening at eight o'clock, her grandmother would send a voice message right on time, and each one ran a full sixty seconds. Shen He guessed it was nothing but small talk about home: the chillies in the vegetable patch had turned red, the neighbours' dog had had a litter of puppies, the weather was about to turn cold.

But Shen He simply had no time to listen. On the subway she always hurriedly pressed and held the message, tapped once to turn it into text, glanced at it and counted it as heard. Her grandmother spoke pure Hunan dialect, so the text that showed up on her phone was usually a jumble, and if she could make out two or three sentences out of ten she was doing well. Once, the screen said: “The neighbours' duck can write now.” Shen He laughed out loud on the subway and tossed off a reply: “OK Grandma, get to bed early.”

And so, in the blink of an eye, an autumn went by.

One winter evening, at eight sharp, her grandmother's voice message came on time again. Shen He turned it into text as usual, and froze. Every single word on the screen was perfectly clear: “Hehe, it's getting colder tomorrow, wear more when you go out. Grandma is learning Putonghua, I don't speak it well, don't laugh at me.” She stared at those few lines and read them over and over again.

From that day on, her grandmother's Putonghua grew clearer by the day. Once she even said: “Grandma learned a new word today: ‘overtime’. Do less overtime.”

At Spring Festival, Shen He made a trip back to her grandmother's house. On her grandmother's table lay a first-grade pinyin textbook, its pages already curled at the edges from turning. Beside it sat a boy of about eight, solemnly correcting her: “No, it's ‘sì’, four, not ‘shí’, ten.” Her grandmother repeated after him, with some effort but very seriously. When she had finished, she smiled and introduced him: “This is the neighbours' yazi, he's just learned to write, and now he's my teacher.” Shen He was stunned for a moment, and then it dawned on her: so he was the duck that could write.

That evening the boy secretly told her: “Granny says your replies to her messages never match what she says. She asked if you were coming home for New Year, and you said ‘get to bed early’.”

For a long while Shen He said nothing. She thought of all those sixty seconds she had only skimmed in a hurry.

On the day she left, she said to her grandmother: “Grandma, from now on just speak Hunan dialect.” Her grandmother hesitated a little: “But can you understand it?” Shen He said: “I'll listen.”

On the evening she got back to Shanghai, at eight o'clock, her grandmother's voice message arrived right on time. Shen He put on her earphones, turned the volume up, and didn't turn it into text this time. Her grandmother was speaking pure Hunan dialect again, and there were quite a few sentences she didn't understand. But these sixty seconds she listened to from beginning to end.