HSK 5 · Story · 621 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/stairwell-light

楼道里的灯

The stairwell light

Name: ________________ Date: ________

何hé老师lǎoshī退休tuìxiū以后yǐhòu，一直yìzhí住zhù在zài这zhè栋dòng老lǎo楼lóu的de四sì楼lóu。楼lóu里没有méiyǒu电梯diàntī，楼道lóudào又yòu窄zhǎi又yòu暗àn，全quán靠kào每měi层céng一yì盏zhǎn声控shēngkòng灯dēng。

上个月shànggèyuè，三sān楼lóu和hé四sì楼lóu之间zhījiān的de那nà盏zhǎn灯dēng坏huài了le。晚上wǎnshang上楼shànglóu，走zǒu到dào那里nàlǐ就是jiùshì一片yípiàn黑hēi，只能zhǐnéng扶fú着zhe墙qiáng，一级yìjí一级yìjí地dì数台阶táijiē。

邻居línjū们men在zài业主yèzhǔ群qún里li为这zhè件jiàn事shì吵chǎo了le好几háojǐ天tiān。有人yǒurén说shuō该gāi物业wùyè负责fùzé，有人yǒurén抱怨bàoyuàn物业wùyè早就zǎojiù不管bùguǎn这zhè栋dòng楼lóu了le；有人yǒurén发fā了le维修wéixiū电话diànhuà，也yě有人yǒurén说shuō打dǎ过guò了le，根本gēnběn没méi人rén接jiē。说来说去shuōlái-shuōqù，灯dēng还是háishi不bú亮liàng。

何hé老师lǎoshī在zài网上wǎngshàng买mǎi了le一yí个gè灯泡dēngpào。东西dōngxī到dào了le，她tā才cái发现fāxiàn自己zìjǐ够不着gòubuzháo：灯dēng装zhuāng得de太tài高gāo，家里jiālǐ的de椅子yǐzi不够búgòu高gāo，她tā又yòu不bù敢gǎn站zhàn到dào桌子zhuōzi上去shàngqu。她tā犹豫yóuyù了le一下yíxià，只好zhíhǎo把bǎ灯泡dēngpào放fàng在zài门口ménkǒu的de鞋柜xiéguì上shàng，打算dǎsuàn周末zhōumò让ràng儿子érzi回来huílái帮忙bāngmáng。

没想到méixiǎngdào，第二天dì’èrtiān晚上wǎnshang她tā买菜mǎicài回来huílai，那nà盏zhǎn灯dēng亮liàng了le。

她tā在zài楼梯lóutī上shàng站zhàn了le一会儿yíhuìr，灯dēng灭miè了le；她tā咳嗽késou一声yìshēng，灯dēng又yòu亮liàng了le。回到huídào门口ménkǒu一yí看kàn，鞋柜xiéguì上shàng的de灯泡dēngpào不见bújiàn了le。

会huì是shì谁shéi呢ne？何hé老师lǎoshī心里xīnli猜cāi，可能kěnéng是shì五wǔ楼lóu那个nàge年轻人niánqīngrén。他tā好像hǎoxiàng是shì送sòng外卖wàimài的de，每天měitiān半夜bànyè才cái回来huílái，脚步jiǎobù很hěn轻qīng，偶尔óu’ěr碰到pèngdào邻居línjū，也yě很hěn少shǎo打招呼dǎzhāohu。何hé老师lǎoshī只zhǐ在zài楼道lóudào里见jiàn过guò他tā几jǐ次cì，连lián他tā姓xìng什么shénme都dōu不bù知道zhīdào。

她tā写xiě了le一yì张zhāng纸条zhǐtiáo，贴tiē在zài五wǔ楼lóu的de门mén上shàng：“灯dēng是shì你nǐ修xiū的de吧ba？谢谢xièxie你nǐ。灯泡dēngpào的de钱qián我wǒ还hái没méi给gěi你nǐ。四sì楼lóu 何hé”

第二天dì’èrtiān早上zǎoshang，她tā的de门mén上shàng也yě多duō了le一yì张zhāng纸条zhǐtiáo，字zì写xiě得de歪歪扭扭wāiwāi-niúniǔ：

“不用búyòng给gěi钱qián，灯泡dēngpào本来běnlái就是jiùshì您nín买mǎi的de。那天nàtiān看见kànjiàn您nín鞋柜xiéguì上shàng的de灯泡dēngpào，我wǒ就jiù悄悄qiāoqiāo拿ná去qù换huàn上shàng了le。其实qíshí我wǒ早就zǎojiù想xiǎng谢谢xièxie您nín了le。我wǒ每天měitiān回来huílái都dōu很hěn晚wǎn，楼道lóudào里黑hēi，上楼shànglóu总是zǒngshì看不清kànbuqīng台阶táijiē。这zhè半年bànnián，您nín家门口jiāménkǒu那nà盏zhǎn小灯xiǎodēng一直yìzhí开kāi着zhe，我wǒ每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang就是jiùshì看kàn着zhe它tā上楼shànglóu的de。五wǔ楼lóu 小江xiǎojiāng”

何hé老师lǎoshī拿ná着zhe纸条zhǐtiáo，仔细zǐxì看kàn了le两liǎng遍biàn，在zài门口ménkǒu站zhàn了le很hěn久jiǔ。她tā门口ménkǒu那nà盏zhǎn小灯xiǎodēng，是shì老伴lǎobàn去世qùshì以前yǐqián装zhuāng的de。他tā总zǒng说shuō，晚上wǎnshang回家huíjiā的de人rén，远远yuányuǎn看见kànjiàn有yǒu灯dēng，心里xīnli就jiù踏实tāshi。老伴lǎobàn走zǒu了le以后yǐhòu，她tā一直yìzhí舍不得shěbude关guān。

那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，她tā在zài纸条zhǐtiáo下面xiàmiàn又yòu加jiā了le一yí句jù，贴tiē回huí五wǔ楼lóu的de门mén上shàng：

“以后yǐhòu回来huílái晚wǎn了le，饿è了le，就jiù敲门qiāomén。我wǒ一yí个gè人rén做饭zuòfàn，总是zǒngshì做zuò多duō。”

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
全quánwhole; all; entire; complete; completely; entirely
之间zhījiānbetween; among
负责fùzéto be in charge of; to be responsible for
亮liàngbright; shiny; to shine; to light up
装zhuāngto pack; to load; to install
只好zhíhǎoto have no choice but to; to be forced to
咳嗽késouto cough; cough
猜cāito guess
偶尔óu’ěroccasionally; once in a while
打招呼dǎzhāohuto greet; to say hello
仔细zǐxìcareful; attentive; carefully
退休tuìxiūto retire; retirement

English (for the teacher)

Since she retired, Teacher He had lived on the fourth floor of this old building. The building had no lift, and the stairwell was narrow and dark, lit only by one sound-activated light on each floor.

Last month, the light between the third and fourth floors broke. Going up at night, everything went black at that spot, and she could only hold on to the wall and count the steps one by one.

The neighbours argued about it in the residents’ group chat for days. Some said the management company should take care of it, some complained the management company had stopped looking after this building long ago; someone posted the repair number, and someone else said they’d called and nobody ever answered. For all the talk, the light still didn’t come on.

Teacher He bought a light bulb online. Only when it arrived did she find she couldn’t reach: the light was too high, the chairs at home weren’t tall enough, and she didn’t dare stand on the table. She hesitated, then left the bulb on the shoe cabinet by her door, planning to have her son come and help at the weekend.

To her surprise, when she came back from buying groceries the next evening, the light was on.

She stood on the stairs for a while and the light went out; she coughed, and it came on again. Back at her door, she saw the bulb on the shoe cabinet was gone.

Who could it be? Teacher He guessed it might be the young man on the fifth floor. He seemed to deliver takeaways; he came home every night after midnight, with very light footsteps, and when he ran into neighbours he rarely said hello. Teacher He had only seen him in the stairwell a few times and didn’t even know his surname.

She wrote a note and stuck it on the fifth-floor door: “You fixed the light, didn’t you? Thank you. I still haven’t paid you for the bulb. 4th floor, He”

The next morning, there was a note on her door too, in wobbly handwriting:

“No need to pay; you bought the bulb yourself. That day I saw the bulb on your shoe cabinet, so I quietly took it and put it in. Actually, I’ve wanted to thank you for a long time. I always get back very late, the stairwell is dark, and I can never see the steps going up. For the past six months, the little light at your door has always been on, and every night I go up the stairs by it. 5th floor, Xiao Jiang”

Teacher He held the note, read it carefully twice, and stood at her door for a long time. The little light at her door had been put up by her husband before he died. He always said that when someone coming home at night sees a light from far away, they feel at ease. Since he passed away, she had never been able to bring herself to turn it off.

That evening, she added a line under the note and stuck it back on the fifth-floor door:

“From now on, if you get back late and you’re hungry, just knock. I cook for one, and I always make too much.”