最后一夜
The last night
Name: ________________ Date: ________
十二月三十一号，“一直在”的最后一夜。货架上的东西只剩一半，门上贴着黄姐写的字：全场五折，谢谢大家十二年的照顾。
十二点，手机里全是“新年快乐”。外面有人在倒计时，店里只剩我和关东煮。
一点钟，饭团爷爷照常来了，买了两个饭团，一个金枪鱼的，一个鸡肉的。我念给他听的时候，声音有点抖。他在窗前坐了很久，走的时候，站在门口说了一句：“明天开始，这条街就黑了。”
一点半，小田来充电。我朝马路对面那盏黄灯看了一眼，问她：“你知道那个小屋里，夜里坐的是谁吗？”
“就是天天买饭团的那个爷爷啊！”她一边吃面包一边说，“他以前是那个小学的语文老师，退休了舍不得走，晚上就在那儿看大门，一看就是十二年。”
我愣住了，把这一个多月的纸条全拿出来，一张一张排在收银台上。
语文老师，打分。三点吃的第二个饭团。一笔一画的大字。老花眼看不清近处的小字，却看得清远处。从那间小屋，正好能看见我们的收银台，也能看见送货车什么时候到。
我拔腿就往外跑，却被一把拉住了。
小田说：“你现在去，人家十二年就白写了。等到三点吧。”
她的电话又响了。“马上到！”她一边说，一边跑进了夜里。
两点，白师傅来了，买走了最后三个萝卜。他看了看收银台上的纸条，又看了看我的脸，笑了：“找到了？我跟他下了十年象棋，家里的春联每年都找他写，他的字，我闭着眼睛都认得。”说完，他没走，在窗前坐了下来。
两点半，黄姐也来了，怀里抱着那个旧饼干盒。两点五十，小梅也来了，今天她没有睡。我们谁都没说话，一起看着马路对面。
两点五十九分，送货车没有来，以后也不会来了。
对面那盏黄灯，熄灭了。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 剩 | shèng | to remain; to be left over |
| 全 | quán | whole; all; entire; complete; completely; entirely |
| 窗 | chuāng | window |
| 排 | pái | to arrange; to line up |
| 正好 | zhènghǎo | happen to; as it happens |
| 拉 | lā | to empty one's bowels; to have (diarrhea) |
| 等到 | děngdào | to wait until |
| 饼干 | bǐnggān | cookie; cracker; biscuit |
| 贴 | tiē | to stick; to paste |
| 念 | niàn | to read aloud |
| 黑 | hēi | black; dark |
| 充电 | chōngdiàn | to charge (a battery) |
English (for the teacher)
The thirty-first of December: the last night of “Always Here”. The shelves were half empty, and on the door was a sign in Sister Huang’s writing: everything half price, thank you all for twelve years.
At midnight my phone was full of “Happy New Year”. Outside, people were counting down; in the shop it was just me and the oden.
At one o’clock, Rice Ball Grandpa came as usual and bought two rice balls, one tuna, one chicken. When I read them out to him, my voice shook a little. He sat by the window for a long time, and when he left, he stopped in the doorway and said: “From tomorrow, this street will be dark.”
At half past one, Xiaotian came to charge her phone. I glanced at the yellow light across the road and asked her: “Do you know who sits in that hut at night?”
“The grandpa who buys rice balls every night, of course!” She said between bites of bread, “He used to teach Chinese at that school. When he retired he couldn’t bear to leave, so he guards the gate at night. He’s been doing it twelve years.”
I stood there stunned, then took out every note from the past month and more and laid them out on the counter, one by one.
A Chinese teacher: marks. A second rice ball eaten at three. Big characters, every stroke careful. Long sight can’t read small print up close, but sees far away just fine. From that hut, you can see right into our till, and see when the van arrives.
I made a dash for the door, but someone grabbed me.
Xiaotian said: “If you go now, he’ll have written for twelve years for nothing. Wait till three.”
Her phone rang again. “On my way!” She said it as she ran off into the night.
At two, Master Bai came and bought the last three radishes. He looked at the notes on the counter, then at my face, and smiled: “Found him? We’ve played chess for ten years, and he writes my New Year couplets every year. I’d know his writing with my eyes shut.” Then, instead of leaving, he sat down by the window.
At half past two, Sister Huang came too, holding the old biscuit tin in her arms. At ten to three, Xiaomei came as well, and tonight she didn’t sleep. None of us said a word; we all watched the far side of the road.
At one minute to three, the van didn’t come, and it never would again.
Across the road, the yellow light went out.