1985年的信
The letter from grandpa: a Chinese short story
Name: ________________ Date: ________
上个星期，奶奶收到了一封信。信封已经发黄了，上面贴的邮票是1985年的。寄信人写着：周志远。收信人写着：林淑芬。
周志远是我爷爷。他两年前就去世了。
后来，邮局的工作人员打来电话，向我们解释：老邮局的房子要拆了，工人在一个旧柜子后面，意外地发现了一袋当年没有送出去的信。他们只好按照信封上的地址，去找当年的收信人。奶奶这辈子从来没搬过家，所以这封信虽然晚了四十多年，最后还是找到了她。
奶奶的眼睛不好，就让我念给她听。我小心地打开信纸。爷爷的字很大，每个字都写得特别认真。
淑芬：下个月我就要去南方工作了，恐怕要走好几年。有一句话，我一直没有勇气当面告诉你：我喜欢你，将来想娶你。如果你愿意等我，五月三号那天，请你戴着那条红围巾，来火车站给我送行。如果你没来，我也能理解，以后绝不再打扰你。志远。
我念完以后，屋子里安静了很久。我以为奶奶会难过，没想到她突然笑了起来，笑得眼泪都流出来了。
“我根本就没收到过这封信啊！”
“那么，五月三号那天，你到底去火车站了没有？”我好奇地问。
“去了。”奶奶擦掉眼泪，“不过我是去送我表哥的，他正好也坐那趟车。那天风特别大，我妈非让我戴上围巾不可。”
那条围巾，刚好是红色的。
奶奶说，那天在站台上，爷爷一看见她，脸一下子就红了。他激动地走过来，拉着她的手说：“我明白了，谢谢你！你放心，我一定会回来！”说完就上了火车。奶奶站在原地，完全糊涂了，还以为这个人疯了。
三年以后，爷爷果然回来了。他做的第一件事，是去她家。又过了一年，奶奶真的嫁给了他。
“他一直到最后，都以为我那天是专门为他去的。”奶奶说。
她仔细地把信放回信封，又从抽屉里拿出那条红围巾。围巾已经很旧了，颜色也没有以前那么鲜艳了。她把信轻轻地放在围巾上，小声说：“好了，志远，这次我真的收到了。我答应你。”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寄 | jì | to send; to mail |
| 解释 | jiěshì | to explain; to interpret; explanation |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker; laborer |
| 只好 | zhíhǎo | to have no choice but to; to be forced to |
| 按照 | ànzhào | according to; in accordance with |
| 地址 | dìzhǐ | address |
| 恐怕 | kǒngpà | I'm afraid; probably; perhaps |
| 将来 | jiānglái | future; in the future |
| 戴 | dài | to wear (a hat, glasses, jewelry, etc.) |
| 理解 | líjiě | to understand; to comprehend; understanding |
| 流 | liú | to flow; current; stream |
| 正好 | zhènghǎo | happen to; as it happens |
English (for the teacher)
Last week, Grandma got a letter. The envelope had gone yellow, and the stamp on it was from 1985. The sender said: Zhou Zhiyuan. The addressee said: Lin Shufen.
Zhou Zhiyuan was my grandpa. He died two years ago.
Later, someone from the post office phoned to explain: the old post office building was being knocked down, and behind an old cabinet the workers had unexpectedly found a sack of letters that were never delivered back then. So they were looking for the people the letters were addressed to back then, using the addresses on the envelopes. Grandma had never once moved house in her life, so although this letter was more than forty years late, it found her in the end.
Grandma's eyes aren't good, so she had me read it out to her. I carefully unfolded the letter. Grandpa's handwriting was big, and every character was written with great care.
Shufen: Next month I'm going south for work, and I'm afraid I'll be gone for years. There's something I've never had the courage to tell you to your face: I like you, and one day I want to marry you. If you're willing to wait for me, then on the third of May, please wear that red scarf and come to the station to see me off. If you don't come, I'll understand, and I'll never bother you again. Zhiyuan.
When I finished reading, the room was quiet for a long time. I thought Grandma would be sad, but to my surprise she suddenly started laughing, laughing until the tears ran down.
“I never even got this letter!”
“So, on the third of May, did you go to the station or not?” I asked, curious.
“I did.” Grandma wiped away her tears. “But I went to see off my cousin; he just happened to be on that train too. It was terribly windy that day, and my mum insisted I put on a scarf.”
That scarf just happened to be red.
Grandma said that on the platform that day, the moment Grandpa saw her, he went bright red. He came over, all worked up, took her hand and said: “I understand, thank you! Don't worry, I'll definitely come back!” And with that he got on the train. Grandma stood rooted to the spot, completely baffled, thinking this man must be mad.
Three years later, sure enough, Grandpa came back. The first thing he did was go to her house. A year after that, Grandma really did marry him.
“Right to the very end, he thought I'd gone there that day just for him.” That's what Grandma said.
She carefully put the letter back in its envelope, then took the red scarf out of the drawer. The scarf was very old now, and its colour wasn't as bright as it used to be. She laid the letter gently on the scarf and said quietly: “There, Zhiyuan, this time I really got it. My answer is yes.”