HSK 5 · Chapter 3 · 542 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-nurse-who-sleeps-for-ten-minutes

十分钟

The nurse who sleeps for ten minutes

Name: ________________ Date: ________

从cóng那天nàtiān起qǐ，我wǒ每天měitiān十二shí’èr点diǎn就jiù把bǎ萝卜luóbo放进fàngjìn锅guō里。两liǎng点diǎn，白bái师傅shīfu的de太太tàitai在zài车chē里朝cháo我wǒ竖起shùqǐ了le大拇指dàmúzhǐ。

两点五十liángdián-wǔshí，门mén喊hǎn“欢迎huānyíng光临guānglín”，我wǒ只zhǐ慢màn了le半bàn秒miǎo。进步jìnbù很hěn明显míngxiǎn。

进来jìnlái的de是shì一个yígè年轻niánqīng护士hùshi，护士服hùshìfú外面wàimiàn套tào着zhe一yí件jiàn羽绒服yǔróngfú，眼睛yǎnjing下面xiàmiàn挂guà着zhe两liǎng个gè黑眼圈hēiyǎnquān。她tā进门jìnmén第一dìyī件jiàn事shì不是búshì买mǎi东西dōngxī，而是érshì看kàn表biǎo。后来hòulái我wǒ才cái知道zhīdào，她tā叫jiào小梅xiǎoméi，在zài旁边pángbiān的de医院yīyuàn值zhí大夜班dàyèbān。

她tā买mǎi了le一yì碗wǎn泡面pàomiàn，倒dào上shàng热水rèshuǐ，坐zuò到dào窗chuāng前qián等děng着zhe。泡面pàomiàn要yào等děng三sān分钟fēnzhōng。一yì分钟fēnzhōng后hòu，她tā开始kāishǐ打瞌睡dǎkēshuì；两liǎng分钟fēnzhōng后hòu，她tā趴pā在zài桌zhuō上shàng，睡着shuìzháo了le。

三sān分钟fēnzhōng一yí到dào，我wǒ轻轻qīngqīng叫jiào了le她tā一声yìshēng：“泡pào好hǎo了le。”

她tā一下子yíxiàzi坐zuò起来qǐlai，看kàn了le看kàn手机shǒujī，很hěn不bù高兴gāoxìng：“你nǐ怎么zěnme把bǎ我wǒ叫醒jiàoxǐng了le？”

“不是búshì泡pào好hǎo了le吗ma？”

“我wǒ是shì来lái睡觉shuìjiào的de，不是búshì来lái吃chī面miàn的de。”她tā揉揉róurou眼睛yǎnjing，“病房bìngfáng里电话diànhuà一直yìzhí响xiǎng，护士站hùshizhàn的de灯dēng一直yìzhí亮liàng，怎么zěnme也yě睡不着shuìbuzháo。半夜bànyè三sān点diǎn，这儿zhèr是shì全城quánchéng最zuì安静ānjìng的de地方dìfang。我wǒ只有zhíyǒu十shí分钟fēnzhōng。”

说shuō完wán，她tā又yòu趴pā在zài桌zhuō上shàng睡shuì了le。七qī分钟fēnzhōng后hòu，她tā的de手机shǒujī闹钟nàozhōng响xiǎng了le。她tā站zhàn起来qǐlai，几jǐ口kǒu就jiù把bǎ泡pào软ruǎn的de面miàn吃chī完wán了le，跑pǎo回huí了le医院yīyuàn。

原来yuánlái，那nà碗wǎn泡面pàomiàn是shì她tā的de床位chuángwèi费fèi。四块五sìkuàiwǔ一yī晚wǎn，比bǐ哪儿nǎr的de床chuáng都dōu便宜piányi。

第二天dì’èrtiān晚上wǎnshang，两点五十liángdián-wǔshí，她tā准时zhǔnshí来lái了le。泡面pàomiàn，热水rèshuǐ，睡着shuìzháo。我wǒ关掉guāndiào店diàn里的de音乐yīnyuè，把bǎ手机shǒujī调tiáo成chéng静音jìngyīn，站zhàn在zài收银台shōuyíntái后面hòumiàn，一动不动yídòngbúdòng，连lián呼吸hūxī都dōu很hěn小心xiǎoxīn。有yǒu个gè客人kèren进来jìnlái大声dàshēng打电话dǎdiànhuà，我wǒ对duì他tā摇摇yáoyáo头tóu，又yòu看看kànkan小梅xiǎoméi，他tā马上mǎshàng把bǎ声音shēngyīn放fàng小xiǎo了le。

三sān点diǎn，送货sònghuò车chē到dào了le，我wǒ只好zhíhǎo去qù了le后门hòumén。回来huílái的de时候shíhou，她tā已经yǐjīng走zǒu了le。这zhè一次yícì，那nà碗wǎn泡面pàomiàn一口yìkǒu也yě没méi动dòng，旁边pángbiān放fàng着zhe五wǔ块kuài钱qián。收银台shōuyíntái上shàng又yòu放fàng着zhe一yì张zhāng纸条zhǐtiáo：

“她tā只zhǐ需要xūyào十shí分钟fēnzhōng，你nǐ给gěi了le她tā十shí分钟fēnzhōng。八十bāshí分fēn。”

八十bāshí分fēn？我wǒ居然jūrán被bèi人rén打分dǎfēn了le！我wǒ看kàn着zhe那nà碗wǎn已经yǐjīng凉liáng了le的de面miàn，心跳xīntiào得de有点yóudiǎn快kuài。刚才gāngcái店diàn里就jiù她tā一yí个gè人rén。难道nándào是shì她tā？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
喊	hǎn	to shout; to yell
秒	miǎo	second (unit of time or angle)
护士	hùshi	nurse
挂	guà	to hang; to put up
窗	chuāng	window
响	xiǎng	to sound; to ring; sound; noise
亮	liàng	bright; shiny; to shine; to light up
费	fèi	fee; expense; cost; to spend; to cost
准时	zhǔnshí	on time; punctual
只好	zhíhǎo	to have no choice but to; to be forced to
凉	liáng	cool; cold
难道	nándào	(rhetorical) could it be that; surely not

English (for the teacher)

From then on, I put the radishes in the pot at twelve every night. At two, Master Bai’s wife gave me a thumbs up from the car.

At ten to three the door called “welcome”, and I was only half a second behind. Clear progress.

In came a young nurse with a down jacket over her uniform and dark rings under her eyes. The first thing she did when she came in wasn’t to buy anything, but to look at her watch. Later I found out her name was Xiaomei, and she worked the night shift at the hospital next door.

She bought a cup of instant noodles, poured in hot water and sat by the window to wait. Instant noodles take three minutes. After one minute she started to nod off; after two, she was slumped over the table, asleep.

When the three minutes were up, I said to her gently: “Your noodles are ready.”

She sat bolt upright, looked at her phone and was not pleased: “Why did you wake me up?”

“Aren’t your noodles ready?”

“I come here to sleep, not to eat noodles.” She rubbed her eyes. “On the ward the phone never stops ringing and the light at the nurses’ station never goes off, so I can’t sleep at all. At three in the morning, this is the quietest place in the city. I’ve only got ten minutes.”

And with that, she slumped over the table and went back to sleep. Seven minutes later her phone alarm went off. She stood up, wolfed down the soggy noodles in a few mouthfuls and ran back to the hospital.

So the noodles were her bed fee. Four yuan fifty a night, cheaper than any bed anywhere.

The next night, at ten to three, she came in right on time. Noodles, hot water, asleep. I turned off the music in the shop, put my phone on silent and stood behind the till, without moving a muscle, even breathing carefully. A customer came in talking loudly on the phone; I shook my head at him and glanced at Xiaomei, and he lowered his voice straight away.

At three the van came, and I had to go out the back. When I came back, she’d gone. This time the noodles hadn’t been touched, and five yuan lay beside them. There was another note on the counter:

“She only needed ten minutes, and you gave her ten minutes. Eighty out of a hundred.”

Eighty? Someone was actually marking me! I looked at the noodles, already cold, and my heart beat a little faster. Just now, she was the only one in the shop. Could it be her?