HSK 3 · Chapter 2 · 388 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-seventh-floor-episode-2-the-parcel-that-vanished-overnight

七楼 · 第二天

The Seventh Floor, Episode 2: The Parcel That Vanished Overnight

Name: ________________ Date: ________

昨天晚上zuótiān-wǎnshang，乔安在zài六liù号hào楼lóu下面xiàmiàn看见kànjiàn了le一个yígè小xiǎo窗户chuānghu。它tā在zài六liù楼lóu上面shàngmiàn，里面lǐmiàn亮liàng着zhe灯dēng，好像hǎoxiàng还hái站zhàn着zhe一yí个gè人rén。

她tā一yì晚上wǎnshang没méi睡shuì好hǎo，早上zǎoshang七qī点diǎn就jiù来到láidào了le快递kuàidì站zhàn。

门mén还hái关guān着zhe。她tā用yòng钥匙yàoshi开kāi了le门mén，走zǒu进去jìnqu，先xiān看kàn自己zìjǐ的de桌子zhuōzi。

那个nàge小xiǎo快递kuàidì不见bújiàn了le。

桌子zhuōzi上shàng只有zhíyǒu一yí片piàn叶子yèzi，很hěn黄huáng，也yě很hěn干gān。她tā一yì拿ná起来qǐlai，它tā就jiù轻轻qīngqīng响xiǎng了le一下yíxià。

“有人yǒurén进来jìnlái过guò？”她tā看kàn了le看kàn窗户chuānghu，窗户chuānghu也yě还hái关guān着zhe。快递kuàidì站zhàn只有zhíyǒu两liǎng把bǎ钥匙yàoshi：她tā有yǒu一把yìbǎ，罗luó师傅shīfu有yǒu一把yìbǎ。

她tā马上mǎshàng给gěi罗luó师傅shīfu打电话dǎdiànhuà。“罗luó师傅shīfu，昨天晚上zuótiān-wǎnshang您nín来lái过guò吗ma？”

“没有méiyǒu啊a。快递kuàidì不bú在zài那儿nàr了le，对duì吧ba？”

“对duì！可是kěshì门mén和hé窗户chuānghu都dōu没méi开kāi过guò。”

电话diànhuà那边nàbiān安静ānjìng了le一会儿yíhuìr。“每个měigè月yuè都dōu这样zhèyàng。别bié问wèn了le，好好háohǎo上班shàngbān吧ba。”

七点半qīdiǎnbàn，门mén开kāi了le，是shì宁宁níngníng。上学shàngxué以前yǐqián，他tā想xiǎng先xiān来lái这儿zhèr看看kànkan。他tā一yí看见kànjiàn桌子zhuōzi上shàng的de叶子yèzi，眼睛yǎnjing就jiù亮liàng了le。

“这zhè是shì七qī楼lóu的de人rén放fàng的de！”

“你nǐ怎么zěnme知道zhīdào？”

宁宁níngníng看kàn了le看kàn外面wàimiàn。“你nǐ看kàn，楼下lóuxià的de树shù，叶子yèzi还hái都dōu是shì绿lǜ的de。那些nàxiē树shù上shàng没有méiyǒu这样zhèyàng的de叶子yèzi。”他tā又yòu看kàn了le看kàn，说shuō：“我wǒ觉得juéde，这zhè是shì花huā的de叶子yèzi。”

她tā也yě看kàn着zhe这zhè片piàn叶子yèzi。六liù楼lóu上面shàngmiàn没有méiyǒu路lù，真的zhēnde有人yǒurén在zài那儿nàr种花zhònghuā吗ma？

宁宁níngníng说shuō：“今天jīntiān放学fàngxué以后yǐhòu，我们wǒmen去qù六liù号hào楼lóu！一直yìzhí往wǎng上shàng走zǒu，走zǒu到dào最zuì上面shàngmiàn。”

“最zuì上面shàngmiàn有yǒu什么shénme？”

宁宁níngníng轻轻qīngqīng地de说shuō：“有yǒu一个yígè门mén。我wǒ从来没cóngláiméi看见kànjiàn它tā打开dǎkāi过guò。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
下面	xiàmiàn	next; following
楼	lóu	building (with more than one story)
上面	shàngmiàn	above; on top of; on the surface of
里面	lǐmiàn	inside; interior
站	zhàn	station; stop
门	mén	door; gate
拿	ná	to take; to hold; to carry
进来	jìnlái	to come in; to enter
过	guò	(particle) marks a past experience: have ever
一会儿	yíhuìr	a moment; a while
这样	zhèyàng	like this; this way
眼睛	yǎnjing	eye

English (for the teacher)

Last night, below Building Six, Qiao An saw a small window. It was above the sixth floor, a light was on inside, and someone seemed to be standing there.

She slept badly all night, and at seven in the morning she was already at the parcel station.

The door was still shut. She opened it with her key, went in and looked at her desk first.

The little parcel was gone.

On the desk there was only a leaf, very yellow and very dry. As soon as she picked it up, it gave a soft crackle.

"Has someone been in here?" She looked at the window; it was still shut too. The parcel station had only two keys: she had one, and Mr Luo had the other.

She called Mr Luo at once. "Mr Luo, did you come by last night?"

"No. The parcel isn't there any more, right?"

"Right! But the door and the window were never opened."

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment. "It's like this every month. Don't ask; just do your job."

At half past seven, the door opened: it was Ningning. Before school, he wanted to drop by here first and have a look. As soon as he saw the leaf on the desk, his eyes lit up.

"The person on the seventh floor left this!"

"How do you know?"

Ningning looked outside. "Look, the trees downstairs still have green leaves. Those trees don't have leaves like this." He looked again and said, "I think this is a leaf from a flower."

She looked at the leaf too. There was no way up above the sixth floor; was someone really growing flowers up there?

Ningning said, "After school today, let's go to Building Six! We'll keep climbing, all the way to the top."

"What's at the very top?"

Ningning said softly, "There's a door. I've never once seen it open."