七楼 · 第二十一天
The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret
Name: ________________ Date: ________
刚才，邹奶奶的孙女在电话里哭了。她说，快递都是她寄的。她想让乔安帮她一个忙，可是先别告诉爷爷。这时候，邹爷爷在小楼梯上问：“是她吗？”
乔安点了点头：“是她。爷爷，您等我一下。”
她拿着手机往下走，一直走到五楼。在这儿，上面的人就听不见了。
“好，”她小声说，“你要我帮什么忙？”
那个女人不哭了。“下个月是奶奶的生日。以前每年她生日，我们一家人都在七楼吃饭。”
“那天，我想回来。我不想在电话里说对不起，我想回到七楼，看着爷爷说。我还想试试，能不能让我爸爸也一起回来。”
“那为什么不能告诉爷爷？”
“我怕。如果他先知道了，可能会说‘不行，别回来’。那我就真的不知道怎么办了。”
乔安想起了邹爷爷红红的眼睛。她不喜欢有话不说。可是这一次，她觉得先不说最好。
“好，我不告诉他你要回来。可是今天，你能不能让我带给他一句话？一句就行。”
电话那边安静了很久。“我不知道第一句要说什么。”
乔安一听就笑了：“你们两个，真是一样。”
电话那边小声说了一句“谢谢你”，就没有声音了。
她回到铁门旁边的时候，邹爷爷还站在小楼梯上，一直没动。“她说什么了？”
“她说，她很好。”乔安停了一下，“她还说，五年了，她也不知道第一句要说什么。”
邹爷爷转过身，往上看了看七楼的灯，过了很久才说：“那就让她慢慢想。我等着。”
就在这时候，宁宁拿着手机跑下了小楼梯，他的脸很红。“不好了！刚才我给妈妈打电话，说我在七楼。”
“她说什么？”
“她说，我们小区哪儿有七楼？她要带邻居们上来看看。”
话还没说完，楼下就有很多人上楼梯的声音，越来越近。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to give way; to let (someone have) |
| 帮 | bāng | to help; to assist |
| 别 | bié | don’t (do something) |
| 告诉 | gàosu | to tell; to inform |
| 爷爷 | yéye | grandpa; paternal grandfather |
| 等 | děng | to wait |
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now; a moment ago |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however |
| 先 | xiān | first; in advance |
| 楼梯 | lóutī | stairs; staircase |
| 一直 | yìzhí | all along; continuously; straight (ahead) |
Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)
HSK 3 · The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 刚才 and 哭 in sentences of their own.
Warm-up 5 min
Write 七楼 · 第二十一天 on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret”.
Key words 10 min
Teach 刚才 (gāngcái, just now; a moment ago), 哭 (kū, to cry; to weep), 可是 (kěshì, but; however), 先 (xiān, first; in advance), 楼梯 (lóutī, stairs; staircase), 一直 (yìzhí, all along; continuously; straight (ahead)). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.
Listen 10 min
Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-seventh-floor-episode-21-the-granddaughters-secret: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.
Read and check 10 min
Students read it alone, then tell a partner in two sentences of Chinese what it says.
Use it 10 min
In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 刚才 and one with 哭, and reads one to the class.
Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.
English (for the teacher)
A moment ago, Grandma Zou's granddaughter cried on the phone. She said she was the one who sent the parcels. She wanted Qiao An to do her a favour, but not to tell her grandpa yet. Just then, Grandpa Zou asked from the little staircase, “Is it her?”
Qiao An nodded. “It's her. Grandpa, wait for me a moment.”
She took the phone and went down, all the way to the fifth floor. Here, the people upstairs couldn't hear her.
“All right,” she said quietly. “What do you need me to help with?”
The woman had stopped crying. “Next month is Grandma's birthday. Every year on her birthday, our whole family used to eat together on the seventh floor.”
“That day, I want to come back. I don't want to say sorry over the phone; I want to go back to the seventh floor and say it looking at Grandpa. I also want to try and see if I can get my dad to come back with me.”
“Then why can't Grandpa know?”
“I'm scared. If he finds out first, he might say, ‘No, don't come back.’ Then I really wouldn't know what to do.”
Qiao An remembered Grandpa Zou's reddened eyes. She didn't like keeping things unsaid. But this time, she felt it was best not to say anything yet.
“All right, I won't tell him you're coming back. But today, could you let me take him one sentence from you? Just one is enough.”
The other end was quiet for a long time. “I don't know what to say first.”
Qiao An laughed as soon as she heard it. “You two really are the same.”
The voice on the phone said a quiet “thank you”, and then there was no sound.
When she got back to the iron door, Grandpa Zou was still standing on the little staircase; he hadn't moved. “What did she say?”
“She said she's fine.” Qiao An paused. “She also said that after five years, she doesn't know what to say first either.”
Grandpa Zou turned around, looked up at the light on the seventh floor, and only after a long while did he say, “Then let her take her time thinking. I'll wait.”
Just then, Ningning came running down the little staircase with his phone, his face red. “Oh no! Just now I called Mum and told her I was on the seventh floor.”
“What did she say?”
“She said, where is there a seventh floor in our compound? She's bringing the neighbours up to have a look.”
Before he had even finished, they heard lots of people climbing the stairs below, getting closer and closer.