HSK 5 · Chapter 8 · 522 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-unstaffed-convenience-store

无人便利店

The unstaffed convenience store

Name: ________________ Date: ________

十二月shí’èryuè中旬zhōngxún，斜对面xiéduìmiàn的de无人wúrén便利店biànlìdiàn开业kāiyè了le。它tā比bǐ我们wǒmen大dà，比bǐ我们wǒmen亮liàng，门口ménkǒu写xiě着zhe八bā个gè字zì：刷shuā脸liǎn进门jìnmén，自助zìzhù结账jiézhàng。

上班shàngbān前qián，我wǒ去qù里面lǐmiàn转zhuàn了le一yì圈quān。货架huòjià整整齐齐zhéngzhěng-qíqí，饭团fàntuán也yě是shì第二dì’èr个gè半价bànjià。结账jiézhàng的de地方dìfang放fàng着zhe一块yíkuài大dà屏幕píngmù，屏幕píngmù上shàng有yǒu一个yígè卡通kǎtōng店员diànyuán，一直yìzhí在zài笑xiào。门mén也yě会huì说shuō“欢迎huānyíng光临guānglín”，就是jiùshì没有méiyǒu人rén。五wǔ分钟fēnzhōng里，没有méiyǒu一yí个gè人rén跟gēn我wǒ说话shuōhuà。走zǒu之前zhīqián，我wǒ对duì着zhe屏幕píngmù说shuō了le一yí句jù“欢迎光临huānyíng-guānglín”，卡通kǎtōng店员diànyuán还是háishi在zài笑xiào，什么shénme也yě没méi说shuō。

交班jiāobān的de时候shíhou，黄姐在zài门口ménkǒu看kàn着zhe对面duìmiàn，看kàn了le半天bàntiān，只zhǐ说shuō了le一yí句jù：“挺tǐng亮liàng的de。”

两点五十liángdián-wǔshí，小梅xiǎoméi进来jìnlái，一yì脸liǎn不bù高兴gāoxìng。她tā刚才gāngcái也yě想xiǎng去qù对面duìmiàn试试shìshi，可是kěshì戴dài着zhe口罩kǒuzhào，门mén不bú认识rènshi她tā的de脸liǎn。

“我wǒ在zài门口ménkǒu站zhàn了le一yì分钟fēnzhōng，它tā一直yìzhí说shuō：请qǐng对准duìzhǔn镜头jìngtóu。”她tā说shuō，“我wǒ都dōu快kuài贴tiē到dào镜头jìngtóu上shàng了le，它tā还是háishi不bú认识rènshi我wǒ。它tā还hái让ràng我wǒ摘下zhāixià口罩kǒuzhào。我wǒ在zài医院yīyuàn一天yìtiān戴dài十几shíjǐ个gè小时xiǎoshí，早就zǎojiù忘wàng了le自己zìjǐ不bú戴dài口罩kǒuzhào是shì什么shénme样子yàngzi了le。算了suànle，我wǒ还是háishi来lái这儿zhèr交jiāo床位chuángwèi费fèi吧ba。”

她tā看kàn了le一眼yìyǎn对面duìmiàn，又yòu看kàn了le一眼yìyǎn我们wǒmen的de关东guāndōng煮zhǔ，泡pào了le一yì碗面wǎnmiàn，这次zhècì没有méiyǒu马上mǎshàng睡shuì。

“你们nǐmen真的zhēnde要yào关门guānmén了le？”

“三十一sānshíyī号hào。”

她tā看kàn着zhe窗外chuāngwài：“值zhí大夜班dàyèbān的de时候shíhou，有时候yǒushíhou一yì晚上wǎnshang来lái十几shíjǐ个gè急诊jízhěn。我wǒ累lèi了le，就jiù站zhàn到dào六liù楼lóu的de窗户chuānghu边biān，往wǎng下xià看kàn。整zhěng条tiáo街jiē，只zhǐ剩shèng你们nǐmen的de灯dēng还hái亮liàng着zhe。不bù知道zhīdào为什么wèishénme，看kàn一眼yìyǎn就jiù没méi那么nàme累lèi了le。”

我wǒ没想到méixiǎngdào，会huì有人yǒurén在zài楼上lóushàng看kàn着zhe我们wǒmen。她tā睡着shuìzháo以后yǐhòu，我wǒ第一次dìyīcì认真rènzhēn地de往wǎng窗外chuāngwài看kàn。从cóng医院yīyuàn能néng看见kànjiàn我们wǒmen，那nà夜里yèlǐ还有háiyǒu谁shéi，也yě能néng看见kànjiàn我们wǒmen？

斜对面xiéduìmiàn，无人wúrén便利店biànlìdiàn亮liàng得de像xiàng白天báitiān，里面lǐmiàn一yí个gè人rén也yě没有méiyǒu。我wǒ再zài往wǎng旁边pángbiān看kàn：马路mǎlù正zhèng对面duìmiàn，小学xiǎoxué的de大门dàmén黑hēi着zhe，门边ménbiān的de小屋xiǎowū里，却què亮liàng着zhe一yì盏zhǎn黄黄huánghuáng的de灯dēng。

原来yuánlái，这zhè条tiáo街jiē上shàng夜里yèlǐ亮liàng着zhe的de，不bù只zhǐ我们wǒmen。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
亮	liàng	bright; shiny; to shine; to light up
结账	jiézhàng	to pay the bill; to check out
转	zhuàn	to transfer; to pass on (as in 转告, 转发)
之前	zhīqián	before; prior to; ago
戴	dài	to wear (a hat, glasses, jewelry, etc.)
样子	yàngzi	appearance; look
费	fèi	fee; expense; cost; to spend; to cost
窗户	chuānghu	window
整	zhěng	exactly; sharp (as in 十点整)
剩	shèng	to remain; to be left over
对面	duìmiàn	the other side; opponent
便利店	biànlìdiàn	convenience store

English (for the teacher)

In mid-December, the unstaffed convenience store across the road opened. It was bigger than us and brighter than us, and the sign by the door said: scan your face to enter, pay at the self-checkout.

Before my shift, I went in for a look round. The shelves were perfectly neat, and the second rice ball was half price there too. Where you pay, there was a big screen with a cartoon shop assistant on it, smiling the whole time. The door said “welcome” as well; there just wasn’t anyone there. In five minutes in there, not one person spoke to me. Before I left, I said “welcome” to the screen, and the cartoon assistant just kept smiling and said nothing.

At handover, Sister Huang stood in the doorway looking across the road for a long while, and all she said was: “It’s very bright.”

At ten to three Xiaomei came in looking cross. She’d just tried the place across the road, but with her mask on, the door didn’t recognise her face.

“I stood at the door for a whole minute, and it kept saying: please face the camera.” She said, “I was practically pressed against the camera, and it still didn’t recognise me. Then it told me to take my mask off. I wear one more than ten hours a day at the hospital. I’ve long forgotten what I look like without it. Forget it, I’ll come back here and pay my bed fee.”

She glanced across the road, glanced at our oden, made a cup of noodles, and this time didn’t fall asleep straight away.

“Are you really closing?”

“On the thirty-first.”

She looked out of the window: “On night shifts, sometimes a dozen emergencies come in in one night. When I’m exhausted, I stand by the window on the sixth floor and look down. On the whole street, only your lights are still on. I don’t know why, but one look and I’m not so tired.”

I’d never imagined that someone upstairs might be watching us. After she fell asleep, I looked out of the window properly for the first time. If you can see us from the hospital, who else can see us at night?

Across the road, the unstaffed shop was as bright as day, with nobody in it. I looked a little further: straight across the road, the school gate was dark, but in the little hut beside it, a small yellow light was on.

So we weren’t the only light on this street at night.