HSK 3 · Chapter 7 · 281 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/tofu-in-the-wardrobe

衣柜里的豆腐

Tofu in the wardrobe

Name: ________________ Date: ________

爷爷yéye和hé乐乐lèlè马上mǎshàng去qù了le赵zhào老师lǎoshī家jiā。她tā家里jiālǐ很hěn暖和nuǎnhuo，桌子zhuōzi上shàng有yǒu一yì盘pán饺子jiǎozi。

“吃chī，快kuài吃chī！”她tā自己zìjǐ的de猫māo一yì天tiān只zhǐ吃chī一yí顿dùn饭fàn，可是kěshì来lái她tā家jiā的de人rén，都dōu得děi吃饱chībǎo。

爷爷yéye低dī着zhe头tóu吃chī饺子jiǎozi，一yí句jù话huà也yě不bù说shuō。

赵zhào老师lǎoshī说shuō：“星期天xīngqītiān晚上wǎnshang六liù点diǎn，我wǒ给gěi豆腐dòufu放fàng了le饭fàn，可是kěshì它tā不bù吃chī。它tā跑pǎo进jìn我wǒ的de衣柜yīguì，躺tǎng在zài我wǒ的de旧jiù毛衣máoyī上shàng。”

“我wǒ生气shēngqì了le。我wǒ说shuō：‘你nǐ那么nàme胖pàng，不要búyào把bǎ我wǒ的de毛衣máoyī压yā坏huài了le！明天míngtiān也yě没有méiyǒu饭fàn！’我wǒ把bǎ它tā抱bào出来chūlái，关上guānshàng了le衣柜yīguì。”

赵zhào老师lǎoshī的de眼泪yǎnlèi又yòu下来xiàlái了le：“它tā看kàn了le我wǒ很hěn久jiǔ，然后ránhòu就jiù出门chūmén了le。是shì我wǒ的de错cuò。”

乐乐lèlè在zài本子běnzi上shàng写xiě：星期天xīngqītiān，豆腐dòufu不想bùxiǎng吃饭chīfàn，想xiǎng找zhǎo一个yígè又yòu软ruǎn又yòu黑hēi的de地方dìfang。

电视diànshì里，天气预报tiānqì-yùbào说shuō：“明天míngtiān晚上wǎnshang，有yǒu大雪dàxuě。”

赵zhào老师lǎoshī听tīng了le，手里shǒuli的de饺子jiǎozi掉diào在zài了le桌子zhuōzi上shàng。

回家huíjiā以后yǐhòu，乐乐lèlè睡不着shuìbuzháo。她tā打开dǎkāi手机shǒujī，看kàn她tā拍pāi的de那些nàxiē照片zhàopiàn，从cóng第一dìyī张zhāng看到kàndào最后zuìhòu一yì张zhāng。

她tā一下子yíxiàzi坐zuò起来qǐlai了le。“爷爷yéye！你nǐ看kàn，豆腐dòufu的de肚子dùzi，一天yìtiān比bǐ一天yìtiān大dà！”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
爷爷	yéye	grandpa; paternal grandfather
快	kuài	fast; quick
头	tóu	head
跑	pǎo	to run (a program, test, model)
坏	huài	bad; evil
出来	chūlái	to come out; to emerge
错	cuò	wrong; mistaken; mistake; fault
本子	běnzi	book; edition
打开	dǎkāi	to open
句	jù	classifier for phrases and lines of speech or verse
旧	jiù	old; used; worn
生气	shēngqì	to get angry; to be mad

English (for the teacher)

Grandpa and Lele went straight round to Teacher Zhao’s. Her flat was warm, and there was a plate of dumplings on the table.

“Eat, go on, eat!” Her own cat got one meal a day, but anyone who came to her flat had to eat until they were full.

Grandpa kept his head down and ate his dumplings without a word.

Teacher Zhao said, “On Sunday evening at six, I put out Tofu’s dinner, but it wouldn’t eat. It ran into my wardrobe and lay down on my old sweaters.”

“I got angry. I said, ‘You’re so fat, don’t you squash my sweaters! And no dinner tomorrow either!’ I lifted it out and shut the wardrobe.”

Teacher Zhao’s tears started again. “It looked at me for a long time, and then it went out. It’s my fault.”

In her notebook Lele wrote: Sunday, Tofu didn’t want to eat. It wanted somewhere soft and dark.

On the TV, the weather forecast said, “Tomorrow night, heavy snow.”

When Teacher Zhao heard that, the dumpling in her hand dropped onto the table.

Back home, Lele couldn’t sleep. She opened her phone and went through the photos she had taken, from the first to the last.

Suddenly she sat up. “Grandpa! Look, Tofu’s tummy gets bigger every day!”