Notes in a Library Book: Season 2 · chapter 5 of 6
A Hundred Notes
一百张纸条
The whole neighborhood writes to the library. Then Mr. Sun finds a note from long ago, and He Yan hands Xu Man a note that changes everything.
Read what you hear
- Auntie Zhou 大家慢慢来！每个人一张纸，一支笔！
Dàjiā mànmàn lái! Měi gè rén yì zhāng zhǐ, yì zhī bǐ!
Take it easy, everyone! One sheet of paper and one pen each!
- Grandma 孩子们，写一句给图书馆！写什么都好！
Háizimen, xiě yí jù gěi túshūguǎn! Xiě shénme dōu hǎo!
Children, write a line for the library! Anything is fine!
- Grandma 周阿姨，你看，这一张写着：“谢谢热水。”
Zhōu āyí, nǐ kàn, zhè yì zhāng xiězhe: “Xièxie rè shuǐ.”
Auntie Zhou, look, this one says, “Thanks for the hot water.”
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Notes in a Library Book: Season 2 is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Auntie Zhou 哎呀，别读了，我要哭了。
Āiyā, bié dú le, wǒ yào kū le.
Oh, stop reading, I'm going to cry.
- Grandma 您看，这里有一百张了！
Nín kàn, zhèlǐ yǒu yì bǎi zhāng le!
Look, there are a hundred here!
- Auntie Zhou 一百张？我数数……九十九张。
Yì bǎi zhāng? Wǒ shǔshu... jiǔshíjiǔ zhāng.
A hundred? Let me count... ninety-nine.
- Grandma 您数错了。我再写一张，就一百了。
Nín shǔ cuò le. Wǒ zài xiě yì zhāng, jiù yì bǎi le.
You counted wrong. I'll write one more and it's a hundred.
- Auntie Zhou 哈哈，您真是的！
Hāhā, nín zhēn shì de!
Ha, honestly, you!
- Grandma 我还要写一张：“周阿姨最好。”
Wǒ hái yào xiě yì zhāng: “Zhōu āyí zuì hǎo.”
I'm going to write one more: “Auntie Zhou is the best.”
- Mr. Sun 我说过星期六来看楼。这么多人！
Wǒ shuō guo xīngqīliù lái kàn lóu. Zhème duō rén!
I said I'd come see the building on Saturday. So many people!
- Xu Man 孙先生，您好。我是许曼。请您看看这些纸条。
Sūn xiānsheng, nín hǎo. Wǒ shì Xǔ Màn. Qǐng nín kànkan zhèxiē zhǐtiáo.
Mr. Sun, hello. I'm Xu Man. Please look at these notes.
- Mr. Sun 纸条不能当钱。楼要卖了，我要钱。
Zhǐtiáo bù néng dāng qián. Lóu yào mài le, wǒ yào qián.
Notes aren't money. The building is for sale, and I need money.
- Xu Man 我知道。可是这些字，是这里的人写的，也是写给这里的。
Wǒ zhīdào. Kěshì zhèxiē zì, shì zhèlǐ de rén xiě de, yě shì xiě gěi zhèlǐ de.
I know. But these words were written by the people here, for this place.
- Mr. Sun 我没有时间。这是什么书？怎么这么旧？
Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān. Zhè shì shénme shū? Zěnme zhème jiù?
I don't have time. What book is this? Why is it so old?
- Mr. Sun 这是……我的字。
Zhè shì... wǒ de zì.
This is... my handwriting.
- Xu Man 您的字？
Nín de zì?
Yours?
- Mr. Sun 我七岁写的：“我要一直住在这里。”
Wǒ qī suì xiě de: “Wǒ yào yìzhí zhù zài zhèlǐ.”
I wrote it at seven: “I want to live here forever.”
- Mr. Sun 那时候，这里是我妈妈的图书馆。她天天在这儿。
Nà shíhou, zhèlǐ shì wǒ māma de túshūguǎn. Tā tiāntiān zài zhèr.
Back then, this was my mother's library. She was here every day.
- Mr. Sun 好吧。这个楼，我不卖了。
Hǎo ba. Zhège lóu, wǒ bú mài le.
All right. I won't sell this building.
- Mr. Sun 这些纸条，我都要看。
Zhèxiē zhǐtiáo, wǒ dōu yào kàn.
I want to read every one of these notes.
- Xu Man 谢谢您，孙先生！何言！何言，你在哪儿？
Xièxie nín, Sūn xiānsheng! Hé Yán! Hé Yán, nǐ zài nǎr?
Thank you, Mr. Sun! He Yan! He Yan, where are you?
- Xu Man 孙先生说，不卖了！
Sūn xiānsheng shuō, bú mài le!
Mr. Sun says he won't sell!
- He Yan 太好了。我也有一张纸条。
Tài hǎo le. Wǒ yě yǒu yì zhāng zhǐtiáo.
That's wonderful. I have a note too.
- Xu Man 给我的吗？
Gěi wǒ de ma?
For me?
- He Yan 我不去上海了。
Wǒ bú qù Shànghǎi le.
I'm not going to Shanghai.
- Xu Man 什么？
Shénme?
What?
- He Yan 图书馆留下来了。我也留下来，在这张桌子旁边。
Túshūguǎn liú xiàlái le. Wǒ yě liú xiàlái, zài zhè zhāng zhuōzi pángbiān.
The library is staying. So I'm staying too, right here at this table.
- Xu Man 不行！何言，你一定要去上海！这是你想做的事！
Bù xíng! Hé Yán, nǐ yídìng yào qù Shànghǎi! Zhè shì nǐ xiǎng zuò de shì!
No! He Yan, you have to go to Shanghai! It's what you want to do!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does one of the notes say?
“谢谢热水。”
- How many notes does Auntie Zhou count?
“九十九张。”
- What does Mr. Sun find in the old book?
“这是……我的字。”
- Who ran this library long ago?
“那时候，这里是我妈妈的图书馆。”
- What does He Yan's note say?
“我不去上海了。”