Notes in a Library Book: Season 2 · chapter 2 of 6
Don't Turn Around
别回头
Frozen at the quiet table, they finally turn around. The green-ink writer is closer to home than Xu Man thought. Then Auntie Zhou has bad news.
Read what you hear
- Xu Man 何言……我们后面有一个影子。
Hé Yán... wǒmen hòumiàn yǒu yí gè yǐngzi.
He Yan... there's a shadow behind us.
- Xu Man 你看这里。我写给你：“后面有人。”
Nǐ kàn zhèlǐ. Wǒ xiě gěi nǐ: “Hòumiàn yǒu rén.”
Look here. I'll write it for you: “Someone's behind us.”
- He Yan 我看到了。墙上有一个大影子。
Wǒ kàndào le. Qiáng shang yǒu yí gè dà yǐngzi.
I see it. There's a big shadow on the wall.
Chapter 2 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.
- Xu Man 怎么办？那个影子会动吗？我们回头吗？
Zěnme bàn? Nàge yǐngzi huì dòng ma? Wǒmen huítóu ma?
What do we do? Will the shadow move? Do we turn around?
- He Yan 我们数三下。一，二，三。
Wǒmen shǔ sān xià. Yī, èr, sān.
We count three. One, two, three.
- Xu Man 一……二……三！
Yī... èr... sān!
One... two... three!
- Xu Man 咦？没有人！只有地上有一本书。
Yí? Méi yǒu rén! Zhǐyǒu dì shang yǒu yì běn shū.
Huh? Nobody's there! Just a book on the floor.
- He Yan 那个书架在动。有人在书架后面。
Nàge shūjià zài dòng. Yǒu rén zài shūjià hòumiàn.
That bookshelf is moving. Someone's behind it.
- Xu Man 那边！那个书架后面！
Nà biān! Nàge shūjià hòumiàn!
Over there! Behind that shelf!
- Xu Man 我们过去看看。你别怕，我在这儿。
Wǒmen guòqù kànkan. Nǐ bié pà, wǒ zài zhèr.
Let's go look. Don't be scared, I'm here.
- Xu Man 谁在那儿？出来！
Shéi zài nàr? Chūlái!
Who's there? Come out!
- Grandma 别叫，别叫！是我！你们的声音太大了！
Bié jiào, bié jiào! Shì wǒ! Nǐmen de shēngyīn tài dà le!
Don't shout, don't shout! It's me! You're too loud!
- Xu Man 奶奶？真的是您？！
Nǎinai? Zhēn de shì nín?!
Grandma? Is it really you?!
- Grandma 哈哈，被你们看到了。我写了三天呢！
Hāhā, bèi nǐmen kàndào le. Wǒ xiě le sān tiān ne!
Ha ha, you caught me. I've been writing for three days!
- Xu Man 奶奶，您怎么在这儿？您的腿好了吗？
Nǎinai, nín zěnme zài zhèr? Nín de tuǐ hǎo le ma?
Grandma, what are you doing here? Is your leg better?
- Grandma 我的腿好了。我天天来这儿看书，看了很多个星期六。
Wǒ de tuǐ hǎo le. Wǒ tiāntiān lái zhèr kàn shū, kàn le hěn duō gè xīngqīliù.
My leg is fine now. I come here to read every day. I've watched many Saturdays.
- Grandma 你们写的字，我都看了。写得真好！
Nǐmen xiě de zì, wǒ dōu kàn le. Xiě de zhēn hǎo!
I've read everything you two wrote. It's really good!
- Xu Man 什么？都看了？第一页也看了？！
Shénme? Dōu kàn le? Dì yī yè yě kàn le?!
What? Everything? Even the first page?!
- Grandma 这位就是何言吧？你好！
Zhè wèi jiù shì Hé Yán ba? Nǐ hǎo!
And this must be He Yan! Hello!
- He Yan 奶奶好。我是何言。您的绿色笔真好看。
Nǎinai hǎo. Wǒ shì Hé Yán. Nín de lǜsè bǐ zhēn hǎokàn.
Hello, Grandma. I'm He Yan. Your green pen is lovely.
- Grandma 好孩子！明天来我家吃饭，我做饺子。你会包吗？
Hǎo háizi! Míngtiān lái wǒ jiā chī fàn, wǒ zuò jiǎozi. Nǐ huì bāo ma?
Good boy! Come to my place for dinner tomorrow. I'm making dumplings. Can you wrap them?
- Auntie Zhou 奶奶，许曼，何言……你们来一下。
Nǎinai, Xǔ Màn, Hé Yán... nǐmen lái yíxià.
Grandma, Xu Man, He Yan... come here for a moment.
- Xu Man 周阿姨，您怎么了？
Zhōu āyí, nín zěnme le?
Auntie Zhou, what's wrong?
- Auntie Zhou 我有一件事，一直没有说。我不知道怎么说。
Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì, yìzhí méiyǒu shuō. Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme shuō.
There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I don't know how to say it.
- Grandma 周阿姨，是不是楼的事？
Zhōu āyí, shì bu shì lóu de shì?
Auntie Zhou, is it about the building?
- Auntie Zhou 下个月，这个图书馆不开了。
Xià ge yuè, zhège túshūguǎn bù kāi le.
Next month, this library won't be open anymore.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What do Xu Man and He Yan see on the wall?
“墙上有一个大影子。”
- Who was writing in green ink?
“奶奶？！”……“你们写的字，我都看了。”
- How is Grandma's leg now?
“我的腿好了。”
- What does Grandma invite He Yan to do?
“明天来我家吃饭，我做饺子。”
- What is Auntie Zhou's bad news?
“下个月，这个图书馆不开了。”