Notes in a Library Book · chapter 2 of 3
Saturday at Three
星期六下午三点
He agrees to meet — though he's afraid she'll be disappointed. Three o'clock, the table by the window, and a question only he can answer.
Read what you hear
- Xu Man 那个星期，我每天都在想，他会怎么回答。
Nàge xīngqī, wǒ měi tiān dōu zài xiǎng, tā huì zěnme huídá.
All that week, I wondered every day how he would answer.
- Xu Man 星期六，我一进门，就去借那本书。
Xīngqīliù, wǒ yí jìn mén, jiù qù jiè nà běn shū.
On Saturday, I went straight in to borrow the book.
- Auntie Zhou 慢点儿，书不会跑的。
Màn diǎnr, shū bú huì pǎo de.
Slow down — the book isn't going anywhere.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Notes in a Library Book 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Xu Man 纸条上，他的字比以前小，也比以前慢。
Zhǐtiáo shang, tā de zì bǐ yǐqián xiǎo, yě bǐ yǐqián màn.
On the slip, his handwriting was smaller and slower than before.
- The note-writer 我也想见你。可是，我怕你见到我，会失望。
Wǒ yě xiǎng jiàn nǐ. Kěshì, wǒ pà nǐ jiàndào wǒ, huì shīwàng.
“I want to meet you too. But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed when you see me.”
- Xu Man 失望？为什么会失望？
Shīwàng? Wèishénme huì shīwàng?
Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?
- Xu Man 我马上写：“我不会失望的。你只要来，就好。”
Wǒ mǎshàng xiě: “Wǒ bú huì shīwàng de. Nǐ zhǐ yào lái, jiù hǎo.”
I wrote straight away: “I won't be disappointed. Just come — that's all.”
- Xu Man 又过了一个星期。这次，纸条上只有一句话。
Yòu guò le yí gè xīngqī. Zhè cì, zhǐtiáo shang zhǐ yǒu yí jù huà.
Another week passed. This time, the slip held just one line.
- The note-writer 下个星期六下午三点，窗边的桌子。
Xià gè xīngqīliù xiàwǔ sān diǎn, chuāng biān de zhuōzi.
“Next Saturday, three o'clock. The table by the window.”
- Xu Man 那天晚上，我怎么也睡不着。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, wǒ zěnme yě shuì bù zháo.
That night, I couldn't sleep, no matter what I tried.
- Xu Man 奶奶住院了。我坐在她旁边，给她读那本书里的诗。
Nǎinai zhùyuàn le. Wǒ zuò zài tā pángbiān, gěi tā dú nà běn shū lǐ de shī.
Grandma was in the hospital. I sat beside her and read her poems from that book.
- Xu Man 奶奶拉着我的手说：“有人在等你，是好事。”
Nǎinai lāzhe wǒ de shǒu shuō: “Yǒu rén zài děng nǐ, shì hǎo shì.”
Grandma held my hand and said, “Having someone waiting for you is a good thing.”
- Xu Man 星期六终于到了。两点半，我就到了图书馆。
Xīngqīliù zhōngyú dào le. Liǎng diǎn bàn, wǒ jiù dào le túshūguǎn.
Saturday finally came. By half past two, I was already at the library.
- Auntie Zhou 今天穿得这么好看，是要见谁啊？
Jīntiān chuān de zhème hǎokàn, shì yào jiàn shéi a?
Dressed up so nicely today — who are you meeting?
- Xu Man 没……没有，我就是来看书。
Méi… méiyǒu, wǒ jiù shì lái kàn shū.
N-no one. I'm just here to read.
- Xu Man 两点五十分。窗边的桌子，还没有人。
Liǎng diǎn wǔshí fēn. Chuāng biān de zhuōzi, hái méiyǒu rén.
Ten to three. The table by the window was still empty.
- Xu Man 三点。门开了。
Sān diǎn. Mén kāi le.
Three o'clock. The door opened.
- Xu Man 一个穿灰色毛衣的年轻人走了进来，手里拿着一本旧诗集。
Yí gè chuān huīsè máoyī de niánqīngrén zǒu le jìnlái, shǒu lǐ názhe yì běn jiù shījí.
A young man in a grey sweater walked in, holding an old book of poems.
- Xu Man 他看见我，停了一下，然后笑了。
Tā kànjiàn wǒ, tíng le yíxià, ránhòu xiào le.
He saw me, paused, and then smiled.
- Xu Man 我站起来说：“你好，我是许曼。”
Wǒ zhàn qǐlái shuō: “Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì Xǔ Màn.”
I stood up and said, “Hi. I'm Xu Man.”
- Xu Man 他张开嘴，可是没有说话。
Tā zhāng kāi zuǐ, kěshì méiyǒu shuōhuà.
He opened his mouth — but said nothing.
- Xu Man 他拿出一支笔，在纸上写了几个字，递给了我。上面写着什么呢？
Tā ná chū yì zhī bǐ, zài zhǐ shang xiě le jǐ gè zì, dì gěi le wǒ. Shàngmiàn xiězhe shénme ne?
He took out a pen, wrote a few words on a piece of paper, and handed it to me. What did it say?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is the note-writer afraid of?
“我怕你见到我，会失望.”
- Where and when do they agree to meet?
“下个星期六下午三点，窗边的桌子.”
- What does Grandma tell Xu Man?
“有人在等你，是好事.”
- What is the young man holding when he walks in?
“手里拿着一本旧诗集.”
- What happens when Xu Man says hello?
“他张开嘴，可是没有说话……在纸上写了几个字.”