The Red Bag at Platform Three · chapter 1 of 3
Two Red Bags
两个红色的包
Fang Lei has one train left to make his daughter's birthday. Then a red bag is left behind on platform three — and it isn't who he thinks it belongs to.
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Read what you hear
- Fang Lei 晚上十点，车站里的人不多了。
Wǎnshang shí diǎn, chēzhàn lǐ de rén bù duō le.
It's ten at night, and the station is emptying out.
- Fang Lei 我叫方磊。今天是我女儿六岁的生日。
Wǒ jiào Fāng Lěi. Jīntiān shì wǒ nǚ'ér liù suì de shēngrì.
My name is Fang Lei. Today is my daughter's sixth birthday.
- Fang Lei 我答应过她，今天晚上一定回家。
Wǒ dāying guo tā, jīntiān wǎnshang yídìng huí jiā.
I promised her I'd be home tonight, no matter what.
- Fang Lei 回家的末班车，十点半从三号站台开。
Huí jiā de mòbānchē, shí diǎn bàn cóng sān hào zhàntái kāi.
The last train home leaves platform three at ten thirty.
- Fang Lei 广播说，二零八次车改到五号站台了。
Guǎngbō shuō, èr líng bā cì chē gǎi dào wǔ hào zhàntái le.
An announcement says train 208 has moved to platform five.
- Fang Lei 一个穿白衣服的女孩一边打电话，一边跑向楼梯。
Yí gè chuān bái yīfu de nǚhái yìbiān dǎ diànhuà, yìbiān pǎo xiàng lóutī.
A girl in white runs for the stairs, talking on her phone.
- Lin Yue 妈，别担心！我马上就上车！
Mā, bié dānxīn! Wǒ mǎshàng jiù shàng chē!
Mom, don't worry! I'm getting on the train right now!
- Fang Lei 我旁边站着一个阿姨，她的脚边有一个红色的包。
Wǒ pángbiān zhànzhe yí gè āyí, tā de jiǎo biān yǒu yí gè hóngsè de bāo.
An older woman stands beside me, with a red bag at her feet.
- Fang Lei 前一班车到了。阿姨上了车。
Qián yì bān chē dào le. Āyí shàng le chē.
The earlier train pulls in. She gets on.
- Fang Lei 可是，那个红色的包还在地上。
Kěshì, nàge hóngsè de bāo hái zài dì shang.
But the red bag is still on the ground.
- Fang Lei 阿姨，您的包！您忘了包！
Āyí, nín de bāo! Nín wàng le bāo!
Ma'am, your bag! You forgot your bag!
- Older Passenger 不是我的！
Bú shì wǒ de!
That's not mine!
- Fang Lei 她举起手里的包。也是红色的，一样大，一样新。
Tā jǔ qǐ shǒu lǐ de bāo. Yě shì hóngsè de, yíyàng dà, yíyàng xīn.
She holds up the bag in her hand. It's red too — the same size, just as new.
- Older Passenger 我的在这儿呢！
Wǒ de zài zhèr ne!
Mine's right here!
- Fang Lei 车门关上了，车开走了。
Chēmén guānshàng le, chē kāi zǒu le.
The doors close, and the train pulls away.
- Fang Lei 站台上，只剩下我，还有这个红色的包。
Zhàntái shang, zhǐ shèng xià wǒ, hái yǒu zhège hóngsè de bāo.
On the platform, it's just me — and this red bag.
- Fang Lei 我不能碰它，可是也不能不管它。
Wǒ bù néng pèng tā, kěshì yě bù néng bù guǎn tā.
I shouldn't touch it. But I can't just walk away from it, either.
- Fang Lei 包上有一张小纸条。我低下头，看见两个字：林月。
Bāo shang yǒu yì zhāng xiǎo zhǐtiáo. Wǒ dī xià tóu, kànjiàn liǎng gè zì: Lín Yuè.
There's a little paper tag on it. I lean down and read two characters: Lin Yue.
- Fang Lei 下面还有三个数字：二零八。
Xiàmiàn hái yǒu sān gè shùzì: èr líng bā.
Under the name are three numbers: two, zero, eight.
- Fang Lei 二零八？那个穿白衣服的女孩！
Èr líng bā? Nàge chuān bái yīfu de nǚhái!
208? The girl in white!
- Fang Lei 我看了看钟：十点二十。二零八次，十点二十五开。
Wǒ kàn le kàn zhōng: shí diǎn èrshí. Èr líng bā cì, shí diǎn èrshíwǔ kāi.
I check the clock: 10:20. Train 208 leaves at 10:25.
- Fang Lei 我的车，十分钟以后到。她的车，五分钟以后开。
Wǒ de chē, shí fēnzhōng yǐhòu dào. Tā de chē, wǔ fēnzhōng yǐhòu kāi.
My train comes in ten minutes. Hers leaves in five.
What changed in the story?
- Why does Fang Lei need the last train tonight?
He says, “今天是我女儿六岁的生日。我答应过她，今天晚上一定回家.”
- What does the older woman do when Fang Lei calls out?
She says “不是我的！” and holds up an identical red bag.
- What is written on the tag?
The tag says “林月” and “二零八.”
- Why does 208 make Fang Lei think of the girl in white?
The announcement said train 208 had moved to platform five, and the girl in white ran for the stairs.
- Why is the end of chapter 1 so tense?
“我的车，十分钟以后到。她的车，五分钟以后开.” There is very little time for either of them.